Alfie The Holiday Cat

Japan: a cat lover’s heaven

I was lucky enough to go to Japan in July this year. It’s a country I have always wanted to explore; the culture, history and the food fascinate me, so it was a dream come true. The Ultimate Travel Company — www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk — organised a bespoke trip.

And it was, naturally, all about the cats.

Japan is a cat lover’s paradise. I could write a book about it — but I’ll just share the highlights! I stayed in a cat-themed room, visited a cat temple, met the cat who works as a station master, travelled on a cat-themed train, visited the world’s first cat cafe, shopped in shops dedicated to all things cat, ate at a Hello Kitty restaurant and visited one of Japan’s cat islands.

In Tokyo, I stayed in the Park Hotel, which has a floor of local artist-themed rooms. Of course, I was in the Lucky Cat room … It was beautiful waking up to cats on the walls and ceiling every morning!

I also visited a Buddhist temple which claims the origin of maneki-neko, The Beckoning Cat — also known as the lucky waving cat, a true Japanese icon. The GotoKuji Temple just outside of Tokyo is not only beautiful but people flock there to pray for prosperity and you can buy a maneki-neko, pray holding it, and leave it in a shrine at the temple as a way of giving thanks. The legend of The Beckoning Cat dates back to the Edo period, when a feudal lord passed a poor Buddhist temple as he arrived in Edo (now Tokyo) and saw a cat beckoning him in. He went inside just as a huge storm broke. Although the monk and his faithful cat had very little they shared what food and shelter they had with the lord, who, once the storm had passed, raised funds to rebuild the temple, which became his family temple and prospered greatly. Today, people gather there to pray for the sort of prosperity that the cat brought to the temple in the first place.

Te GotoKuji temple is so beautiful and peaceful, and I love that the beckoning cat is symbolic of good fortune. You will see him everywhere in Japan in various guises, but especially outside restaurants and shops where they ‘beckon’ the customers in.

In Osaka, a Japanese city known as the food capital of Japan, and a bullet train ride away from Tokyo, I visited the world’s first ever cat cafe, Neko no Jikan. The owner of this cafe opened it because of his love of cats and he breeds them. Cat cafes can now be found everywhere and have been joined by owl cafes, which are also becoming popular in Japan. I stayed in the Ritz Carlton in Osaka, and it was a gorgeous hotel; a very interesting mix of English grandeur and Japanese culture. The perfect place to relax and be pampered in after a hard day of cat-spotting.

Osaka castle, a magnificent building of historical importance in the city, is set in one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. There cats congregate, and a local group take it in turns to feed them, ensuring they are all healthy and well-fed. Seeing cats strolling around becomes the norm but when one of the volunteers appear, they all rush over to be fed!

There are shrines and temples aplenty in Japan, either Buddhist or Shinto, and you often find cats wandering around or sleeping there. I was worried about this as the cats are stray, but I learnt that Japanese people who can’t care for their cats take them to temples and shrines (the way we would a cat shelter) as they know they will be looked after. A logic which leaves me with very mixed feelings — yes, they are looked after, but they are still strays. However, anywhere there are stray cats, there also exists a well organised group of Japanese cat lovers who watch over them, making sure they are well cared for. I also noticed that, as in Alfie, some of the cats seem to spend time together, as if in a friendly gang.

In Kyoto, an hour’s train ride from Osaka, the Fushimi Shrine is home to many such cats; they won’t show themselves when the tourists are too plentiful, but find a quiet time and a diverse range of cats will appear. This is also the case in Enoshima, which is known as one of Japan’s cat islands, due to the number of cats you’ll find there. Just over an hour from Tokyo, the Enoshima-jinja shrine is also home to many cats, and, also in Enoshima, you will see cats roaming the beach.

One of my final, favourite cat trips was to Kishi station (also a short ride from Osaka via Wakayama), where you get to meet Nitama, the cat station master. He is the second generation of cat station masters — he even has a uniform and also an apprentice who ‘works’ on different days. One of the most charming things about this trip is the cat-themed train you can ride on to visit him.

Cats aside, Japan is a real bucket list destination. The history, the culture, the people and the food make it an experience that you will never forget. On leaving, my thoughts were of how much I would like to return. And also where I was going to put the suitcase full of cat memorabilia that I managed to bring back with me!

For any further information contact The Ultimate Travel Company: www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk

020 7386 4646