Gokokuji Temple Cats

Almost every temple in Japan has a few stray cats hanging around and the big Gokokuji temple is not an exception, harboring a small army of them. Obviously the word “stray” might be misnomer, these cats look very well fed!

Asakusa Snapshots

Tokyo quietens down during winter, not so many festivals or show going on so instead I get a chance to post some every day snapshots from Tokyo’s premiere tourist destination, Asakusa. It’s always fun to walk around in this interesting area but my favorite time to visit is in the early evening just before it gets dark, and then to see the temple with its beautiful night lighting. During the day time it can get very crowded!

The Cats of Nara

That sounds like the title of a fantasy novel doesn’t it? Japanese people have a saying that you can judge the friendliness of a neighborhood by looking at its population of cats: if they are relaxed and well fed, the neighborhood is friendly and safe. If not, it’s probably not so friendly to people either. Judged by those standards the narrow streets of Nara Old Town must be very good as I met a lot of nice cats while walking around there a few weeks ago. Here are two, one elegant beauty and one grumpy old man! The first picture just cries out for a fun caption… can you think of one?

Shibuya Festival Cat

I have seen most domestic animals I can think of at festivals in Japan, mostly perched on the shoulders of their owners or on a leash behind them – ferrets, dogs, pigs, monkey, parrots, etc. but by far the most photogenic of the many festival loving animals of Japan are the cats – there seems to be something about them that makes you want to dress them up in a cute dress and take out to town! Here’s one such festival cat I found in Shibuya, this summer. His owner must have used to being photographed so I clicked away! Now, if only I could find a donkey in a jinbei or a lizard in a loincloth? Enjoy festival cat! You might remember an earlier and even prettier festival cat from Asakusa.