A Cat's-Eye View of Japan
2022•5m
Documentary
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!
Production
NHK, NHK Enterprises
Language
EN
Status
Returning Series
First Aired
February 11, 2022
Last Aired
November 30, 2025
Networks
NHK WORLD-JAPAN
Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
E1
Autumn Colors in Kyoto
Air date: 2022-02-11
Kyoto Prefecture offers amazing seasonal views. Visit different temples to enjoy autumn colors on a morning walk with a black cat and his beloved priest, see a rare calico cat, and watch an avid tree climber!
E2
Tsugaru, Where Life Begins
Air date: 2022-02-23
Mt. Iwaki in Aomori Prefecture overlooks an apple orchard where 5 kitties are born in spring. By summer, they've grown big and strong! Pay them a visit and attend the area's special summer festival!
E3
Tokyo: Lucky Cats
Air date: 2022-04-10
Tokyo is home to many lucky cats called Maneki-neko! Get your kitty fix at a public bath, a lantern shop and a classical theater. Then, meet them after hours in Shinjuku's Golden Gai bar district!
E4
Mt. Fuji: Countryside Cats
Air date: 2022-04-17
At the foot of the sacred Mt. Fuji, have breakfast with dairy farm kitties, fish with hungry kitties at a port, and dance at a unique summer festival held by a temple dedicated to cats.
E5
Okinawa/Kudaka: A Spiritual Paradise
Air date: 2022-04-24
A sacred island with an emerald sea and tropical trees is pure kitty heaven. Scale a wall with rare white kitties, and relax to the sounds of traditional Okinawan music with a black kitty.
E6
Noto: A Winter Wonderland
Air date: 2022-05-01
Snow piles up in winter along the Sea of Japan. Visit a morning seafood market, play in the snow, admire traditional lacquerware, and enjoy warm mochi rice cake with cute kitties.
E7
Sanuki: A Kitty's Favorite Udon
Air date: 2022-05-08
Visit the Sanuki region to try a local delicacy loved by cats. Watch a kitty's owner make traditional roof tiles, and stroll around a famous shrine with another kitty.
E8
Kamakura: An Ancient Seaside City
Air date: 2022-05-15
Visit the city known for its giant Buddha statue to watch a kitty play in the Meigetsu-in Temple garden, then have a nap with kittens on a priest's cushion at another temple along a train line.
E9
Shimanto River: A Clear Stream
Air date: 2022-05-22
Along Japan's famous, clear river, cute kitties are living their best lives. Join 1 kitty on a unique bridge leading to his canoe shop, and take in a lovely sunset with the other cuties.
E10
Karuizawa: A Cool Breeze on a Plateau
Air date: 2022-05-29
Visit Japan's popular summer getaway to join a church kitty on his morning stroll through the woods, watch a kitty help make souvenir candles, and play with another in a guest house garden.
E11
Kumano Kodo: Pilgrimage Trails
Air date: 2022-06-05
On a pilgrimage down sacred trails, follow a kitty through a majestic forest. Meet a hunting master at a 1,300-year-old temple, and wait patiently for homemade bread at a seaside café.
E12
Aizu: A Quaint Castle Town
Air date: 2022-06-12
Near Aizu's symbolic Tsuruga Castle, visit a kitty at an old post station, and feast with another at a quaint Aizu lacquerware shop. One more kitty awaits your offering at a 1,400-year-old temple.
E13
Kagoshima: Volcano Blessings
Air date: 2022-06-19
Active volcanos bless Kagoshima Prefecture with natural hot springs. Visit a boss cat near an "ashiyu" foot bath, help kitties guard a brewery, and relax with a bath house kitty.
E14
Chiba: Refreshing Sea Breeze and Sunlight
Air date: 2022-06-26
A black kitty sits at a picturesque spot near the beach. Two other kitties are busy greeting people at an old train station, but they always find time to play with the station staff.
E15
Nara: An Ancient Capital Awaits Spring
Air date: 2022-07-03
Head to the famous Todai-ji Temple before visiting a nun's kitty at the 1,300-year-old Chugu-ji Temple. Visit a Japanese washi paper factory and a plum tree grove for more kitty fun.
E16
Hakodate: A Hilly Port Town
Air date: 2022-07-10
Kitties enjoy a Western atmosphere in a port town that's prospered for centuries. Meanwhile, mommies are busy raising rambunctious kittens while another kitty gets spoiled by sea urchin fishers.
E17
Aichi: Lead by Beckoning Cats
Air date: 2022-07-24
A famous pottery town makes cat figurines, but there are real kitties too! Head to Nagoya to visit a coffee shop kitty, then to a mountain town to check out traditional dolls with another cat.
E18
Iwate: Traditional Country Living
Air date: 2022-07-31
Take in a view of "the Mt. Fuji of Iwate" with a farmer and her kitty, and visit an egg-loving mamma cat that's busy raising kittens in a repurposed traditional home.
E19
Nagasaki: Kitties in a City of Peace
Air date: 2022-08-07
Meet kitties in an alleyway in hilly Nagasaki, see a white kitty relax and hunt around Peace Park, and enjoy kitty heaven at Unzen Jigoku hot springs before noisy humans arrive.
E20
Nikko: Sleeping Kitty, Door Kitty
Air date: 2022-08-14
See the famous Sleeping Cat carving at Tosho-gu Shrine. A painter's kitty has a special talent! Watch a scaredy cat creep around at another lovely shrine.
E21
Yamagata: A Caring Producer
Air date: 2022-08-21
A unique trip around the country of Japan with photographer and filmmaker Iwago Mitsuaki, discovering the uncharted charms and customs of regions, all seen through the eyes of cats.
E22
Fukuoka: Small Remote Islands
Air date: 2022-08-28
On this unique trip around Japan, discover the lesser-known charms and customs of regions through the eyes of cats! Filmed by wildlife photographe,Iwago Mitsuaki.
E23
Tochigi: Kitty Guides
Air date: 2022-10-09
Visit kitties and their favorite spots. Relax in an old hot spring tied to a folk character, hide in a limestone cave formed by volcanic activity, and take in the natural surroundings on a plateau.
E24
Ibaraki: Sporty Kitties
Air date: 2022-10-16
Kitties in Ibaraki Prefecture know how to have fun. Admire incoming paragliders with one, meet another that's unfazed by swinging golf clubs, and play ball with a territorial kitty.
Cast
Mitsuaki Iwago
Self
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