Cats of Japan

The northern land of Hokkaido. Animals live amid nature's grandeur. Awaiting summer, they overcome fierce winters. There, we see animals living strong.

Hokkaido, North Japan. Animals in August nature. Surviving winter to greet summer. Many powerful animals live here.

Cats go perfect with Japanese inns. Gunma Prefecture, Kusatsu Onsen one of the Three Great Springs. And its symbol, the mineral field. 4,000 liters of water and steam gush out each minute. A steamy hot spring town. Step inside, and a cat will greet you.

Nagano Prefecture, Nagano City Hijiri Plateau, North Nagano Prefecture. You can see the Alps. A quiet mountain farm guesthouse. A storehouse from the Meiji Era still stands today. The main building is from the early Showa era.

Shima Onsen, Gunma Prefecture. The Shima River runs through the center of town. It's named after the water, which has a legend for its miraculous healing properties.

Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture JR Kanazawa Station. It's become the doorway to Kanazawa since the bullet train opened. This is Kenrokuen, one of Japan's three most famous parks, with a history dating back to 1583. The first lord of Kaga, Maeda Toshiie founded the bodaiji and prayer room. The construction continued for years, under lords of the Kaga Clan.

History and tradition adorn Kanazawa where old city culture is still strong. The tranquil, scenic Noto Peninsula affords a view of Japan's childhood. To meet the cats of these historic towns we walk Old Kanazawa and Noto Peninsula.

Noto-Kanazawa Cat Walks. Sai River, Kanazawa City The Sai River flows into the Sea of Japan. It is a valuable source of drinking water for the city.