Last Updated on 16 June 2025 by Vanessa
Since the late autumn of 2008, Tokyo Bling has been capturing the rhythm of Japanese life one photo at a time. What began as an occasional photo blog has since grown into a daily journey—now with over 1,900 posts and counting. Through its lens, the blog reveals the quieter, often overlooked corners of Japan: the street scenes, neighborhood moments, and everyday cats that give the country its unique spirit.
You can explore Tokyo Bling’s full archive on its blog. He’s also shared a selection of his work with Traveling Cats to give even more people a chance to fall in love with cats in Japan.
Ready for a dose of cuteness and Asian charm? Let’s jump into Tokyo Bling’s heart-melting photo series and explore the place these cats call home.
This photographer spent years following cats in Japan, and the results are purrfection!
Numazu Cemetery
A few years back, I had a spooky encounter with a creepy white cat in the coastal city of Numazu, at the eastern edge of Shizuoka Prefecture.
The feline was idling around within a cemetery, clearly not thrilled about being photographed. Its expression showed pure annoyance. Or maybe it was just evil and sending bad omens my way.
Still, I kept trying to catch its most photogenic angle.
Gokokuji temple
Almost every temple in Japan has a few stray cats hanging around. The Gokokuji temple is no exception. Obviously the word “stray” might be misnomer, because these cats look very well fed.
Nara
Japanese people have a saying that you can judge the friendliness of a neighborhood by looking at its population of cats. If the cats are zen and well fed, the neighborhood is friendly and safe. If not, it’s probably not so friendly to people either.
Judged by those standards, the narrow streets of Nara Old Town must be very good as I met a lot of nice cats while walking around there.
Here are two, one elegant beauty and one grumpy old man.
The first picture just cries out for a fun caption… can you think of one?
Ginza
While walking through the Ginza shopping district, I spotted an adorable dog out with his owner. They were even dressed alike—both wearing jeans and denim shirts. Naturally, children and women flocked to pet him.
But then, a calm-looking cat strolled up and stole the spotlight. The dog tried to say hello, wagging and eager, but the cat wasn’t having it. One hiss, and the message was clear.
The cat, too, was out for a walk with his human, both enjoying the warmth of a spring afternoon.
Minakami
This little guy kept a sharp eye on me while his siblings relaxed in the background, napping and grooming. He didn’t let me get any closer! I met him a couple of weeks ago in the quiet mountain town of Minakami, in Gunma Prefecture, north of Saitama and Tokyo.
Akihabara
I was walking around Akihabara the other day—something I don’t get to do much lately. I passed the huge Mandarake store and spotted an exhibition of game art. It featured characters from a strategy game based on epic Japanese wars from over 400 years ago—only this time, with cats!
Adorable, fierce little kittens were battling it out in a world that felt like a mix of Pet Station and Dragon Quest. The game’s name, Nobunyaga, is a pun on the historical figure Nobunaga—nya being the cute Japanese sound for “meow.”
I think it’s also a parody of a famous game with a similar name, but I’m not much of a gamer, so I can’t say for sure. I just loved the illustrations.
So, which one’s your favorite?
Shibuya
I’ve seen all kinds of pets at festivals in Japan—ferrets, dogs, pigs, monkeys, parrots—usually on a leash or riding on their owner’s shoulder. But cats are by far the most photogenic. There’s just something about them that makes people want to dress them up and show them off!
I spotted this stylish festival cat in Shibuya back in 2012. His owner seemed used to the attention, so I kept snapping photos!
Final thoughts
Did you enjoy this photo series featuring cats in Japan? If so, make sure to visit the Tokyo Bling blog – it has so much more than just cat pictures.
Also, don’t keep this photographer to yourself! Share this article and his blog with your fellow cat-loving friends on social media.
Photos by ©TokyoBling, who documented the lives of the cats in Japan.
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