Cat Nation: A Film About Japan's Crazy Cat Culture (2017) - full transcript

So, we're in the biggest
shopping district in Tokyo.

And a crowd of people
has amassed, to, uh...

to stroke
several cats in a pram.

And I say that
without much surprise

because I'm kind of
used to

seeing this kind of stuff
in Japan.

If you're walking past,

it just looks like a
pile of rugs in a pram.

And as you get closer,
you see the paws

like hanging out the edge,

and as you get even more closer,
you see ten cats sleeping.



Look at all these paws
hanging off the edge here.

Japan has long been

a source of confusion
for foreign travellers

and as a British guy
who's has lived here

for almost five years now,

in many ways I'm still as
surprised and bewildered by it

as the day that I arrived.

My name's Chris Broad

and I spend my time
as a YouTube vlogger in Japan

going in search
of the beautiful,

the unique and the bizarre.

From sake vending machines
and capsule hotels

to a man casually walking
through central Tokyo

with a stroller
stuffed full of cats.



It's a theme that you encounter

pretty much everyday in Japan.

Cats.

The Japanese have an
absolute obsession with them

and not just as pets, either.

I'm setting off on a journey
across the country

to uncover
this cat obsessed culture,

where we'll explore everything

from questionable
office practices

and iconic cat characters

to famous cats that work
as mascots in shops,

and even train stations.

We're off to discover what
makes Japan

a cat nation

Our first stop is one of
Tokyo's largest cat cafes.

The best way
to describe a cat cafe

is a coffee shop where
customers can relax and unwind

in the presence
of dozens of cats.

Whilst cat cafes
have started springing up

all over the world as gimmicks,

in Japanese cities they're
a common appearance.

And far from being a gimmick,

the resolution
to a common problem.

As a huge proportion
of Japan's population

live in apartments where
pets are forbidden,

the cat cafe allows customers
to effortlessly indulge

in their passion for cats.

So, this is the food
and drink menu.

You can sit here,
eat your spaghetti bolognese,

drink your ginger ale
and stroke the cats.

It's pretty popular,

that's what a lot of
locals come here to do.

I can't believe it, personally,

something seems a bit wrong
about eating

a seafood platter surrounded
by 50 cats in a room

where there's fur just
everywhere in the air.

The highlight is undoubtedly

the sheer variety
of cats to be found.

From fluffy cats
and grumpy cats

to cats with stumpy legs.

It's like cat tapas.

This is the shy one that
I saw a poster about.

And he's very long,

he's like a sausage cat.

What's he looking at?

There's genuinely nothing
round there,

he's just having fun looking
around the corner of the door.

This one has just been sat
here for the last 20 minutes

just drinking this water
from this pink bowl.

To the untrained eye
it's merely a light.

If you come around here,

there's actually a cat
sleeping up there on the light.

Oh my God.

How did he get up there?

There's no easy way to get up.

Oh...

I think this might be
one of the cats to avoid.

On the sign
at the front it said

"Don't touch these four cats."

Because they don't like people,

and they will eat your face.

I'm a bit scared of this one.

And the fact
that he's got a sweater on,

like a gangster cat.

Not all cats are in the mood

to be fondled
by strangers though,

and on the wall of the cafe,

you'll find a profile
of each of the cats,

complete with their name
and personality traits.

Sometimes including a
warning on who to avoid.

After all, no one
wants to walk out

of a cat cafe
without their face.

Well, there's
a little warning here.

This cat called Umichan,

"She is so shy cat.

Sometimes
she'll bite your finger.

Please be careful."

The thing is, Umichan, looks
like about four different cats

that I've seen
in this room already,

so I don't know
which one to avoid.

I probably will get bitten.

I've seen quite a few
different notices

around the place saying
"Avoid this cat."

"Don't feed this cat any food
because

it's got kidney disease."

There's lots
of different descriptions

and disclaimers
around the place.

This is a book of all the cats.

You see pictures of them,
their name,

where they're from,
their birthday.

I think this
is the gangster cat,

and his name is Nats.

Ironic because
he's a little bit nuts.

Whoa!

Did you see that?

This cat's mental.

Cat cafe is maybe ideal
for someone

with a busy lifestyle
and a cramped apartment.

But what if you really want
to experience cats

in their element
out in the wild,

a place where all the cats
can roam free?

Meow, meow, meow, meow.

Hidden away
off the northeast coast

is a mysterious island home
to hundreds of feral cats.

And my good friend,
Natsuki, and I

have hopped on a boat
to go and explore

the infamous island
of Tashirojima,

and discover its story.

There's a bit of a Jurassic
Park vibe given the fog.

The whole boat
is enshrouded by fog.

Everybody is so happy and
excited to see the dinosaurs,

except the dinosaurs are cats.

Today there are numerous
islands around Japan

that like to refer to
themselves as a cat island.

As many islands have worked out,

it's a brilliant way to bring
in bucket loads of tourists

to places that are typically
completely isolated.

But Tashirojima is considered
to be the original cat island

that initially started this
trend about a decade ago.

And true to its reputation,

no sooner
have we hopped off the boat,

we find ourselves surrounded

by the island's
fluffy inhabitants.

This is quite
a strange, surreal place.

Just a port with dozens of cats.

Just relaxing under the boat.

There's five cats
on the roof here,

and there's some kind
of fight going on,

it's kind of tense.

I've never seen
so many cats on a roof.

It's funny to think
this is someone's house.

And there's like 20 people
around the house.

Just like the cats
which inhabit them,

each island is unique, with
its own history and folktales.

Here, at Tashirojima,
the most popular legend

says that fishermen
brought cats to the island

because they believed they
could predict fishing trends.

Others say that cats were
brought here by silk merchants,

eager to protect their
silk worms from mice.

Whatever the original intent,

the island is now completely
overrun with hundreds of cats,

outnumbering the island's
human population six to one.

In Japanese culture,
cats are considered a symbol

of good fortune and wealth,

and the cats on this island
have certainly promoted it,

resulting in the port
recently being upgraded

to handle the increasing
number of tourists

who flock to the island
every month.

It is remarkable to think
that the cats have brought

so much economic prosperity
to this remote island.

It's very elegant, a very
elegant, confident cat.

And beautiful.

It does look like a
blanket with legs on it.

A nice blanket, yeah.

In recent times, Tashirojima

was very close to the epicenter

of the great Tōhoku earthquake
and tsunami

that destroyed much of the
northeast coastline in 2011.

And although the island
suffered much damage,

some locals credit
the cat's fortune

for protecting the island
from what could've been

far greater devastation.

Metal poles
across the island indicate

the terrifying height on
which the waves struck

on that tragic day.

The idea of cats
bringing good fortune

has long been
a part of Japanese folklore.

The iconic beckoning cat statue

can be seen
all across the country.

Known as the maneki-neko,

they're said to bring good luck
and fortune to merchants,

families and even those
suffering from illness.

And today, they can be seen
in practically

every store, restaurant
and place of business.

But how did it all start?

The origins of the maneki-neko
statue aren't clear,

but one popular legend holds
that they can be traced back

several hundred years
to this temple.

According to the tale,

a feudal lord was passing
by the temple one day

when he saw a lone cat
beckoning him inside.

The lord entered the temple,

and in doing so avoided
a violent thunderstorm

that suddenly erupted.

Thankful, the lord
decided to honor the cat.

When it passed away,

he had a shrine built for
it here at the temple.

How many are there?

There must be like 10,000,
I don't know.

There's so many

of different sizes,

and they're all
doing the same pose.

It's actually kind of creepy.

But awesome.

Another folktale about the
origins of the beckoning cat

says that
an impoverished store owner

took in a stray cat one
day and out of gratitude,

the cat started waving in
new customers,

bringing great prosperity
to the business.

Whether you choose to
believe the beckoning cat

was an ancient weatherman
or a brilliant salesman,

the maneki-neko stands
as Japan's

undisputed symbol of
good luck and fortune.

Spot the odd cat out?

About a billion cats,

and one with a mustache.

I wonder how this started.

Did someone just put one down,

and then another person
thought, "Yeah, another one,"

and it just got out of control?

There's one back there
with Spanish written on it,

so I'm guessing it's not
just Japanese people.

I see the maneki-neko statue
several times a day in Japan.

I just assumed they
were being mass produced

in a giant cat mega factory.

But I stumbled across a small,

out of the way shop
which suggests otherwise.

I never knew that a lot of these
maneki-nekos were handmade.

You just assume they all
come off a factory line,

but its nice seeing
them produced like this.

Clearly, a lot of hard work
and passion

goes into making them.

These do look pretty beautiful.

Look at the back, the
detail on the back as well.

The attention to detail
and artwork

on these statues is amazing.

The shelves are filled
with beckoning cats

of all breeds,
styles, and sizes.

Perhaps, best of all,
customers can get

their very own
personalized beckoning cats

modeled in the likeness
of their own pet.

So, you can actually
bring in your own cat,

and have a cast made of it
and have it hand painted.

So, here's a cat
that was brought in here,

and here's the end result.

The maneki-neko statue
isn't just believed

to bring good
financial fortune though.

It's also believed
to bring happiness

in other areas of your life.

I've learned
of a second cat temple,

one where locals
can pray for good fortune

in their love life.

But first, a quick bite
and conveniently,

there happens to be a cat
themed cafe two doors down.

So, there's four different
types of cake here.

They have cheesecake
down at the end,

chocolate eclair here, a
kind of meringue over here,

and also a cream cake
in the middle.

They've all got little
Cate faces drawn on them.

Just tear off one ear, shall we?

And now, I'm gonna have
to eat the cat's face.

Whoops.

With my morning tea of cat
shaped cakes out of the way,

it's time to visit our
second beckoning cat temple

to see what we can find.

It looks like those are
ping pong table bats,

but these are all wishes
that people have.

Someone wants
to get married here quickly.

She's decided
who she wants to marry,

she knows who, and she wants
good fortune in her marriage.

I feel a bit bad reading these.

Are you supposed to read them?

I don't know.

"I want to get married."

"I want a partner."

"This year
I want to get married."

They're all about marriage,

they're all about dating.

This person's
left their Apple ID.

I don't know if that's
desperation or brilliance, but

yeah, clearly some people
are going pretty far with this.

I've seen email addresses
as well.

I wonder what the God of
cats thinks about this.

It appears I've stumbled across

some sort of cat temple Tinder.

Singles looking for good fortune

and happiness in their
love lives come here

to pray and make offerings.

If that wasn't strange enough,

the large cat statues inside
the shrine give this place

the atmosphere of some
sort of cat obsessed cult.

It's a little bit creepy
actually.

Because there's four
giant cats waving at me,

and then for no reason there's
a cheeky monkey down there.

These kind of shrines are
supposed to be quite serious

but it's a bit difficult
to take it seriously

when you've got all this
madness staring back at you.

And then
there's the Buddha statue,

that yellow little Buddha statue
there.

If these temples have
taught me anything though,

it's that the belief in the
power of the beckoning cat

is still very much alive and
well with Japanese culture,

and if I ever want
to get married,

I should scribble
my email address down

on a ping pong racket,

and pray to a cheeky monkey
surrounded by saluting cats.

Well, I think that's
what I've learned anyway.

What's going on there?

There's like some people
dancing in front of the shrine.

Oh my lord.

It's creepy, it's like
some sort of cat cult

with the cats in the background.

I find this really hard
to take seriously

because I'm not
a superstitious man,

and then to see them dancing
in front of the cat shrine

doing the most ridiculous dance
I've ever seen in my life.

I can't take it seriously.

Still, if all this cat
superstition

seems hard to believe,

I'm about to have
my beliefs questioned

by one of Japan's
most famous cats.

I'm on my way to a small
town an hour north of Tokyo

to meet a cat
I've read about in the news,

and seen on TV numerous times.

The cat who has allegedly
brought considerable wealth

to the locals, thanks
in part to its lucky eyebrows.

And no, I'm not joking,

these are some pretty
ground breaking eyebrows.

Meet Hachi,
the luckiest cat in Japan.

Hachi works at a tobacco shop,

which also happens to
sell lottery tickets.

The shop has had a string
of jackpot winners,

and many winners
attribute their success

to the good fortune
and presence of Hachi.

This cat has got
quite the reception.

The cat's called Hachi,

and Hachi
is the number eight in Japanese,

and eight is a lucky number,

so the symbol for eight
in kanji a lucky number,

and hence the cat is good luck.

And you can see here
how many times

people have won the
lottery in recent times.

According to these signs
outside the front of the shop,

good fortune is exactly
what Hachi has brought.

Well, if not by the winnings,

then certainly by all the
pilgrimages people have made

from around the country
to see the famous cat

with the lucky eyebrows.

I was given the cat
from a friend

and it had this unique pattern
on its face.

I knew the lady who
runs the tobacco store

and because I'm not around
during the day,

I asked her to take care
of my cat.

Little by little, word of Hachi
and her unusual color spread

and she became very popular.

In Japanese,
this pattern resembles

the character for
the number eight,

which is said to be
a lucky number.

This is a list of people
who have won recently.

And you can see here someone
has won 14 million yen.

It says here,

"The next winner could be you."

He did have quite the
audience a few minutes ago.

There were about
half a dozen people

standing here taking pictures,

but clearly he got a bit tired,

and decided to go back in now.

It's not easy being a cat
working at a tobacco store.

Hachi may be
the luckiest cat in Japan,

but by no means
the only cat with a job.

Unlike the lazy cats
we have in the west,

it seems some Japanese
cats aren't satisfied

with simply
lying about the house

knocking photos off the shelves.

Some of them
like to earn a living.

The most unusual case
I've heard about

comes from a small train station

in a rural town in East Japan.

Naturally,
when I first heard about

a train station run by a cat,

I assumed my ears were broken.

Fortunately, it turned out
they weren't.

This is actually
a normal, regular train

that people catch everyday to
go to work, to go to school.

When it feels like
something out of Disneyland.

There's cat things everywhere.

There's Doraemon, arguably
Japan's most famous

cat character here.

It's locked.

There's a cat library,
cat books here.

Don't know what that is.

"I've studied many philosophers,

many cats, the wisdom of
cats is infinitely superior."

It's the premise of this book.

"Everything I know about
life I learned from my cat."

When I heard
it was a cat themed train,

I just pictured some stickers
on the wall or something.

I didn't think the whole
interior would feel like,

well, like this.

A library, some cabinets,

and special sofas built into it.

Right, this is
a genuine cat themed train.

This cat themed train is
a spectacle in itself.

We're riding it to Kishi
Station in Wakayama Prefecture

to meet the cat train
station master,

and find out what led
the locals to convert

a standard train into a
cat themed wonderland.

Wow.

Nitama, the station master cat.

And it's got quite the audience.

There's about a dozen
people surrounding the cat,

and taking pictures.

It's looks completely oblivious
to everyone standing here.

It just doesn't care.

It says here,
on 22nd of June, 2015,

Tama passed away
and became an honorable

eternal station master.

So, the cat
is still here in spirit.

Because that's not enough to
contribute to the economy,

they've got a second cat,
Nitama, here.

Apparently, the cats
have contributed

over 10 million dollars
to the local economy

just by sheer number of
tourists coming here.

It also says here that Nitama
has regular working hours

like other employees.

She usually works except
for Wednesday and Thursday

because that's her day off.

In the past, Kishi Station was
a small unremarkable station

out here in rural Japan.

But since the induction of Tama,

the original station master cat,

and her successor, Nitama,

both the station and the
local economy have flourished.

Once again, cats hare bringing
good fortune to their owners.

Maybe there is something to this

good luck cat idea after all.

So, they brought the cat
out, put a hat on it,

and about 50 people just
magically appeared

out of nowhere,
there was no one here.

And now, many,
many pictures being taken.

I just love
how the cat's so oblivious.

The cat's just like,
"What is going on?"

I love the hat.

I think all cats
should have a hat,

and look, it just fits
perfectly, it looks wonderful.

He's a rather dashing cat.

The cat seems to like it.

It's remarkable,
all you've you gotta do:

stick a tiny hat on a cat...

This is the result.

If there's anyone
in Detroit watching,

your city
crumbling in on itself,

get some cats and just have
them run around Detroit,

stick some hats on them,
people will come.

The economy will go back up.

Nitama is the second cat
to be named

the station master of Kishi.

Sadly, Tama,
the first station master,

passed away in 2015.

And locals now
come to the station

to pay their respects.

When Tama passed away,

3,000 people turned up
for the funeral

when it was a traditional
Japanese funeral,

it was a big deal
and this is the shrine.

The cat is now an honorable
goddess of the station,

and now you can come here
and pray to her

whilst watching out
for wasps and bees.

Lovely.

After seeing
the impressive wealth

a few cats have brought
not just to individuals,

but to entire local economies,

and country side towns,
and remote islands.

I'm starting to think
I need to buy

some cats for myself.

And what better place
for me to sit and reflect

on some sort of cutting edge
business plan

then at a cat pub,

a Japanese businessman's
equivalent to a cat cafe.

So, this is a cat izakaya.

It says here,

so, "A place where you
can play with cats."

But it's also a pub.

Let's go and check it out.

And there's quite a lot
of cats on the door.

So, that's a giveaway.

There's a cat on top of
the stairs welcoming us.

Even the cats at the pub

look like they've lapped
up a few pints of sake,

slumped over
the chairs at the bar,

presumably after
a hard day at work.

It's certainly a much
more relaxing atmosphere

than a cat cafe.

It feels a bit weird sitting
at a bar with your beer,

and half a dozen cats
around you.

I like it though.

They've got their biscuits,

I've got my nuts.

Everyone's a winner.

A standard Friday night.

Beer on tap,
shattered businessmen,

and an abundance of cats
all in one room.

What could possibly go wrong?

Customers sit here drinking

and a cat will walk by
and step in their drink.

Oh no.

So apparently, sometimes the
customers are sitting here

drinking their beer,
the cat comes along,

and accidentally sticks
its paw in the drink,

and then walks off,

so they have to throw the
drink away and start again.

It's not easy
running a cat pub.

So, why did you start
having all the cats here?

What was your reason
for having the cats

here in the first place?

I opened this bar
around six years ago

but not so many customers came.

But there was one customer

whose cat had
a litter of kittens.

The customer didn't know what to
do with them

so I offered to adopt them,

and the number of cats
grew from there.

Just like all izakayas,
this one serves food.

So, for relaxing times,
make it Suntory time.

Oh, and throw in a cat
faced pasta along the way.

Yeah, it's a little bit
weird to drink alcohol

in the presence of many
many cats like this.

Having a drink
and playing with a cat.

Two things that go hand in hand.

Cats in a bar actually
makes a lot more sense

than I expected.

For the lonely drinker,

they prove to be ideal
company and entertainment

all rolled into one.

Just doing a bit of research

on weird cat stuff in Japan,

and I found this cat
that regularly

rides the train through Tokyo,

and sits with the passengers.

I'd quite like to try
and track this cat down,

but it's on the Ikebukuro line,

and Ikebukuro has the fifth
biggest station in the world,

so... still you never
know your luck, one day.

Finding this elusive commuter
cat would be near impossible

given the sheer size of
Tokyo's train network.

But fortunately,
cats can also be found

in a few other obscure
public places.

One such place is Hibiya Park,

located right next to
the Imperial Palace.

I've heard it has
a reputation of being

something
of an unofficial cat park

due the the numerous feral
cats that call it home.

Cat lazying around over
there behind the roses.

I thought it was a pile of sand,

but nope, it is a cat.

Spotting cats in this massive
park can be quite tricky.

There isn't
an abundance of them,

but with some persistence
and a bit of luck,

cat sightings
are certainly possible.

Similar to Hibiya Park,

a large cemetery
in suburban Tokyo

has been nicknamed
the cat cemetery

on account of its
numerous strays.

I must admit,
I wasn't optimistic

we were gonna find cats here,

and we walked straight in and
the first two minutes, a cat.

This lovely cat shows up.

The tight spaces
and concrete sprawl

of this massive graveyard,

make for the ideal playground
for the feral cats.

It's like a game
of hide and seek.

He... pops up and goes, "Meow!"

And then runs away and
hides around the corner.

And then meows again,
and looks at me.

Like that.

Moving onto his next spot.

Oh!

It's getting heated.

Awe, it's gonna be a fight.

These two cats seem to have
some sort of little gang going,

and this one's
not invited to the party.

I feel sorry for this black cat.

He's been very much excluded.

The other two cats seems
to be sort of best friends.

This cat has to
keep his distance,

and you know, I feel a
little bit sympathetic.

It reminds me
of my old school days.

Ew!

Oh no.

I was leaning on that,

and then I looked down and
there's like 20 red ants.

A cat cemetery
may not be overrun,

but it's not difficult
to stumble across them

whilst strolling around.

The cemetery
also backs onto a district

called Yanaka Ginza,
where supposedly,

the locals are very cat friendly

adopting a few strays
as community mascots,

and building shelters
and litter boxes

throughout the street.

So, this is Yanaka Ginza
suburb or street,

and apparently, again, it's
got a famous reputation

for being a cat friendly
neighborhood,

and it's right next to
the cemetery,

so I'm guessing it lives
up to its reputation

especially as we've already seen
one cat

just relaxing at the side
of the street a minute ago.

We've got two
statues of cats here

next to this big giant ice
cream cone, the beckoning cat.

There's a lot of cat symbols,

and statues and things.

There's a cat
on the roof up there.

I thought it was real
out the corner of my eye,

but no, it's not real.

It's rather terrifying
as well.

As the day moves on,

and more and more
shoppers arrive,

the neighborhood comes alive

with all manner
of cat appreciation.

Cat merchandise, cat
statues, cat shaped food.

You can hardly move
down the street

without bumping into something
with a cat stuck on it.

A lot of savvy business
owners in Japan

have seen the marketing
appeal of cats.

Need to draw
some customers to your pub?

Add some cats.

Want instant tourism for
a small rural community?

Put a hat on a cat
and make her the boss.

There's even a politician
who nominated

a cat as his running mate.

But for the owner of this
bookstore in Central Tokyo,

adding a cat or two
wasn't enough.

So, he decided to
overhaul his entire store

selling nothing
but cat related books.

What a way to stand out.

This is a famous cat.

He blows bubbles
out of his nose.

To say that there's a lot of
cat related books and products

is quite the understatement.

There's a ridiculous amount.

The Islands of Greece.

And it's just the Islands of
Greece with lots of cats in.

Everything from cat
coloring books

to philosophy
as interpreted by cats.

How the owner managed
to fill an entire store

with this just cat related
books is remarkable.

If cat enthusiasts had a heaven,

this would be its library.

This book sums up Japan's
cat obsession rather well.

It's got all the data on the
most popular types of cats.

It's even got a section on the
different types of cat legs

just in case you ever
needed to know that.

Different types of cat smile.

This is a book about cats in
funny positions and places.

Let's see.

It's like Mission
Impossible cat.

Surprisingly, or
unsurprisingly, to be honest,

I'm not sure which,

converting the entire
store to cat only books

has increased it's popularity.

The cat's good fortune
has struck again.

I've had this store
for about 35 years.

It seems the younger generation

doesn't read books anymore.

So to combat this,

I converted
what was a regular book store

into a cat book store.

Since then, I've seen
a steady increase in customers.

This is the most popular
kind of book they sell here.

It's cats wearing
different items

or just like in these
really funny situations

where it looks like they're
having an amazing time.

"Don't expect a lucky break
to just fall from the sky,"

and the cat's looking up.

"To think as if
the reverse is true."

"Negativity prohibited."

They're sayings,
everyday sayings,

with the cat acting it out.

"The longer you wait,
the better it tastes."

I like that one.

It has become apparent
that cats can be found

in some pretty
unconventional places.

But this next place is surely
near the top of the list.

I'm going in search
of a business,

which utilizes
the presence of cats

to boost staff morale,

and create a fun, friendly
office environment.

But can cats in an
office space really work?

This is the office
of Ferray Corporation,

an e-commerce company.

Here in this place of business,

cats are allowed to roam free,

pouncing on computer mice,
strolling across keyboards,

and of course, nibbling their
way through computer cables.

But what happens when
the male and female cats

start to look at each
other longingly?

To stop the cats from completely
tearing the office apart

some precautions have been made.

The female cats are upstairs

and the male cats
are downstairs.

The male and female cats
don't get along

so we keep them separate.

So, the cats in the office
have different owners,

so the staff can bring
their cats here.

So, the cats aren't all
owned by the office.

It's staff coming and
bringing their cats to work.

So, what was your thinking

behind having
cats in the office?

We've had cats
from the very beginning

and the number of cats
has kept growing.

We work with computers every day

and the staff
all keep to themselves

but having the cats creates
conversation in the office.

Do you ever find
cats get in the way

and disrupt work in the office?

Sometimes a cat will

cut off a customer's phone call

or meow during a conversation,

and the cats frequently stomp
on keyboards.

It's not all good having
cats in your office.

These ear phones

Have met their demise.

At the hands of one of the cats.

So, these bits of plastic
here on top of the computers

are to stop cats from
treading on the power buttons.

Apparently cats
were just coming over,

and just standing
on all the buttons.

The cats help
to create a casual,

stress free environment
for the staff,

which is quite a change
from the usual

high pressure office
environments found in Japan.

Plus, it's certainly
a great way for owners

who work long hours to spend
more time with their cats.

But how to get them
safely to and from work

on the world's
busiest subway trains?

Well, say hello
to the custom made

urban cat transportation device.

Oh, I like this.

Very stylish.

So, he's going home for the day,

and taking the cat
with him in style.

I've never seen
a bag quite like it.

Cat themed merchandise
can be found

at many retail stores
across Japan

although usually, it's limited
to stationary and clothing.

Although, specialized cat
products like the cat carry bag

are available
if you look hard enough.

But some gift stores have taken

their love of cat products
to new heights.

What's this?

Whoa.

Oh.

It makes different noises
depending on where you touch it.

This was the purring.

What the hell was that?

Cat crockery,
cat mugs, cat spoons,

cat dolls, cat glasses,

cat plates, cat posters,
cat stationary,

cat fans, cat everything.

This specialty cat store sells
nothing but cat themed products

and here you can find
practically every household item

to satisfy your cat's obsession.

Cat calendar.

Cat chopsticks.

Cat pocket watch.

Cat umbrellas.

Cat bag.

And of course, cat socks.

So, what do you think
is your most strange

or unique item that you sell?

This is an incense
made from silver vine.

When your cat smells it,

it will be as if it's drunk.

Wow, so it's like
the cat is drunk

when it smells
this stuff.

Wow, is it popular
with customers?

Recently it's started
to become quite popular.

This store is the one stop shop

for all things cat related,

but what motivated the
owner to open a store

with such a variety of unique
and niche cat products?

I have a few friends who collect

this sort of cat merchandise.

They have to go
to several different stores

and it takes them a lot of time.

So I thought if I gather
everything into one store

they can come here
and get a whole range of things.

So I think this store
makes it a lot easier

for the cat lover.

So I started this store.

I've come across some pretty
odd and quirky products

in this store, however,
I've just gotten my hands

on a rather unusual product
that takes ridiculous

to a whole new level.

This is cat wine,

Nyan Nyan Nouveau.

I'm not making this up either.

This is actually cat wine

because a lot of people in
Japan come home after a long day

sit there
and drink their wine alone,

but what if you could drink
with your cat as well.

That is the premise behind
Nyan Nyan Nouveau wine.

Look, there you go,
there's two cats there.

Is that a cat and a dog?

I don't know if it's just
cats who can drink this,

maybe dogs can as well,

but... I don't know
if humans can drink it,

I don't even know
what it really looks like,

let's find out.

So... pour that in there.

Oh...

The word appetizing
doesn't spring to mind.

Should we try some?

If the cat can drink it,
I can drink it, why not.

Yeah, don't drink cat wine.

Oh man...

Cats are undoubtedly a huge
part of Japanese pop culture,

as seen with characters such
as Doraemon and Hello Kitty.

I've been told there's an entire

Hello Kitty themed hotel room

at an upmarket hotel in Tokyo.

And we're off
to see how much detail

has gone into celebrating the
world famous brand first hand.

Just waiting to go into
the Hello Kitty room.

It's a bit of a giveaway,
isn't it?

Just to make sure you
know which room it is.

Oh, oh my God.

Oh...

Oh, it's like being
in a nightmare.

With themed trash cans, scales,

toiletries, and water bottles,

there's truly no escaping
Hello Kitty inside the room.

For some, being here
must feel like a dream.

For me,
it's quite disconcerting.

I think one of the reasons
it feels so intense is because

it's not just the walls
that are covered in artwork,

the floor as well
is really colorful,

and there's some artwork there,

and it can be difficult
to work out

where the wall ends and
where the floor begins.

So, it's all just one
big piece of artwork.

You can see the Keio Plaza
on the wall of the hotel,

and this is like a Tokyo
setting, and- oh wow!

Here you go,
this is a Hello Kitty cake.

Hello Kitty ,
oh my lord,

a Hello Kitty cake.

But one Hello Kitty themed
hotel room simply isn't enough.

The hotel has another
for customers

who want to appreciated
their favorite cartoon cat

in an opulent atmosphere,

as opposed to the previous room,

which felt like wandering
into a child's nightmare.

I think I prefer this
one to the other one.

I think I like this room.

This feels more
like a hotel room.

Yeah, right.

And more like a normal hotel
room that's just pink.

This is quite cool.

That's Princess Kitty there.

I'm particularly
excited about this chair,

this is very cool, isn't it?

So, you also have
Hello Kitty breakfast.

Kitty on omelets.

Oh my God,
Hello Kitty on the omelet.

- And a Hello Kitty sandwich.
- A Hello Kitty sandwich.

Yeah, that's a pretty
thoroughly

Hello Kitty branded
breakfast experience.

yeah.

As I mentioned earlier,

Japan is actually home
to several cat islands.

Some are more
well known than others,

and Enoshima is one that's
gotten some attention

for being a cat island.

However, unlike Tashirojima,
this one

can be accessed on foot.

It's a pretty big contrast
to Tashirojima.

The abandoned
Jurassic Park style island.

This is a far cry from that.

This is one of the most
busiest tourist spots

I've ever seen in Japan.

Enoshima is only a short trip
from Tokyo,

which makes it an extremely
popular hot spot for tourists.

With this many people
coming and going though,

it seems like it wouldn't
be idea for cats,

so it's time to console a
giant novelty tourist map.

Cat, cat, cat.

Let's go and see if
there's actually some cats

at that spot on the map.

It's just around the corner.

And up a flight of stairs,
oh my God, up stairs.

The locations on the map lead
me away from the tourists

over to the residential
side of the island,

and sure enough, I've
finally found our first cat

dozing directly underneath
this small shrine.

I've never seen
a cat sit so still.

I don't even know if it's real,

I think it's just a toy.

There's two cats here
relaxing under a tree.

I'm quite curious to see
how many more we can find.

The residential part of
Enoshima is quiet and peaceful,

a stark contrast
to the tourist side.

And as I walk these
gentle tranquil streets,

I'm greeted by more
and more cats.

It turns out Enoshima is
indeed a cat island of sorts.

Though very different to the
dense cat chaos of Tashirojima,

it does have its own quiet charm

with cats spread out
across parts of the island.

On a scale of one
to stylish cat,

this is a stylish cat,
look at that mustache.

That is glorious.

I think one
main difference between

Enoshima and Tashirojima,

on Tashirojima
there's cats everywhere,

they're not difficult to find.

You turn a street
and there's half a dozen

cats walking around.

Here on Enoshima, you really
have to search for them,

it's like a cat treasure hunt.

Every time you find one,
you feel like

you've achieved something.

And sometimes
you get a little bonus,

and they've got a mustache.

Whilst Hello Kitty may
have taken the world by storm,

and become
an international icon,

I'm off to meet
the creator of perhaps,

Japan's most iconic
cat character,

which can be found
all across the country

on merchandise,
posters, and billboards.

Nice to meet you.

And thank you very much
for today.

This is Satoru Tsuda,

the creator of Nameneko.

Though mostly unknown
outside of Japan,

Nameneko was a hugely
popular brand in the 1980s,

and is often credited
with single-handedly

starting cat pop culture
across Japan.

It started when Mr. Tsuda,

a photographer by trade,

began photographing cats

wearing
his partner's doll's clothes.

The unique photos went on to
sell over eight million copies,

and a brand was born.

These are all articles
and magazines,

newspapers where
the cats have appeared.

Smoking.

This is a real picture,
not synthesized.

I think that's
the best thing about it.

It's not... digital
photo manipulation.

Those are actually cats
dressed up.

Ah, there's an advert
for Microsoft.

So, this is a Japanese
rice cracker...

style product, Senbei.

A lot of people thought
it was for cats

because it looks like pet food,

what with the cat there.

So, on the second edition,

they had to put here,
"It's for humans," so...

just so people
would know.

So, these are specially
designed cat clothes.

They cost, I think,
about $1,500 each,

and they're hand made
to perfection.

They're so detailed
and intricate.

They look better
than human clothes.

That is more expensive
than an Armani suit

because it's tailor made,
uh... for a cat.

It's rather impressive
and surreal.

These images were taken
long before

the arrival of Photoshop.

All of the pictures
are of real cats

with custom made props
and costumes.

But how did a few cats
in upmarket clothes

go on to become
a national sensation?

So, what is the history
of Nameneko?

The Nameneko brand
started in 1980.

It all started when I found
four abandoned kittens.

I opened a discarded
cardboard box and found

the newborns which were so small

that I couldn't even tell
that they were kittens.

I cleaned and dried them off,

and I realized
they were kittens when I saw

their fur fluff up
for the first time.

My partner was designing clothes
for French dolls,

and one day she left them
at my house.

The cats were playing with them
and had damaged them.

The clothes could
no longer be sold,

so I dressed the cats up
in the clothes.

I snapped a few photos,
and when I showed my friends

they all thought
the cats looked adorable.

They suggested
I publish these photos,

and that was the start
of Nameneko.

With my journey across the
country coming to an end,

I must say I'm as bewildered
as ever

by Japan's fascination
with cats.

Cats with jobs,
cat themed stores,

and cats in, well, odd places.

Japan's cat antics are both
intriguing and entertaining,

and though some may find
it just plain weird,

one thing is for sure,

Japan is the cat capital
of the world.