A Cat's-Eye View of Japan Season 1, Episode 24: Ibaraki: Sporty Kitties

Autumn Colors in Kyoto

Kyoto Prefecture offers amazing seasonal views. Visit different temples to enjoy autumn colors on a morning walk with a black cat and his beloved priest, see a rare calico cat, and watch an avid tree climber!

Tsugaru, Where Life Begins

Mt. Iwaki in Aomori Prefecture overlooks an apple orchard where 5 kitties are born in spring. By summer, they've grown big and strong! Pay them a visit and attend the area's special summer festival!

5 min

Tokyo: Lucky Cats

Tokyo is home to many lucky cats called Maneki-neko! Get your kitty fix at a public bath, a lantern shop and a classical theater. Then, meet them after hours in Shinjuku's Golden Gai bar district!

5 min

Mt. Fuji: Countryside Cats

At the foot of the sacred Mt. Fuji, have breakfast with dairy farm kitties, fish with hungry kitties at a port, and dance at a unique summer festival held by a temple dedicated to cats.

5 min

Okinawa/Kudaka: A Spiritual Paradise

A sacred island with an emerald sea and tropical trees is pure kitty heaven. Scale a wall with rare white kitties, and relax to the sounds of traditional Okinawan music with a black kitty.

5 min

Noto: A Winter Wonderland

Snow piles up in winter along the Sea of Japan. Visit a morning seafood market, play in the snow, admire traditional lacquerware, and enjoy warm mochi rice cake with cute kitties.

5 min

Sanuki: A Kitty's Favorite Udon

Visit the Sanuki region to try a local delicacy loved by cats. Watch a kitty's owner make traditional roof tiles, and stroll around a famous shrine with another kitty.

5 min

Kamakura: An Ancient Seaside City

Visit the city known for its giant Buddha statue to watch a kitty play in the Meigetsu-in Temple garden, then have a nap with kittens on a priest's cushion at another temple along a train line.

5 min

Shimanto River: A Clear Stream

Along Japan's famous, clear river, cute kitties are living their best lives. Join 1 kitty on a unique bridge leading to his canoe shop, and take in a lovely sunset with the other cuties.

5 min

Karuizawa: A Cool Breeze on a Plateau

Visit Japan's popular summer getaway to join a church kitty on his morning stroll through the woods, watch a kitty help make souvenir candles, and play with another in a guest house garden.

5 min

Kumano Kodo: Pilgrimage Trails

On a pilgrimage down sacred trails, follow a kitty through a majestic forest. Meet a hunting master at a 1,300-year-old temple, and wait patiently for homemade bread at a seaside café.

5 min

Aizu: A Quaint Castle Town

Near Aizu's symbolic Tsuruga Castle, visit a kitty at an old post station, and feast with another at a quaint Aizu lacquerware shop. One more kitty awaits your offering at a 1,400-year-old temple.

5 min

Kagoshima: Volcano Blessings

Active volcanos bless Kagoshima Prefecture with natural hot springs. Visit a boss cat near an "ashiyu" foot bath, help kitties guard a brewery, and relax with a bath house kitty.

5 min

Chiba: Refreshing Sea Breeze and Sunlight

A black kitty sits at a picturesque spot near the beach. Two other kitties are busy greeting people at an old train station, but they always find time to play with the station staff.

5 min

Nara: An Ancient Capital Awaits Spring

Head to the famous Todai-ji Temple before visiting a nun's kitty at the 1,300-year-old Chugu-ji Temple. Visit a Japanese washi paper factory and a plum tree grove for more kitty fun.

5 min

Hakodate: A Hilly Port Town

Kitties enjoy a Western atmosphere in a port town that's prospered for centuries. Meanwhile, mommies are busy raising rambunctious kittens while another kitty gets spoiled by sea urchin fishers.

5 min

Aichi: Lead by Beckoning Cats

A famous pottery town makes cat figurines, but there are real kitties too! Head to Nagoya to visit a coffee shop kitty, then to a mountain town to check out traditional dolls with another cat.

5 min

Iwate: Traditional Country Living

Take in a view of "the Mt. Fuji of Iwate" with a farmer and her kitty, and visit an egg-loving mamma cat that's busy raising kittens in a repurposed traditional home.

5 min

Nagasaki: Kitties in a City of Peace

Meet kitties in an alleyway in hilly Nagasaki, see a white kitty relax and hunt around Peace Park, and enjoy kitty heaven at Unzen Jigoku hot springs before noisy humans arrive.

5 min

Nikko: Sleeping Kitty, Door Kitty

See the famous Sleeping Cat carving at Tosho-gu Shrine. A painter's kitty has a special talent! Watch a scaredy cat creep around at another lovely shrine.

5 min

Yamagata: A Caring Producer

A unique trip around the country of Japan with photographer and filmmaker Iwago Mitsuaki, discovering the uncharted charms and customs of regions, all seen through the eyes of cats.

5 min

Fukuoka: Small Remote Islands

On this unique trip around Japan, discover the lesser-known charms and customs of regions through the eyes of cats! Filmed by wildlife photographe,Iwago Mitsuaki.

5 min

Tochigi: Kitty Guides

Visit kitties and their favorite spots. Relax in an old hot spring tied to a folk character, hide in a limestone cave formed by volcanic activity, and take in the natural surroundings on a plateau.

5 min