Nyaa Nyaa Nekochan

Here kitty kitty

The cat population in Japan is an exceedingly large geographic. Where cats can be house hold pets, this is not as often the case in Japan as it is in America. Cats are more often found wandering the streets of smaller less aggressive areas. This is to say the areas with not as much foot and car traffic, where they can hunt and scavenge in peace. Often you will find them in residential areas of a town. Personally I know of 4 kitties that haunt my apartment...either that means we have really great trash, or some one has an infestation...or it could be the fact that someone feeds them and I secretly believe them to be someones outdoor pets. You might think of them as disgusting or a nuisance, as I thought of the homeless dogs in Korea, but for all their yowling at night, I have not seen a single mouse, rat, or roach. Allergies permitting, I welcome there feral beasts...at least to the area surrounding my apartment. 

Outdoor cats here are just as agile and capable as they are in America, but I have come be believe that there is are certain roughness around the edges. I don't know what it could be, the tattered ears, the scrapped noses, or maybe it is the fact that the majority of cats I see have stunted tails. This is not a growth defect, but rather a result of some injury such as a car or...well you get the point. Their tails will occasionally appear twisted and shorted or sometimes are just a little stub as if they were extremely limber rabbits.

one the black cat that little black ball is all it has for a tail...though it was kind of cute

Another solution that has come forth in recent times, is the cat cafe. I am not sure who suddenly decided that this was the new black, especially with all of their disregard or perhaps undesirability in the common street, but suddenly cat cafes are a welcome and often popular location. In Korea I had to wait upwards of a quarter of an hour to be seated at one of these. They are a great couples, friends hang out, and even family location. These cafes are not found every where, but certainly in ever large city in Korea and Japan. 

Inside these cafes you sit and have a cuppa and have the option of feeding the cats. At first you might look down on this, but you will find that the cats might not be so ready and willing to interact with you when there are other people with the tempting delights; therefore, it is recommended that if you really want some cute cat holding and affection time, that you pay up and get the kitty snack. Additionally at some of these places, they will have purchasable desserts for human consumption; however they do warn you not to feed these to the animals. 

Also you might wonder if there are dog cafes, and I delight in telling you that there are such things, but I only know of one in Seoul, South Korea.

In Korea, I have found them in Daejeon, Gumi, several in Seoul, and Busan

In Japan, I have found them in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo, but I am certain they are in other large cities.