Mitsuaki Iwago
Director
A Cat's-Eye View of Japan (2022)
Season 1
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!
Released Feb. 11, 2022
Episode 5 min
None+
Genres: Documentary
Keywords: tmdb.cat, tmdb.slice-of-life
Production Companies: NHK, NHK Enterprises
Network: NHK WORLD-JAPAN
S1E1 - Autumn Colors in Kyoto
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!
Feb. 11, 2022, midnight
S1E2 - Tsugaru, Where Life Begins
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!
Feb. 23, 2022, midnight
S1E3 - Tokyo: Lucky Cats
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!
April 10, 2022, midnight
S1E4 - Mt. Fuji: Countryside Cats
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.
April 17, 2022, midnight
S1E5 - Okinawa/Kudaka: A Spiritual Paradise
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.
April 24, 2022, midnight
S1E6 - Noto: A Winter Wonderland
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.
May 1, 2022, midnight
S1E7 - Sanuki: A Kitty's Favorite Udon
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.
May 8, 2022, midnight
S1E8 - Kamakura: An Ancient Seaside City
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.
May 15, 2022, midnight
S1E9 - Shimanto River: A Clear Stream
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.
May 22, 2022, midnight
S1E10 - Karuizawa: A Cool Breeze on a Plateau
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.
May 29, 2022, midnight
S1E11 - Kumano Kodo: Pilgrimage Trails
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.
June 5, 2022, midnight
S1E12 - Aizu: A Quaint Castle Town
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.
June 12, 2022, midnight
S1E13 - Kagoshima: Volcano Blessings
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.
June 19, 2022, midnight
S1E14 - Chiba: Refreshing Sea Breeze and Sunlight
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.
June 26, 2022, midnight
S1E15 - Nara: An Ancient Capital Awaits Spring
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.
July 3, 2022, midnight
S1E16 - Hakodate: A Hilly Port Town
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.
July 10, 2022, midnight
S1E17 - Aichi: Lead by Beckoning Cats
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.
July 24, 2022, midnight
S1E18 - Iwate: Traditional Country Living
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.
July 31, 2022, midnight
S1E19 - Nagasaki: Kitties in a City of Peace
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.
Aug. 7, 2022, midnight
S1E20 - Nikko: Sleeping Kitty, Door Kitty
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.
Aug. 14, 2022, midnight
S1E21 - Yamagata: A Caring Producer
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.
Aug. 21, 2022, midnight
S1E22 - Fukuoka: Small Remote Islands
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.
Aug. 28, 2022, midnight
S1E23 - Tochigi: Kitty Guides
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.
Oct. 9, 2022, midnight
S1E24 - Ibaraki: Sporty Kitties
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.
Oct. 16, 2022, midnight
Network: NHK WORLD-JAPAN
Episode Runtime: 5 min.
Season Runtime: 375 min.
Released: Feb. 11, 2022
Last Air Date: Nov. 30, 2025, midnight
Status: Returning Series
Certification: NR
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