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Cat Nation
SOURCE: YOUTUBE · NO TRACKING UNTIL YOU PRESS PLAY · TROUBLE PLAYING? WATCH AT THE SOURCE ↗

Cat Nation

EN · STATUS: [ STREAMING ]

British YouTuber Chris Broad, known for his channel Abroad in Japan, spends this film tracking down Japan's obsession with cats. He visits cat cafes where customers pay by the hour to sit among dozens of resident felines, a cat-themed bar staffed by costumed servers, and Shinto shrines where the maneki-neko, the beckoning cat statue with its raised paw, began as a charm for good fortune. The trip continues to Japan's cat islands, communities like Tashirojima where cats outnumber people and are treated as protectors against bad luck. Broad talks with cafe owners, shrine keepers, and residents who explain how the animals became woven into local economies and folklore rather than staying pets. The film moves briskly between these locations, using Broad's on-camera curiosity and interviews with the people who run these businesses and sites to build a picture of a country where cat imagery turns up on everything from vending machines to temple gates. It's a lighter, travelogue-style look at a genuine cultural pattern rather than a novelty stunt.