A Cat's-Eye View of Japan (2022)
Synopsis
Globe-trotting wildlife photographer and filmmaker, Iwago Mitsuaki, offers the best of a vast collection of cat footage he took in Japan. On this unique trip around the country, discover the lesser-known charms and customs of regions through the eyes of cats!
Network
NHK WORLD-JAPAN
Episodes
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ibaraki: Sporty Kitties
Kitties in Ibaraki Prefecture know how to have fun. Admire incoming paragliders with one, meet another that's unfazed by swinging golf clubs, and play ball with a territorial kitty.
Cast
Details
Original Title
A Cat's-Eye View of Japan
Status
Returning Series
Seasons
5
Episodes
82
Production
NHK, NHK Enterprises
