Japan’s Love For Cats: A Heaven for Cat Lovers

Japan is a country which loves cats and is a heaven for cat lovers. It has its own cat culture with cat islands, cafes, cat themed festivals, pop presence, merchandise and even shrines. The love for cats is deep rooted in history as well as modern day lives, as historically cats used to protect buddhist scripts and silk produce from rodents and today serves as a low maintenance, modern day companion to urban apartment households. This extreme admiration for cats can be seen in their beliefs and even on their calendar, each year 22nd of February is celebrated as a “Cat’s Day”, a national holiday to cherish cats around. Cats are considered to bring good luck and prosperity, the famous “Maneki-Neko” a figurine believed to bring both. Well, here is the list of things to do, places to visit and things to buy in japan if you are a cat lover too:

Japan has a number of cat islands known as “Nikojima” where cats were majorly introduced to control rodents on fishing boats and silk production, here cats even outnumber the human population. The most famous tourist islands are :

An island filled with cats, almost 6 times more than people living there. You can find them roaming around freely, you can adore these friendly creatures, feed them and photograph them. Although there are no shops or restaurants there, still it is a favorite tourist spot.
This island has a cat temple located in the middle known as the “Neko Jinja”, you can find cat toys and offerings there. You can also stay at cat shaped lodges, cabins and camp tents at manga island in the southern part of the island. Souvenirs, drinks and food is also available at local shops here.

Japan is home to some of the most famous cat cafes around the world where you can enjoy drinks and snacks as well as spend time, relax and play with the different cats by just paying an hourly fee. These cafes house different breeds of cats and also abandoned and rescued cats from ngos and animal welfare organizations, promoting their adoption and caring for the neglected ones. You can find cat themed interior with cat toys, climbing structures and playing zones in these cafes. These cafes are a bliss for cat lovers who can’t keep a pet cat home.

Japan has produced some of the most globally recognized and famous cat themed characters like:

Based on a robot cat, Doraemon is a japanese manga and anime series created by Fujiko F. Fuji. It is one of the most globally famous cartoon icon originating from japan. If you are a fan, you can visit “Doraemon Museum” in kawasaki city, explore the realistic world of the show with Doraemon themed games, prizes, merchandise, food and drinks, etc.

A globally recognized girlish character who is also the face of Japanese kawaii(cute) culture. Hello kitty merchandises sell all around the world, from kid’s toys to home goods, clothes, etc. Also, the brand's parent company "Sanrio" collaborated with almost every famous retail category brand, further expanding its popularity. If you are a hello kitty fan be sure to visit hello kitty theme parks, shopping stores, cafes and stay in hello kitty themed hotels, attend special events and even travel in hello kitty themed train in japan.

Japan has a lot of cat themed merchandise, including pop culture faces like Doraemon, Hello kitty and Studio Ghibli Cats but the most popular souvenir and famous gift is the “Beckoning Cat” known as “Maneki-Neko”. It is said to be a symbol of good luck, prosperity and happiness. It is a part of almost every household and business shop. It comes in different colours and positions often attracting different blessings.

White colour is for good luck and peace whereas gold colour attracts wealth and money, pink is for love, red for good health and black for keeping evil spirits and diseases away. The raised right paw is for money and wealth, left paw attracts customers & people and both paws attract both money and people.

Japan helds many cat themed festivals and events all year like around but the most famous are-

An annual cat themed parade(halloween like)based on “Supernatural Cats” from japan’s folklore also known as “Bakeneko” where people dress up as cats or cat like and engage in dance, parades, other activities. You can be a part of this festival, can shop, eat, participate in dance workshops, parades, etc.



Japan’s largest cat themed festival consists of large number of cat themed booths where you can find everything from food and drinks to clothes, art pieces, games, etc. The event also sets up cat cafes, cat photo studio, expert lectures on cat care, cat supplies from creators, etc.

Just like cafes and islands, there are many cat shrines in japan but the most famous are:

known to be the birthplace of “Maneki-Neko” (Beckoning Cat). It is said that once a man named Li Naotaka was invited and saved by a white cat from a storm, giving him shelter there. Here you can find thousands of “White good luck cat figurines”, you can buy them in different sizes, place them in the temple or take them home. You can also purchase “omikuji” paper fortunes and ema wooden boards on which you write and place your prayers or wishes at the temple.

Imado shrine, Amasu Daigongen Shrine, Nekonomiya Shrine and Jishōin Temple are also some of the famous cat temples in japan. These temples often have a history or folklore belief about them.

So, this was the list of things you can do, enjoy and explore in japan if you love cats.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. Why are cats so popular in japan?
   
   Cats are a part of japan's history, culture and modern day. Historically, they were brought to protect scriptures and silk farms from rodents, were also believed to bring good luck and prosperity and now serve as a perfect pet for small apartments and busy lives in urban areas.
2. Why do people in japan prefer cats overdogs?
   
   Cats are independent and low maintainence which perfectly suits small apartments, urban settings and busy work lifestyle in japan unlike dogs.
3. What is a Bakeneko ?
   
   In japanese folklore, a bakeneko is a supernatural cat that can shapeshift, speak like humans and can posses the dead. They are considered malevolent creatures.
4. Why do japanese cat cafes exist ?
   
   Majorly cat cafes exist because many apartments in japan have a "no pets" policy, so these cafes offer people a place to interact, relax and enjoy the company of cats. This helps people relieve their stress and some cafes also houses and cares for disabled, injured and abandoned cats, contributing to the animal welfare.