It only takes a quick glance at Japanese pop culture to see that the country has a long-term love affair with cats, or neko in Japanese. In the world of fictional characters, Hello Kitty and Doraemon dominate, while cat cafés draw countless customers. Even ukiyo-e has a healthy population of tabbies and toms.
And with Nihombashi Mitsukoshi's Neko Neko Neko Festival, the cat's out of the bag: the venerable department store shares Japan's soft spot for felines. The affection is apparent on arrival, as standing guard at the entrance is the department store's own pair of big cat sentries, the Mitsukoshi lions.
Beyond the doors and throughout the store, cat-related wares abound, from confections decorated with kitties, to bags, wallets and apparel bedecked with the stealthy animals. There's even a collection of colourful candy paws in fruity flavours.
Paired with the pussycats on display throughout the store is the photo exhibition Neko Lion by renowned Japanese wildlife photographer and filmmaker, Mitsuaki Iwago. Mr. Iwago is well known for his feline photography, including work in the National Geographic, and for his NHK TV show Mitsuaki Iwago's World Cats Travelogue. With Neko Lion, Mr. Iwago shows visitors that "cats are little lions, and lions are big cats" by presenting similar shots of the two species of the felidae family side by side. Indeed, a small tabby appears equally as majestic as the maned lion displayed beside it in the series, which, with its spot-on pairings, illustrates perfectly why cats, big and small, are so deserving of their popularity.
Neko Neko Neko Festival
Dates
May 25th~June 7th, 2016
Location
Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Building and Annex
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Photo Exhibition
Neko Lion by Mitsuaki Iwago
Dates
May 25th~June 6th, 2016
Location
Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Building and Annex Gallery 7th Floor