😺FELINE FEVER DREAM🥴
On the way to Ōhara in north east Kyōto is a small art gallery and refreshment stop called 'Nyan Nyan-ji' (猫猫寺 'Meow Meow Temple').
It's very hard to put into words what this sort-of-shrine, sort-of-café, sort-of-shop, short-of-cats kind of place is like.
In spite of its name, Nyan Nyan-ji is not a temple, and there are some very mixed reviews. That said, it seems fairly unique within the city!
One of the most frustrating things was the absence of the gallery's resident 'cat abbot' during my visit (apparently he was on a tour of Japan!?), surely the location's biggest draw.
Nyan Nyan-ji was the brainchild of Kaya Tōru (加悦徹), a painter working at shrines and temples across Japan. Kaya opened the gallery in 2016, inspired by one of his favourite cats.
Since this time the 'temple' has had 3 'cat abbots'. The current head is 'Koyuki' (小雪).
If you happen to be in the area, the gallery makes for an interesting distraction.
It's not particularly cheap, but if profits from the enterprise go to the upkeep of the cats that live here then it seems more than reasonable.
You can see the cats working at the gallery here
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https://nyannyanji22.www2.jp
So is Nyan Nyan-ji a temple?
Well it does have a small household shrine and altar, but mostly it's an attraction. Cats with jobs have become popular celebrities in Japan in recent years.
Kyōto does actually have a 'cat temple' though⬇️
https://twitter.com/camelliakyoto/status/1447003687079927810?s=20
🐈⬛THE CAT TEMPLE (猫寺)🐈 Shōnen-ji (称念寺), founded in 1606 by the monk Gakuyo (嶽誉), is also known as 'Neko-dera' (猫寺), the 'Cat Temple'. Over the last few years it has become well-known for holding memorial services for pets, and for its small animal cemetery. #猫寺 #Kyoto
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