TJIF | Japanese Cat Toys

Friday Forum

Apr 15

Written By Junipurr Studio

Tell Junipurr It’s Friday!

Handmade kicker toys for cats in the shape of fish, Japanese beer, sake, and more from Nyagomidokoro — *Japanese kicker toys for cats via* *Nyagomidokoro*

Happy Friday, friends! What are you and your furbabies up to this weekend? Junipurr and I are traveling to Japan!

Virtually, that is :)

We’ve been wondering: Do we have “grass is greener syndrome” or are cat products in Japan truly better?

Folks, the answer seems to be the latter.

After all, Japan is famous for its righteous celebration of cats. From being the birthplace of cat cafes to site of the Gotokuji Cat Temple, from traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints to modern day anime stars (Hello Kitty, Kiki’s Delivery Service, etc.), from the good-luck-beckoning Maneki-neko to the laughter-inducing Maru (only the most watched animal on YouTube per the Guinness World Records, by the way), Japan’s obsession with cats is deep. According to this The Guardian article, the love sparked auspiciously when the first cats arrived from China “in the mid-sixth century to protect the holy scriptures of Buddhism [on ship].”

Voilà some modern day Japanese cat product gems:

These handmade Baguette cat kicker toy with natural Japanese silvervine by Nyagomidokoro are adorable and, not going to lie, making my mouth water (the Japanese sake looks pretty fabulous too!). Reading the story of why Hiromi, the “Maker, Creator and Extreme Cat Lover” behind Nyagomidokoro, started handmaking these catnip kicker toys will give you a palpable sense of her connection with cats. I particularly love the Meet My Cats post.
Last time I counted, Juni has 10 cat wand/wire toys. I consider myself a seasoned buyer of these toys, i.e. not easily impressed. But my eyes immediately lit up when I came across RompiCatz’s Rustlin Butterfly Teaser. The crinkly “wing” material, the degree of movement, the adjustability that allows for the butterflies to “fly, jiggle or crawl” are so intuitively cat.
One day, I’ll design a modern, sleek, and architecturally interesting cat condo fit for Juni. Till then, Yoh Komiyama’s Neko modern cat tree is the closest thing to Scandi-chic in cat furniture I’ve seen. (Product details at Rinn)
For cat parents or wannabe cat parents, the Japanese mobile game Neko Atsume is what one reviewer calls “the OG cat collection game.” Debuted in October 2014, Neko Atsume’s premise is simple and super relatable — attempt to earn kitty love with food, aka the story of my life :). Apparently there are data scientists who’ve created guides on a data-backed way to optimize your chances. Can somebody do this for real life cats so I can finally get the purrs, headbunts, and kisses I deserve? :D
Finally, for my fellow readers, a cozy afternoon curled up with your furbaby, a cup of tea, and a good classic like Natsume Soseki’s I Am a Cat or Hiro Arikawa’s The Traveling Cat Chronicles is pretty much a recipe for perfection, am I right?