As you probably know, Japan loves to designate special days depending on arbitrary things like how the dates can be pronounced in Japanese. Since 2/22 sounds like nyan nyan nyan! to Japanese ears, February 22 is National Cat Day in Japan, a day to celebrate our furry, tsundere friends. But today is extra special because it’s 2/22/22, a once-in-a-century chance to get excited about our cats. This has been declared Super Cat Day by the Japanese Internet.
The History of Cats in Japan
Cats are thought to have come to Japan in the 6th century along with Buddhism and Chinese kanji. The Japanese have traditionally attributed supernatural powers to their feline friends, considering them to be lucky (as in Maneki Neko, the cat who invites customers into businesses) or create legendary tales of folk cat youkai spirits, as in the famous Nekomata who can shape-shift into any form.
Japanese certainly do love their pets, and it’s telling that there are more cats and dogs (18 million) than children under the age of 16 (15 million) in the country. Historically dogs were slightly more popular than cats, but in the past few years the population of cats has edged out dogs by a small number. Go, cats!
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How is Japanese Twitter Celebrating Cats on Super Cat Day?
本日2022年2月22日！ スーパー猫の日っ！ 盛り上がって参りましょうっ！#熱海MuddyCat #熱海 #BAR #猫 #猫の日 pic.twitter.com/sThPjhVd8Q
— 熱海 Muddy Cat (@muddycat_atami) February 22, 2022
Many Japanese cat owners are taking this opportunity to share their cats doing cute or interesting things.
猫の日らしいので🐱 pic.twitter.com/9m57bU5C3E
— なつめさんち⭕️🐤 (@natsume_sanchi) February 22, 2022
Yes, cats are the star of the show today, and everyone is sharing their favorite pictures of their cats on the Internet.
おはよう猫の日🐈⬛
この日を待っていたでござる。 pic.twitter.com/eUWNIYZyYk
— 風真いろは🍃ホロライブ6期生 (@kazamairohach) February 21, 2022
Artists are also celebrating Super Cat Day by creating cute pictures of themselves with their cats, too. Kawaii!
🐈2022年2月22日🐈
スーパー猫の日だから「招き猫おにぎり」
素敵な一日を🐾#猫の日 #スーパー猫の日 pic.twitter.com/bQYRuHhffK— おにぎり劇場 (@mZHtgivNQr33RCL) February 21, 2022
Celebrating Super Cat Day by making Lucky Cat shaped onigiri? The Japanese have thought of everything!
乗ったら最後、歌いたくなる……♪ 猫の日、東京メトロに「ちゅ～るちゅ～るトレイン」が走る 車内ぜーんぶCIAOちゅ～る仕様https://t.co/E3EMWdLgQp @itm_nlab
こ、これはぁぁぁ！ 運行は3月20日までです pic.twitter.com/BNgFPib7Wq
— ねとらぼ (@itm_nlab) February 22, 2022
Some companies are using the general love of cats to market themselves on this Super Cat Day. Cat food maker Ciao-Churu has rented every car of a train to remind cat owners to pick up some delicious stick-type cat food on their way home from work.
2/22は #猫の日
寒い日はクルマに乗り込む前にボンネットを叩いて #猫バンバン してみてください。現在、 #猫バンバンステッカー を合計6,000名様にプレゼント中！ #日産 公式ツイッター・インスタグラム「nissanjapan」をフォローいただき、専用ページよりそれぞれご応募ください。(締切2/26)
— 日産自動車株式会社 (@NissanJP) February 21, 2021
Nissan is getting in on Super Cat Day, too, with this cute video celebrating cats…and reminding us that stray cats sometimes sneak into the engine compartments of cars to keep warm, and that we should bang on our hoods before driving off on cold days to make sure we don’t harm any cats hiding in or under our vehicles. The marketing push is called #NekoBangBang.
Want more crazy celebratory days Japan follows? How about a day celebrating sexy dark tights? Here’s a blog post for you!
Cat tax. My cat Reiwa was reminding me of a more famous cat so I had to take her picture.
Thanks for reading this post about how Japan is celebrating Super Cat Day on 2/22/22. Got a picture of your cat? Post it below, or share with us on Twitter!
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