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For some reason, the Japanese are really fond of cats. For example, recently I found out that a station master in Japan is a cat named Tama!

Tama

Are there any other tourist attractions in Japan related to cats (Preferably near Tokyo)?

Edd
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Rudy Gunawan
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1 Answers1

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Being in Japan, anything cute you ask for will most likely exist in much more animation formats than real life versions. So be prepared for a definite shortage of real cats here.

While there are 2 cat-themed amusement parks, one a bit far away from Tokyo and one a bit closer (this stuff is not only reserved for mice), there are also several occasions where cats play a part in Japanese culture and are very well worth visiting, even if you do not like cats!

  • The Nemuri-Neko in the Nikko Tosho-gu shrine (which also features some famous monkeys), not too far from Tokyo enter image description here
  • The omni-present Maneki-neko which can be seen and bought as souvenirs all over Japan, enter image description here
  • The Bakeneko, which is a form or the Maneki-Neko and has a Temple in Setagaya called Gotokuji with tons of cat statues, apparently the origin of the Maneki-Neko, but another shrine, Imado Jinja, claims the same for itself.
  • The Nekomata figures, you might find in museums or libraries, or in tons of new and old books at Amazon
  • From the movie "My Neighbor Totoro" exists a "catbus" which can be bought as a plush animal online and offline (Famous kiddyland in Harajuku has all of it) enter image description here
  • From the movie "Kiki's delivery service" comes another famous cartoon cat. Both this one and the catbus above might be available at the "Ghibli Museum"

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  • More online than offline, the Youtube celebrity "Maru" should be mentioned for completeness.
  • For real live cat overdose visit Cat Island, also called Tashirojima where they even have a cat shrine
  • There is a cat street in Tokyo, which is however misleading, but still a nice shopping area.
  • There are (among other, weirder types) Cat Cafes in Tokyo, for example one in Ikebukuro and many more.
  • Here is another cat-fan report from Japan
uncovery
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