About this season
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!
Episodes (23)
1. Shimane: Myths and Crafts of Izumo
Aired 5 February 2023 • 5 min
Visit Izumo, Shimane, the setting of several Japanese myths, to meet a mischievous kitty living on a farm near Hii River. Then head to a pottery factory to see a blue-eyed cat hard at work.
2. Shimane: Pure Water and Tradition
Aired 12 February 2023 • 5 min
Follow a kitty around a World Heritage Site! At a 125-year-old sake brewery, a patrol kitty makes his rounds before relaxing in the adjacent garden next to a lovely fresh water pond.
3. Seto Inland Sea: Two Cat Islands
Aired 19 February 2023 • 5 min
Visit two cat islands in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. The kitties on Ao Island outnumber humans. Watch them catch fish on the rocks! Join more kitties on Ogi Island for some sun time on a roof.
4. Niigata: Rice Town
Aired 30 April 2023 • 5 min
What's it like living with cats in rice-producing Niigata? See kitty beds made of straw from beautiful green rice paddies, and enjoy snacks with another kitty at a candy shop.
5. Hokkaido: Spring in Furano
Aired 7 May 2023 • 5 min
Enjoy the coming of spring in northern Hokkaido Prefecture with happy kitties. Visit an art gallery occupied by 11 cats, and do some evening yoga with a kitty at a lodge.
6. Hiroshima: A Scoop of Happiness
Aired 14 May 2023 • 5 min
Stroll around a World Heritage Site with an island kitty. Then, get your favorite saying written on a lucky rice scoop before playing with kitties in the historical town of Takehara.
7. Osaka: Fighting Kitties
Aired 21 May 2023 • 5 min
Kitties are always fighting in an otherwise quiet ally in downtown Osaka. You can even spar a brave kitty at a local boxing gym!
8. Yamaguchi: Mother & Child
Aired 28 May 2023 • 5 min
Kitties work year-round to keep tiger pufferfish from being snatched up by hungry herons! Myojin Pond is a famous place to see kitties—we dare you not to laugh at the kitty napping inside the shrine!
9. Kanagawa: Hospitality in Hakone
Aired 4 June 2023 • 5 min
Enjoy a warm kitty-welcome at the famous hot spring area! After visiting a popular cat duo at a ropeway station, stop by at a restaurant run by a kitty and its owner where you can also bathe.
10. Ehime: Nature's Blessings
Aired 11 June 2023 • 5 min
Kitties love hanging out by the seaside in Ehime Prefecture's pleasant, warm climate. See a kitty making rounds at an orange farm before finding some beautiful autumn foliage with the help of a kitty-guide.
11. Miyagi: Guardian Kitties
Aired 18 June 2023 • 5 min
Kitty finds an intruder at a contemporary art museum—will we have a winner? Join another kitty at a traditional crafts workshop lovingly watching its owner's craftsmanship.
12. Toyama: Thriving Kitties
Aired 25 June 2023 • 5 min
Kitties thrive at this town! Enjoy cruising on a boat with a vice-captain kitty, and join a sake shop kitty who loves to go on walks. Wooden cat sculptures are spread across town—can you spot them?
13. Tokyo: Tama for Healing
Aired 2 July 2023 • 5 min
Discover the nature-rich side of Tokyo. Kitties' favorite spots include: a small shrine in a forest, a box bed at a horseback riding club, and the top of their owners' beloved cars!
14. Okinawa: Taketomi Island Adventures
Aired 9 July 2023 • 5 min
Visit the southern island paradise, Taketomi Island, where kitties enjoy climbing great heights! How will they get home once the tide comes in?!
15. Kanagawa: Miura Sea Breeze
Aired 16 July 2023 • 5 min
One kitty waits near a fisherman for a treat while another helps radish farmers keep pests out of their fields. Get top-notch kitty customer service at a pet fish shop!
16. Ise-Shima: Cats and Pearls
Aired 23 July 2023 • 5 min
Patrol a pearl farm with a kitty named Pisuke, then meet a pearl shop cat that's got a special talent! Seeing happy kitties enjoy fresh seafood will warm your heart!
17. Kobe: To Love and Be Loved
Aired 30 July 2023 • 5 min
In the Western-influenced port town of Kobe, a kitty seeks attention while its owner makes shoes at a custom shop. You'll meet a popular shopping district kitty that has its own designer T-shirt!
18. Tokyo: Kagurazaka - A Traditional Performing Arts Town
Aired 6 August 2023 • 5 min
In Tokyo's romantic Kagurazaka district, watch Noh rehearsals with a kitty named Torakichi. Then, follow an alley cat to a popular coffee shop before enjoying geisha shamisen performances after dark.
19. Kyoto: Enjoying a Hot Summer
Aired 13 August 2023 • 5 min
On a hot summer's day, a kitty leads us to traditional food near a local shrine. Get cool in a maiko's home with another kitty before enjoying sparklers at night.
20. Kumamoto: Happy Living in Amakusa
Aired 20 August 2023 • 5 min
Amakusa is home to many islands of all sizes. See a kitty get fed fish on an island of 230 cats. Then, visit Sakitsu Church—a UNESCO and kitty site—before heading to a local sushi shop.
21. Saitama: Kitty Hospitality in Kawagoe
Aired 27 August 2023 • 5 min
On a historical street in Kawagoe, join a kitty for breakfast in front of a ramen restaurant. Also see hospitable kitties hard at work greeting tourists at local shops!
22. Kochi: Kitties & Dried Bonito in Tosashimizu
Aired 3 September 2023 • 5 min
See a kitty hard at work guarding a local specialty, dried bonito! Visit a restaurant that uses the ingredient in its curries, then head to the coast with kitty BFFs.
23. Hokkaido: Kushiro Kitty Guides
Aired 10 September 2023 • 5 min
Our first kitty-guided tour is of the scenic Lake Kussharo. Another kitty guides us around sacred spots within a village of the indigenous Ainu people.