The Cat Museum in Japan

For their summer holiday, we brought the kids to Izu City, in Shizuoka Prefecture, for a 2D1N trip. We visited the Izu Shaboten Zoo, the Jogasaki Coast, and the Cat Museum. The museum was a disappointment. It was small, run-down, and depressing, so I wasn’t sure if I should blog about it. But since it claimed to be the one-and-only cat museum in Japan, here’s my take on the place.

The museum has three distinct sections:

The Wild Cats & Extinct Cats
We were first greeted by a roomful of stuffed animal specimens. Creepy, yes, but I was impressed with the rare exhibits. There were several endangered species, including an extinct Barbary Lion, and they even included prehistorical specimens such as the saber-toothed tiger and cave lion. It was a remarkable collection, especially for such a small museum.

Neko Art Museum
As we proceeded to the art gallery section, my disappointment grew. It was like being in a second-hand store, looking at old, dusty toys. It lacked “artistic” content, and the nostalgic cat-theme memorabilia was displayed in an unprofessional manner. It is such a shame because this area has so much potential.

The Cats of the World
There were 36 living cats when we visited. The cats were working shifts, meaning a number of them would be resting in their cages while the rest had to endure the visitors’ over-zealous strokings. It was quite obvious that the cats didn’t like to be touched. They were tense; their tails were flickering back and forth. Several of them gave us the NEKO-PUNCHES!

I was so looking forward to meeting a Maine coon before the trip. And I met a couple in the small room. However, I only stroked it briefly and felt that I should just leave him alone. I sensed some awkward vibes between us. (LOL)

I have never been to a cat cafe, so I can only say that cats in pet shops seem happier than the ones in this museum. This place has a lot of room for improvement. I just hope they’d use the money they earned from the high admission fees to give these kitties a better life.

The only thing that made me happy was meeting Joy! He was a Norwegian Forest cat working there. At first, he was in his glass cubicle pretending to sleep. Because he looked like my Sofie, I had to show him a photo of her. Then, Joy got interested and opened his eyes wide enough for me to take a picture of him! LOL

I doubt we will go again. I felt heavy-hearted for these kitties. They deserve better. I hope the owner will revamp the museum and put more thought to make it a cheerier home, filled with feline happiness. If they are happy, the visitors will feel it too.