Mitsuaki Iwago
Director
A Cat's-Eye View of Japan (2022)
Season 2
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
S2E1 - Shimane: Myths and Crafts of Izumo
Visit Izumo, Shimane, the setting of several Japanese myths, to meet a mischievous kitty living on a farm near Hii River. Then head to a pottery factory to see a blue-eyed cat hard at work.
Feb. 5, 2023, midnight
S2E2 - Shimane: Pure Water and Tradition
Follow a kitty around a World Heritage Site! At a 125-year-old sake brewery, a patrol kitty makes his rounds before relaxing in the adjacent garden next to a lovely fresh water pond.
Feb. 12, 2023, midnight
S2E3 - Seto Inland Sea: Two Cat Islands
Visit two cat islands in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. The kitties on Ao Island outnumber humans. Watch them catch fish on the rocks! Join more kitties on Ogi Island for some sun time on a roof.
Feb. 19, 2023, midnight
S2E4 - Niigata: Rice Town
What's it like living with cats in rice-producing Niigata? See kitty beds made of straw from beautiful green rice paddies, and enjoy snacks with another kitty at a candy shop.
April 30, 2023, midnight
S2E5 - Hokkaido: Spring in Furano
Enjoy the coming of spring in northern Hokkaido Prefecture with happy kitties. Visit an art gallery occupied by 11 cats, and do some evening yoga with a kitty at a lodge.
May 7, 2023, midnight
S2E6 - Hiroshima: A Scoop of Happiness
Stroll around a World Heritage Site with an island kitty. Then, get your favorite saying written on a lucky rice scoop before playing with kitties in the historical town of Takehara.
May 14, 2023, midnight
S2E7 - Osaka: Fighting Kitties
Kitties are always fighting in an otherwise quiet ally in downtown Osaka. You can even spar a brave kitty at a local boxing gym!
May 21, 2023, midnight
S2E8 - Yamaguchi: Mother & Child
Kitties work year-round to keep tiger pufferfish from being snatched up by hungry herons! Myojin Pond is a famous place to see kitties—we dare you not to laugh at the kitty napping inside the shrine!
May 28, 2023, midnight
S2E9 - Kanagawa: Hospitality in Hakone
Enjoy a warm kitty-welcome at the famous hot spring area! After visiting a popular cat duo at a ropeway station, stop by at a restaurant run by a kitty and its owner where you can also bathe.
June 4, 2023, midnight
S2E10 - Ehime: Nature's Blessings
Kitties love hanging out by the seaside in Ehime Prefecture's pleasant, warm climate. See a kitty making rounds at an orange farm before finding some beautiful autumn foliage with the help of a kitty-guide.
June 11, 2023, midnight
S2E11 - Miyagi: Guardian Kitties
Kitty finds an intruder at a contemporary art museum—will we have a winner? Join another kitty at a traditional crafts workshop lovingly watching its owner's craftsmanship.
June 18, 2023, midnight
S2E12 - Toyama: Thriving Kitties
Kitties thrive at this town! Enjoy cruising on a boat with a vice-captain kitty, and join a sake shop kitty who loves to go on walks. Wooden cat sculptures are spread across town—can you spot them?
June 25, 2023, midnight
S2E13 - Tokyo: Tama for Healing
Discover the nature-rich side of Tokyo. Kitties' favorite spots include: a small shrine in a forest, a box bed at a horseback riding club, and the top of their owners' beloved cars!
July 2, 2023, midnight
S2E14 - Okinawa: Taketomi Island Adventures
Visit the southern island paradise, Taketomi Island, where kitties enjoy climbing great heights! How will they get home once the tide comes in?!
July 9, 2023, midnight
S2E15 - Kanagawa: Miura Sea Breeze
One kitty waits near a fisherman for a treat while another helps radish farmers keep pests out of their fields. Get top-notch kitty customer service at a pet fish shop!
July 16, 2023, midnight
S2E16 - Ise-Shima: Cats and Pearls
Patrol a pearl farm with a kitty named Pisuke, then meet a pearl shop cat that's got a special talent! Seeing happy kitties enjoy fresh seafood will warm your heart!
July 23, 2023, midnight
S2E17 - Kobe: To Love and Be Loved
In the Western-influenced port town of Kobe, a kitty seeks attention while its owner makes shoes at a custom shop. You'll meet a popular shopping district kitty that has its own designer T-shirt!
July 30, 2023, midnight
S2E18 - Tokyo: Kagurazaka - A Traditional Performing Arts Town
In Tokyo's romantic Kagurazaka district, watch Noh rehearsals with a kitty named Torakichi. Then, follow an alley cat to a popular coffee shop before enjoying geisha shamisen performances after dark.
Aug. 6, 2023, midnight
S2E19 - Kyoto: Enjoying a Hot Summer
On a hot summer's day, a kitty leads us to traditional food near a local shrine. Get cool in a maiko's home with another kitty before enjoying sparklers at night.
Aug. 13, 2023, midnight
S2E20 - Kumamoto: Happy Living in Amakusa
Amakusa is home to many islands of all sizes. See a kitty get fed fish on an island of 230 cats. Then, visit Sakitsu Church—a UNESCO and kitty site—before heading to a local sushi shop.
Aug. 20, 2023, midnight
S2E21 - Saitama: Kitty Hospitality in Kawagoe
On a historical street in Kawagoe, join a kitty for breakfast in front of a ramen restaurant. Also see hospitable kitties hard at work greeting tourists at local shops!
Aug. 27, 2023, midnight
S2E22 - Kochi: Kitties & Dried Bonito in Tosashimizu
See a kitty hard at work guarding a local specialty, dried bonito! Visit a restaurant that uses the ingredient in its curries, then head to the coast with kitty BFFs.
Sept. 3, 2023, midnight
S2E23 - Hokkaido: Kushiro Kitty Guides
Our first kitty-guided tour is of the scenic Lake Kussharo. Another kitty guides us around sacred spots within a village of the indigenous Ainu people.
Sept. 10, 2023, 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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