My partner and I were looking through the 5,000+ photos we took while traveling through Japan, and as we flicked through, one thing quickly became apparent.
I took a lot of cat photos.
A lot of cat photos.
Japan is famous for its stray cats. We encountered cats wandering the streets in every city we visited, from the cities of Hokkaido in the north to the warmer cities of Kyushu in the south. There were cats everywhere, and unlike the stray cats we’d encountered in other countries, these ones generally seemed to be in very good condition, sleek and well fed and very confident. They had some definite swagger, and accepted the attention showered on them by tourists and locals alike with a quiet sense of well-being, as if this was the life they were born into. I often imagined these cats as world-weary celebrities, patiently accepting the attentions of their devoted fans. Japan is a nation of cat lovers, and it was gratifying to discover that I wasn’t the only person who just had to pull out my camera every time I spotted a feline.
In honour of the friendly street cats of Japan, with their curiosity and their confidence and their swagger, here is a little poem I penned. Enjoy!
Oh, paparazzi,
Taking my photo again,
Capture my good side!
Happy Friday, everyone!
Ooh, kitties everywhere! Love your paparazzi cat poem and photo, Jane! =)
So many cats, and I had to take photos of all of them! 🙂
I always love your posts about Japan!
I’m glad, because I love reliving the experience! We’re already thinking about going back for a third trip! 🙂
I love to take cat photos, too — they’re just such wonderful subjects! (And also wonderful subjects for poems 🙂 )
I wholeheartedly agree! They just have so much personality!
Fun! When I went to Rome 30+ years ago, I was stunned by the number of not-too-healthy-looking feral cats in the Coliseum. When we visited again almost 2 years ago, we saw none! While trying to discover where they all went (anyone know?), we discovered a cat sanctuary that fed and sheltered strays amidst some ancient ruins. Of course we had to visit!
We had a similar experience in the Caribbean – there were stray cats everywhere, but they certainly weren’t very healthy looking, very straggling and skinny. But these cats were by and large pretty sleek and satisfied with their lives! Hmmm…I wondered what happened to all those Italian cats! :'(
Ha! What a wonderful stop on this Poetry Friday. I’m a cat lover too….and anywhere I go, if there is a cat to take a photo of, I’m all over it. I wonder if you might be able to make a book of JUST your favorite cat photos? Great haiku. Cats really do feel like the stars of the show. Stinkers! And, yet, I love them. Have a great week.
Cats just have so much personality! You can almost see them rolling their eyes dramatically whenever you pull out your camera. Japan is a cat-mad nation, and I saw quite a few coffee table books just about street cats, it was awesome. 🙂
I love hearing about those beloved cats, Jane. and your ‘capture my good side’. I receive haiku of Issa, translated by a David Gerard. Here’s today’s sharing:
the lover cat
crisscrosses the village
yowling
Oh yes, we heard quite a few of those yowling cats, on the prowl for love!
Now that is a delightful meme for sure. I did not know that stray cats are all over Japan. Interesting, Jane. I am wondering if you have a photo or image poem from Japan that you would like to offer for my winter gallery. The theme is Winter Wonder and the invitation is at http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2017/01/invitation-to-winter-wonder-17.html in case you are interested.
I’ve been meaning to contribute to your gallery for a while, and I just sent you a few photos from Japan! Northern Japan was a snowy, wintery wonderland, and I have more than a few pictures! 😉
Thanks for your virtual trip to Japan, and the cats are lovely, along with your poem! I hope to make it there sometime, I have two very close friends that I met here in
Chicago, but they are back home in Japan.
If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend taking the trip! It’s absolutely worth it, especially if you have a local guide. 🙂
What a fun post, Jane. Loved hearing about the cats. Didn’t realize there were so many strays in Japan. Nice to know most seem to be taken care of. Adorable poem and pic! 🙂
I love that. I feel there’s a picture book there. 🙂
This made me smile! Love he haiku – that cat looks so pleased with himself, too!
I know – so much furry personality! 🙂
This is such a fun post. These cats definitely have that feline attitude.
I love the way that cats just always seem to ooze personality! 🙂
Issa wrote quite a number of cat haiku. Cats can be friends well worth cultivating! I’m putting together a cat-in-the-doorway haiku for my Sunday post. Thanks for your purrfectly inspiring post!
The world always needs more cats in it, especially cat-themed poetry! 🙂
Jane, your intro to this post cracks me up!
Thanks for sharing this delightful facet of your trip – I guess kitties have the same endearing/perplexing personalities on any continent. I love them too! Mrow.
I was delighted to see so many other people taking cat photos everywhere – glad to find out I wasn’t alone in my cat adoration! 🙂
I’m fascinated by this story. Why are there so many cats? Are there lots of dogs hanging around as well?
Sweet kitty with her feet placed just so for the cameraman!
Oh Jane, I love everything about this post. (Bring on the kitty swagger!) Your closing haiku and photo are delightful.
Love the photos and the poem! You should write a travel book…photos and poetry.
I, too, love your observations about Japan. These photos are so much better than standard shots of famous sure! And the poem made me laugh.
Your description certainly wasn’t the stereotype of a stray cat. In fact, it made me think of “Charlie Anderson” by Barbara Abercrombie … the story of a cat with two homes, two beds, two families to love him.
Well, I think many of them are very well loved, especially by little old ladies and gentlemen, who I often spotted leaving out little trays of cat food for the neighborhood cats!