Nekochan!

In this region of Japan, cats are almost as ubiquitous as tanuki. (Almost, but not quite. I don't think anything is as ubiquitous as tanuki. Due to all the well-endowed raccoon-dog statues, I now really, really want to watch Ponpoko.) Since Hikone seems to have different restaurant standards than Maine, it is not uncommon to see a kitty or three lounging around a bar. Books shops and pawn shops seem incomplete without some sort of feline slinking around the register. Indeed, my favorite part of the numerous omiyage stores are the cat clerks that will brush up against you as you browse through pickles. There are even temples that hordes of cats call home.

More interestingly, the cats I have encountered are amazingly relaxed. Nothing seems to rile them. As an example, as I was riding home from a farmer's market, I almost hit an animal that was lazing in the middle of a well-traveled sidewalk. I screamed "Nekochan!!!" (out of habit-- that's just how people seem to address them here) and (noisily) screeched my community bike to a halt. Fearing I may have shocked the sleeping creature, I peered down. I was a little worried it may have already been dead (cat lover that I am, this would, of course, have been traumatic). No, the little bastard was just insufferably lazy. I cleared my throat, hoping my feline roadblock would stir. The cat, a fat tabby, slowly blinked at me. It then gazed at the bike inches from its belly. Deciding I wasn't really threatening enough to garner any attention, the cat went back to sleep. Feeling a little like Mohammad and the tabby cat, I carefully inched my bike onto the busy street and road with traffic for a few minutes. As soon as I re-entered the next sidewalk, the same thing happened. Different cat, same reaction.

As strange as this sounds, I really love that the cats are indifferent to me. In Japan, especially in Hikone, I am very much an Outsider with a capital 'O.' I look, act, and think differently. Moreover, in a country that celebrates the written word, I have the literacy of a middle school student. Consequently, I am often the target of "jirojiro"-- an onomatopoeia for "scrutinizing stares." (Jirojiromiru is the verb, for those interested.) Cats, as in any country, are totally indifferent, if tolerant, of my existence. This probably sounds absolutely bizarre, but you latch on to strange things in strange lands.

Anyways, some cats from the Kansai region. More to come when I visit the infamous cat temple...