It seems as though every year Japan introduces a whole new slew of tweaks and twists on their popular cat cafes, and that's probably because it's true. Over the years we've seen a luxury-themed cat cafe, and the first ever cat cafe on a train. Now cat cafe chain Neko Republic is offering a changeup with a special event day at their Shinsaibashi location in Osaka with a "Men's Day" for guys who love cats, but can't usually attend cat cafes.

Neko Republic is different from many cat cafes in that their cafes exclusively house rescue cats, and use the appeal of playing with kitties at a cat cafe as a way of finding them forever homes. The idea behind the recently announced "Neko (Cat) Building Men's Festival" is to help men who aren't able to visit cafes become parents for rescue and foster cats. Neko Republic seems to be targeting men who are apprehensive about going to cat cafes because it's not perceived as a thing men normally do, men who are nervous about going into a shop alone mostly filled with women, and men who work very late, but in particular they seem to want to help out shy guys who have a fondness for felines.

According to a press release, the cafe has experienced shy customers who benefit learning how to play with and care for foster cats and develop communication and interaction skills at the same time. While this general theme of "saving foster cats while playing with them" is the cafe's general theme, Neko Republic wants to use the one-day event as a way to give boys and men who may not usually have the opportunity to do so. Women are free to attend, but are asked to get in the "manly spirit" of the event. In addition, entrance fee to the shop goes toward medical maintenance and care of the cafe's foster cats.

The cafe takes up all of the "Osaka Neko Building", a five floor cat cafe with different themes per floor. The first floor houses what Neko Republic affectionately calls "Apple Cats", or cats that carry Feline AIDS (FIV). These kitties often find themselves abandoned and at a disadvantage in finding a permanent home, so an opportunity to play and fall in love with them is great for all parties. The floor also sells cat-related goods.

The second floor is essentially a feline gift shop, with cat-themed goods for humans and toys and snacks for kitties.

The third floor offers an open space for cats to run around and play in, as well as cat trees and towers to climb up in. Visitors can use provided toys to engage the cats, as well as entice the kitties with treats and begin the makings of a hopefully permanent friendship.

The fourth floor seems like a slice of heaven for cat lovers and bookworms, as it's a designated "relax space" called CAT & BED & BOOK, where customers can lie down in bed and snuggle up with cats and a good book. If you don't have your own book to read, the floor library offers a range of books on the topics of all things feline.

Finally, the fifth floor has a bit of an interesting theme to it. It's a "work space", meaning it offers free wi-fi and a space to sit down and enjoy coffee while you do any work you need to on a computer. The cafe set it up with the intention of letting customers experience the frustrating joy that is having work around a cat that is trying to take up residence on your keyboard, and wander about looking out the window at the busy streets below.

Admittance for one hour is 1,300 yen, and for the special event two hour stays are discounted to 2,000 yen (the event runs from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Considering its an opportunity to adopt a rescue cat and a portion goes toward rescue efforts, it's a reasonable deal.

The event will be held on January 29th, 2018, and will be held once a month going forward. Access information for the Osaka Shinsaibashi location can be found here.