Neko Astray - A Lost Cat Short Story

Neko Astray is an urban fantasy story about you helping a lost cat find its way home with help from unexpected sources. It is from my book, Tokyo Intro, and includes the preface to the story. Every story had a preface to explain terms and aspects about Japan to familiarize a reader with them. I had originally planned to write these stories as pick your own path type of adventure stories, but that would have turned a short story into a book. Still, I decided to try and write each story from the more unusual second person narrative with a gender-less protagonist so the the reader could pretend to be in the story.

INTRO TO NEKO ASTRAY

This story introduces some of the basics about trains, Japanese gods, cat cafes, and some Tokyo districts. It is about the journey of a cat and the human that helps her through the mean streets of Tokyo.  Cats are very much loved in Japan and are quite popular in pop culture.  There are cat girls, cat cafes, cat manga, cat islands, lazy cats, cat conductors, lucky cats, etc.  They have been rendered as cute figures in pretty much everything.

• Buddhist Temple:  Buddhism originates in India, and was imported to Japan from China.  Buddhism co-exists with Shinto in Japan and temple and shrine can exist in the same religious complex.  Buddhism is based on the teachings of Buddha and is about overcoming suffering and the cycle of death and rebirth.  There are many sects and traditions, and it has complex mythologies that include many gods, and guardians.
• Cat cafe:  A theme cafe where you get to interact with cats while having a coffee or a dessert.
• Cat shrine:  Tokyo has two famous cat shrines where you can pray for luck from a kitty or for a kitty.  Gotokuji Temple is a Buddhist temple known for its cat shrine that has thousands of lucky cat figurines.  Imado Shrine is the other famous cat shrine that features cat statues and it is known as a shrine for love relationships.  Both shrines have a different origin story for the maneki neko.
• Conveyor belt sushi restaurant:  Kaiten-zushi or rotation sushi where the plates of sushi are pre-made and placed on a conveyor belt.  Diners pick the plates they wish to eat and a bill is tallied up from the number and type of plates at the table.  The sushi is freshly made, with an increasing variety of non-sushi items, and there are even covers on the plates in many restaurants
  
• Gomenasi:  Go-men-a-sigh.  Sorry.
• Gyudon:  A beef rice bowl.  Sauteed onions and thin strips of beef in a light sauce on top of steamed rice.
• Konbini:  A Japanese loan word for convenience.  Convenience stores are everywhere in Japan, and are very common near train stations.  Konbini sell all manner of drinks (including alcohol) and snacks, but are known for their high quality fresh food like tasty onigiri (rice balls), sandwiches, pastries, bento, fried chicken, and other food.  They also stock a good selection of household products, stationary, personal hygiene supplies, and even underwear in their small confines.
• Konnichiwa: Kon-ni-chi-wa. Informal hello and greeting from mid-morning to early evening.
• Maneki Neko:  Lucky cat figure or beckoning cat represented by a sitting cat with one paw raised.  Usually it is a white cat with the insides of the ears colored red.  It is often found in homes and business to bring luck.
• Neko:  Japanese for cat.
• Onigiri:  Rice balls. Palm-sized balls of rice with a filling and maybe a wrap of dried seaweed.  These are very popular in Japan and are basically their version of a sandwich.  There are dozens of flavors including: tuna and mayo, salted cod roe, grilled salmon, pickled plum, and Japanese pickled vegetables.
• Shibuya Crossing:  The busiest pedestrian intersection in the world.  It is a scramble crossing where all vehicular traffic stops for pedestrians to scramble through the intersection from all the corners, then the cars take their turns in alternating directions.  The cycle then repeats itself.
• Shinto:  The native religion in Japan predates Buddhism and has shamanistic elements to it.  It is tightly coupled to nature gods/spirits or kami and all things on earth can have a kami representing them.  All things on earth also have a spirit.  Prayers and offerings to the kami can be for fertility, good harvest, success in business, to luck in love, etc., depending on the kami.  Kami respond to human prayers to influence the natural course of events.  There is a saying that you are born Shinto and die Buddhist.  Shinto Shrines are often family run.
• Shinto Shrine:  A sacred space that houses the kami it is for.  Entering through the torii gate, often red, means you are entering sacred ground.  There may be guardian spirits represented too.  For example, an Inari or Fox Shrine will have two foxes guarding the approach.  There are often sacred trees and objects associated with shrines. Jinja is the Japanese for shrine.
• SUICA card:  A SUICA is a smart chip debit card that you preload with cash at the train station ticket machines, and is used to pay for train rides by scanning at the entrance and exit gates.  The card is used in multiple cities and is valid at many retailers in train stations and even at some vending machines.  PASMO is a competitor card with the same benefits.
• Sushi:  A topping of thinly sliced seafood, omelette, or vegetable is placed on top of a small, palm pressed clump of cooked white rice.  The topping can be cooked or raw.
• Tendon: A tempura rice bowl.  Tempura in a sauce on top of steamed rice.
• Tempura:  Battered and deep fried seafood and vegetables.

NEKO ASTRAY - Complete Story

by Peter Lok.
Copyright 2018, All rights reserved.

Saturday is supposed to be a day off, but you found yourself at work early to put the finishing touches on a presentation for Monday morning.   At least your boss is also in this morning to do the final review, and you receive a curt but genuine thank you for your hard work.  Done by lunchtime, you decide to grab a quick bite at a tendon restaurant near the office.

You order a bowl of shrimp and vegetable tempura on rice and leave the restaurant in a better mental state and a pleasantly filled stomach.  There’s nothing like crunchy tempura with sweet and savory sauce on warm rice for comfort food, you think to yourself.  Well, maybe beef bowl might be pretty darn good too, or even a …  Stopping this train of thought as it could go on for awhile, you wonder what to do with the rest of your day.

You were supposed to meet up with friends this morning, but you had to cancel that due to work.  Thinking for a moment, you decide to visit a cat café in nearby Shibuya and then do a little shopping.  A ten minute walk through the streets of densely packed office buildings takes you over to Shibuya Crossing.  The sun is shining and the weather is just right, so the day is turning out pretty good.

Shibuya Crossing is famous for its scramble crossing and statue of the loyal dog, Hachiko.  Hachiko was a Shiba Inu who awaited for his master every day after work even after he had passed on, a story that is both touching and tragic.  The statue is also a popular meeting place, often featured in the media along with the scramble crossing behind it.  The Hachiko exit out of the busy Shibuya Train Station is one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world with thousands of people trying to cross at once during busy times to get to the popular Shibuya shopping district.

When the light changes you begin to cross the street as part of a wave of pedestrians from the Hachiko corner.  You head towards the glass and steel building with the giant 5 story high TV screen that showed a giant walking dinosaur in the movie Lost in Translation.  Under the screen is a Starbucks where you have taken a break before.  This busy coffee shop provides a third floor view over the crowds of people surging through the intersection.  Your pedestrian wave meets the other crowds from the five other corners of the intersection in the middle of the intersection.  Somehow, everyone dodges by each other without collisions.  You then angle slightly to the left of the TV building to head towards Center Gai, the main street in Shibuya for shopping and entertainment.  Walking in a couple of blocks you turn off the main street onto a smaller side street to see a doorway embedded in the mouth of a giant cartoon cat.

It is Café Nyan de Puff, a café where you can have a drink or a dessert and meet cats up close.  You’ve always liked cats and befriended several neighborhood strays before you moved to Tokyo from your home town.  You’d like to own a cat, but your apartment building prohibits pets, so you come to this café once a week to get your feline fix.

Entering, you are greeted by a waitress who directs you to sit down at any open seat.  The café is an open rectangular space with a hardwood floor and walls decorated in bright, cheery colors with cartoon kitties on the walls.   Small tables and chairs are scattered around the room, which is lined with cat trees and ledges and walkways for the cats to roam on.  The front entrance is at one of the narrow ends with a closed off kitchen area in the back, along with a private cat area for cats to retreat to if they don’t want to be bothered.

After a quick look at the menu on your table, you order a latte, and take a look to see if there are any friendly cats wandering about.  Photos of each cat along with their name and personality are placed along the walls so you can call the kitties by name.  You don’t need the pictures though as you are looking for a particular calico cat named Tama.  She has white, orange, and black fur with a black patch over her left eye.  Last weekend this cat had a very nice session of much petting and purring on your lap.  Tama had just arrived two weeks ago, being adopted by the café from a cat shelter, after being found wandering the streets.  She had a collar with a name, but the tags were missing so she couldn’t be returned to her owner.

All around you are grey cats, white cats, black cats, but you don’t see Tama.  “Where are you, Tama,” you say softly to yourself.  Something is suddenly rubbing against your legs and you look down to see that it is Tama.  She trills and looks up at you.

“Tama!” You exclaim.  “You found me.”  You reach down and pet the cat.  After a moment you sit down at your table and she jumps up into your lap, rubbing her face against your hands.  Both of you are happy to see each other.

Your latte arrives and you have a sip while giving Tama a scratch under the chin which she enjoys.  Many minutes pass and you finish your latte.  This is when you observe that Tama is somewhat distracted, after the initial excitement of being reunited with you.  She keeps looking at the front door, which has a double set of doors to keep the cats in.
It has been almost an hour since you arrived and you flag down the waitress to pay for your drink and the cover charge.  She brings a bill and you pull out some coins to pay.  Tama suddenly jumps off of you and moves to the front of the cafe.  She turns to give you a look and a meow that almost sounds like a goodbye.

A big group of high school girls in their uniforms arrives at the café at that moment.  They are having a very animated discussion, and hold both the inside and outside doors open as they enter.  Tama sees the opening and makes a break for it between the girls.  Dodging between the feet she darts out and runs down the sidewalk.  The girls don’t even notice.

“Tama!” You shout out.  The waitress looks up from dealing with another customer to see the cat escape and exclaims, “oh no!”

“I’ll try to get her,” you reply.  “Thank you,” the waitress replies in a flustered tone.

You manage to squeeze by the students who are clustered around the entrance and look down the sidewalk for the cat.  She has a pretty good head start and is halfway down the block already, trotting quickly towards the main street.  You break into a run to catch up.  Tama seems to hear you approaching and looks back at you, then breaks into a run around the corner of Center Gai in the direction of Shibuya Station.

Arriving at the corner, you frantically peer down the street, trying to spot the cat at the feet of numerous pedestrians.  You just manage to spot a tail disappear behind a sidewalk rack of cosmetics at  a corner drug store.  Dashing to the corner, you see Tama is still well ahead of you, but you swear she is talking to a grey street cat.  The two cats are face to face and the grey cat seems to meow and point its head to the side.

“Tama!” you shout again, slightly out of breath, thinking your office job makes you sit too much.

Tama looks at you again then runs into an alley as fast as her little paws can take her.  The grey cat also takes off in a different direction.  You follow her into the alley past stacks of plastic crates against the walls to see the cat run through the back door of a building.  Arriving at the door, you find out it is the kitchen of a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.

You see the cat heading right for the front door, undistracted by all the raw fish on plates circling the restaurant on the conveyor belt.   She is unnoticed by the diners enjoying their fresh and cheap sushi.  There is hesitation in your step when you enter the restaurant in this unorthodox manner, but you need to follow the cat who has just exited through the automatic doors at the front of the restaurant.

Unlike the cat, you are noticed exiting the kitchen by one of the sushi chefs, who gives a shout of surprise.  Not wanting to explain what you are doing to a man with a sharp fish knife, you call out a quick sorry as you dash to the front door of the restaurant.  A number of the diners look at you curiously as you run through the restaurant.  Exiting the front of the restaurant you see the cat descend some stairs down into the subway.  A quick glance behind you shows that no one is chasing you, thankfully.  This cat seems to really want to go somewhere, you think to yourself.

All the big train stations in Tokyo are multi-level marvels for transportation and shopping.  Shibuya Station is no exception, being a major hub for the Yamanote Line and several other metro train lines.  Train platforms are spread across multiple levels, with below ground and above ground.  The train stations do sprawl out, with passages and entrances extending several blocks away from the station in some cases.  Sometimes you don’t realize the underground mall you are in is actually part of the train station.

Tama is following a smaller passage into a major concourse which has a pretty regular crowd in it for a Saturday afternoon.  The cat sticks close to the walls out of the main flow of pedestrians there.  Most of the passersby don’t notice the small cat amongst them, but there are a few amazed looks when she trots by.

Being safely ahead of you, Tama doesn’t seem overly worried by your trailing presence.  She seems to be looking for landmarks, and is quite deliberate in her movements.  You look at the subway signs suspended from the ceiling and see she is heading towards the Keio-Inokashira Metro Line.  You’re intrigued now as she doesn’t seem to be lost.  You’re unfamiliar with this train line, but you keep following to keep an eye on her.

The cat just walks under the payment gates and down towards the platform.  You have to use your SUICA debit card to get through the gates to keep up with her.

Down on the platform, the cat seems momentarily puzzled, as if she isn’t sure which side of the platform to pick to get the train going in the right direction, something you can sympathize with.  A decision is quickly made and she huddles down under a set of seats, out of the way, and out of sight of any station personnel.  You try to slowly approach the cat but she shifts away from you.  The last thing you want is for the cat to jump onto the tracks so you keep your distance hoping for a better chance to catch her.

Soon enough a train arrives.  The doors open automatically and passengers begin to disembark.  Trains always stop exactly at the same spot and people know where to queue up on either side of each door so a path is left open in the middle for the passengers to easily exit.  Only when all passengers have exited will people begin to board.  When the trains and platforms are wall to wall people at rush hour this is essential to keep the trains running on time.  When the last of the people are boarding, the cat dashes forward onto the train.  You quickly follow and the door chimes warble as the doors close behind you.

Tama seems to be taking in one strange situation after another very well.  She is lucky that it is early afternoon on a weekend so it isn’t too crowded.  The cat walks over to a bank of seats that is mostly unoccupied and hops onto an empty seat.  The few passengers around her and on the opposite bank of seats excitedly comment about the feline suddenly in their midst.  You hear snippets like: “what is a cat doing here”, and “I wonder if it is lost?”  A few snap photos of her with their smartphones and will probably post them on Twitter or Line.  Tama remains calm, but alert, and seems to be watching the train map above each doors, which indicate where the train is currently located and what the next station is.

You keep your distance, but stay close enough to follow her.  Your Saturday has certainly taken an unexpected turn.  Soon enough, six stops later, there is an automated announcement for Shimo-kitazawa Station.  The cat perks up and when the train stops at the station, she hops over to the doors and exits when they open.  You follow behind her and see she is heading to a platform exit.  Off the platform she orients herself again and heads down a passage towards the Odyaku line.  Here, she has to orient herself on the platform and crouches down to wait.

The cat definitely knows you are following her, but is unworried by your presence by now.  You try again to slowly approach her a couple of times while gently calling her name, but she continues to shy away from you.  When the Odyaku train (direction Hadano) arrives, you both get on.

Again, she huddles down in an empty seat where she can watch the door and give perfunctory glances to the other passengers.  The train makes a short trip of three stops to Gotokuji Station when she gets up and hops off again.

The cat walks up off the platform and  heads for a south exit from the station.  Gotokuji Station is a small station that borders on a residential area.  You quickly pass through a commercial district around the train station to find yourself walking down streets with one and two storey houses.  There are very few sidewalks here, instead you find well paved streets with wide shoulders for walking.  Overhead are the ubiquitous concrete power poles strung with their tangled web of wiring connecting houses to telephone, power, and the Internet.

Tama seems more relaxed on these residential streets.  Her pace isn’t as quick and she takes a little more time to look and sniff around at her surroundings.  Another black and white cat on the wall ahead of her warily watches her approach.  Tama meows out to it.  The other cat glances down and gives a couple of meows in reply before looking away.  Tama seems to give another meow of thanks then continues on her way down the street.

This is really strange, you think to yourself.  This is the second time you could swear that the cat asked for directions, but that cannot be.  About seven minutes later you find yourself at the white wall that surrounds a Buddhist temple.  Tama seems to consider jumping the wall, but then decides to walk around for some reason.  It is a good thing as you sure don’t want to climb any walls.  She walks around the east side of the temple grounds to arrive at the main entrance to Gotokuji Temple on the south side.  There is an old wooden gate here with the name of the temple.  Why does the name of the temple sound so familiar?  You do a quick Internet search on your phone and you find out this Buddhist Temple is famous for its “Cat Shrine.”  This temple became prosperous back in the Edo Period because of a white cat who lived there.  This cat saved a feudal lord from a lightning strike by beckoning him to come to the temple during a thunderstorm.  The lord then sponsored the temple out of gratitude and the legend of maneki neko or beckoning cat was born.

Once inside the temple grounds  you see the main hall ahead and follow the cat to the left towards the three story pagoda.  While you walk further into the temple grounds you notice that there are several cats walking in parallel to you, almost as if they are escorts.  You pass the pagoda and end up at a smaller shrine.  This shrine has altars and alcoves full of white beckoning cat statues.  Many have been left as offerings by shrine goers.  Tama sits down in front of a shrine and puts her front paws together as if in prayer.  You quietly watch from a distance for several minutes.

You hear the dull bonging of a temple bell several times and the world seems to blur for a moment.  Blinking several times, you clear your eyes.  While your vision clears, everything seems slightly off color.  I really must be working too hard these days, you think to yourself while rubbing your eyes.

The cat then turns off to the left and begins to walk over to a small shrine building you hadn’t noticed before.  In fact, you were sure there wasn’t a building there before.  There are at least a dozen cats of all colors sitting attentively on both sides of the path observing you.  You follow Tama down the path despite being a weirded out by this.  Ahead, the wooden doors to the building swing open by themselves and a brightness emanates from within.  Tama just walks straight in without hesitation.  Cats are pretty good at sensing danger, and you feel more curiosity than fear, even if you can’t see anything but the light.  After a few moments hesitation, you just head straight in too.

“Welcome,” a gentle female voice speaks out.  You are strangely reassured by this simple greeting.

It is almost as if a fog of light is lifted and you can see again.  Around you, everything is colored in surreally bright colors, with gold and vermillion being predominant.  You are inside a room that is much larger than the building you entered.  You realize you must have passed into the spirit realm, the realm of the kami or gods. 

A petite woman in the white and red robes of a priestess stands in front of you.  She is incredibly cute, has two large white cat ears sticking out of her long, snow white hair.  The ears twitch as she looks at you.

“Hello,” you stammer out.  You’re still stunned by what you are seeing.  You manage a deep bow.  “It is an honor to meet you.”  Is this a kami or a spirit, you are thinking to yourself? 

“It is a pleasure to meet you too,” the cat girl replies with a big smile.  “I’m Kumiko Neko, a guardian of cats.  I would like to thank you for walking Tama here.”

You suddenly realize that Tama is sitting next to you when you hear an affirmative meow.  Looking right at you, she meows again.

Kumiko speaks again.  “Tama was glad you walked with her here to the temple.  She was quite nervous as she didn’t really know the way here.  The city can be a big scary place to a small cat.”

“I’m glad I could help.  I didn’t want anything bad to happen to Tama.”  You are taking this in stride far better than you could have imagined, you think to yourself.  It must be because of the fantasy manga you read.

“That is commendable.  Tama tells me that she is lost and would like to find her way back home to her friend, a little girl named Yui.  She misses sleeping with Yui and is sure that Yui misses her.”

The kami then bends down to talk quietly with Tama who is meowing and bobbing her head excitedly as they speak.  The conversation doesn’t last too long, but it ends with Tama hunched with her head down and paws out front in a gesture of supplication.  Kumiko then performs a series of ritual gestures over Tama.  A glowing compass seems to briefly form in the air above the cat and it points in a particular direction before fading out.

After the ritual, Kumiko rises and turns to you.  “Tama’s story is quite sad.  She was out for a walk in her neighborhood and was too curious.  She hopped onto the back of a delivery truck as something smelled intriguing.  Before she could escape, the door to the truck shut and she found herself in a strange part of Tokyo.  She approached strangers for help, but was chased away, or just played with a little.  Then she hurt her paw while escaping from a dog and was helped by a kindly old man.  The man dropped her at a good animal shelter where she was lucky to end up in the cat cafe.”

“That is sad,” you reply.  “Can you help Tama find her way home?  You must have special powers.”

“We do have special powers, but like many things they are limited in the human world,” Kumiko’s eyes lock onto yours and you feel like she is evaluating you.  “Tama has described where she lives to me, and I have performed a divination.  I believe it is in Yanaka, a good neighborhood for cats.”

“That is a long way from here,” you say, “can you transport Tama magically?”

“If it were only that easy,” Kumiko smiles at you mischievously, “You are my magic.  Can you help Tama to get home?”

“What?!?” you exclaim.  “I can’t.  I’m so sorry.  I wasn’t planning on going all the way out there.  It will take hours.”

“Are you sure?” Kumiko asks in a low tone that carries way more force than it should.  It isn’t threatening, but you pull out your smartphone to check in response.  To your surprise, you have a cell signal and data in the spirit realm.  Accessing the map app you search for Yanaka.

“I guess I was wrong,” you half-mumble out loud.  “It looks like you can take the Odakyu Line all the way to Sendagi Sation and then walk to central Yanaka.  It will only take 50 minutes.”

“Will you reconsider helping Tama?”

“I guess.  She is a nice cat,” your protests are quickly dissolving.  “But Yanaka is still a big place.”

“That I can help with,” Kumiko adds eagerly, “I will ask the crows to guide you, but you must transport Tama there.”

Talking cats, goddesses, and now helpful crows.  This is turning out to be quite a day, you think to yourself.  No one is going to believe this.  You crouch down and pet Tama on the head.  “You lucky kitty,” you say out loud.  “I’m going to take you home.”

Tama seems to understand and begins to rub against you, purring loudly.  You were always a sucker for cats.

“Tama is lucky she befriended a good human like you.”  Kumiko then begins to talk to Tama again.  It sounds like she is asking Tama to describe her home.  Some of the comments you overhear are quite funny.  “No, Tama.  You can’t describe it with smells.  The crows and the human cannot use those senses to help you…  Now what does the house look like? …  Does it have tiles? …  What is in the yard? …”

Finally, Kumiko turns to you again.  “I think we can find the house now.  The crows will wait for you at Sendagi Station.  Follow them.  Tama has promised to be good and will obey your instructions too.  She will understand if you talk to her.”

Kumiko bows her head slightly to you.  “Thank you again for deciding to help Tama.  You are a friend of cats and have my gratitude.  Now you must return to your world.”

Before you can say anything again, there is a bright flash of light.  Slightly disoriented, you find yourself back in the temple grounds at the cat shrine.  There is no sign of the building you entered.  At your feet is Tama who looks up at you and gives a loud meow!

“That was interesting,” you say to no one in particular.  “Okay, Tama, let’s get you home.”  You start walking to the front gate of the temple and Tama walks beside you with her tail held high.

On the way back to the train station you realize that you just cannot bring a cat onto the train.  Tama had been lucky before, but you don’t know if train staff will spot her this time.  You need a disguise or a carrier.   Closer in to the train station you look around for some kind of shop to sell you a small sports bag of some sort.  Eventually, you find a shop.  You have Tama wait outside while you purchase a cheap bag.

In an alley behind the shop, you tell Tama she needs to stay inside the bag for the train trip.  She looks at you and protests with a “mrrowww”.

“I know, Tama.  You don’t like this idea, but it’s safer this way… Please!  I’ll even treat you to some tuna.”

Tama looks at you again, then hops into the bag with another protest meow.

“Thanks, Tama.  Let’s get to the train and go to Yanaka.”  

You leave the bag slightly unzipped so Tama can see out, but no one can see her.  You get through the ticket gate without problem and hop onto the first train out.  The train is busier, but you manage to snag a seat and keep the bag on your lap.  An old lady next to you notices Tama peeking out, even though she is staying quite still, and she just gives you a kind smile.  She must be a cat lover too.  The trip to Sendagi takes about forty minutes and passes uneventfully.  There is the odd “mrrpp” from Tama, and you reassure her that you’re almost there.

You check the time on your phone and see that it is just after three in the afternoon when you arrive at Sendagi.  The afternoon is mostly gone, but you’re actually really glad you’re helping Tama.  Exiting the station you find yourself on a typical Tokyo street surrounded by a number of apartment buildings of ten stories or less.

Orienting yourself on the map app, you figure the way north towards Yanaka Ginza, the main shopping street there.  You see a few crows perched on powerlines, but they don’t seem to be paying you any attention even after you wave to them.  You almost yell out, but then realize you’d probably look like a crazy person.  Walking by a konbini you suddenly realize that you could use a snack and a drink.  The day has been more exhausting than you realized.  Maybe it was the side trip to the spirit realm.

In the convenience store, you have a bit of trouble deciding if you want a juice or another drink as there is large selection to choose from.  You always like tea, so you buy yourself a bottle of cold green tea, a salted cod roe onigiri, a bottle of water, and a can of flaked tuna for Tama.   Outside the store, you let Tama out of the bag.  Tama hops out, stretches, and mews thankfully to you.

“I noticed a park over there, Tama,” you say while pointing down the street.  “Let’s go there and eat.”

Tama gives a small meow of agreement and trots along with you as you cross the street and enter the park.  There are some kids playing on some swings and you take a seat on a bench.  You pop open the can of tuna and put it down for the cat.  You then open your bottle of tea and have a big refreshing swallow.  You begin to open your onigiri.  The rice ball is a triangular puck of rice wrapped in dried seaweed or nori with a salted cod roe filling in the middle.  The packaging is designed to be open in three steps.  The dry nori is kept crisp and away from the moist rice, and unwrapping the onigiri correctly gives you a tasty treat with a crisp outside and a soft inside.  The onigiri is good and you both enjoy a quick meal under the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Tama polishes off her small can of tuna and begins to contentedly groom herself a little.  You guess she hasn’t eaten since early this morning.    “Would like a little water, Tama?” you ask.  Tama looks up at you and mrrps a yes.  You fill the now empty tuna can with water and Tama eagerly laps at it.

After having a good drink, Tama begins to purr and hops up into your lap for a cuddle.  You begin to pet her in long strokes down her back and she head butts your hand a few times in appreciation.  You’re going to miss Tama after this, you think to yourself.  She really is a sweet cat.  Both of you enjoy your time together for awhile before the fluttering of wings attracts your attention.  Tama tenses, ready for fight or flight when she sees the large crow perched on a branch of a tree high above you.

The crow stares right at you and caws loudly.  Around you, you hear dozens of answering caws from other trees.  There is a whole murder of crows in the area.   This even attracts the attention of some of the playing children.  One crow might not be very creepy, but lots of them certainly are.  The crow caws again.  This time Tama meows loudly back.  It is not a hiss, but a response.

The crow flies down from the tree to perch next to you on the top of the bench.  You have never been this close to one before and realize it is actually a fairly large bird.  Crows are smart birds, once said to be messengers of the gods,  and this one seems to be checking you out with its dark beady eyes.

The crow caws again and seems to point a wing in a direction that is not quite towards Yanaka Ginza, but a little south and east of it.  Tama meows in response again and hops off of your lap.  She stares at you, making sure she has your attention before walking in the direction the crow pointed.  You get up, bag your trash, and quickly follow after her.

The crow flies up into the air and perches on a powerline well ahead of you.  Tama continues to follow with you trailing behind her.  You exit out of the east side of the park into an area of two storey homes and small apartments.  Yanaka is an older neighborhood that survived WWII intact.  It has retained much of its character, especially around Yanaka Ginza, the main shopping street.  You have never really visited this area before, but know that it is also famous for its graveyard and the cats in the area.

The residential streets you pass through are mostly empty at the moment, with the odd person out walking or doing a little yard work.  You only see one other cat at a fair distance crossing a road.  The crow stays well ahead of you, perching on various objects while it waits for you to catch up.  After half a dozen blocks, Tama seems to perk up.  She smells the air and seems to recognize scents.  Her tail is straight up in the air as she begins to trot faster.  She turns her head to meow at you, as if to encourage you to follow her.

After another block, she begins to scamper ahead.  She obviously recognizes the area.  She must be close to home, you think.  You run along after the cat.  After turning a corner you find her on a front step of an older two-storey house.  There is big blue awning over a car port with small sedan in it, and a yard with a tiny vegetable garden and plum tree.  The crow flies away at this point with a parting call, obviously feeling its job is done.

Tama is sitting on the cement step and beckons to you with an upraised paw like a lucky cat would.  You look at the family name board on the fence and see it says Tanaka.   There is no gate so you walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell.

There is no answer for what seems like a minute, but then you hear someone opening the inside door.  A lady in her late twenties greets you.  “Konnichiwa,” you both greet each other.   The lady is dressed in a long sleeved sweatshirt and looks as if she were cleaning as she is holding a dusting rag.

“Is this your cat?” you ask, hoping this is the right house.

The lady looks down to see Tama sitting at your feet. “Tama!” she exclaims, “where have you been?”  Turning her head she shouts into the house.  “Yui, Tama has returned!”

There is a happy squeal inside the house and you hear footsteps running down the stairs.  Tama hears the footsteps too and scampers inside, jumping into the arms of a four year old girl.  The two hug each other, with Tama licking Yui’s face fervently.  “Stop, Tama,” Yui protests happily between giggles.

You can see that the mother is also really happy.  “Thank you for returning Tama.  Yui was so sad when Tama didn’t come home three weeks ago.  We searched for her everywhere, but couldn’t find her.  I’m so glad she is okay.”

“I’m glad I could help.  Tama is certainly happy to be home too,” you add.  “She does seem like a sweet cat in the brief time I have known  her.”

The mother then says,  “I hope she was no trouble for you.”

“It was no trouble at all,” you reassure her.

“Where did you find Tama?”

With that question, you suddenly realize that you’re going to have to make up a story for her and possibly the cat café too.  No one is going to believe the real one.   “It is a bit of a story,” you begin.

END

Here is a post about Japan's love of cats in general. 

The Tokyo Intro Quartet of Urban Fantasy Stories

Neko Astray Help a lost cat find its way home in Tokyo with unusual help. Urban Fantasy, Shrines, Cats

Print in Time An Edo period ukiyo-e artist finds himself out of his own time. Urban Fantasy, Time Travel, Ukiyo-e

Animated in Akiba An otaku fairy tale set in the anime Mecca of Akihabara. Urban Fantasy, Anime Fans, Magical Girl

Kaiju Knocking Tourist meets Kaiju in Tokyo, their favourite stomping ground. Science Fiction, Monster, Ginza

 

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