August 8 is celebrated in many parts of the world as “Cat Day“, a date that was established in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), as well as other groups dedicated to the protection of these animals. In Japan, this day is also celebrated, because, as you probably remember, cats are very popular and beloved animals by the Japanese population, so in this article we will tell you how they celebrate this date in the country of the rising sun.
August 8 is celebrated as Cat Day in various parts of the world, and this is how Japan celebrates it
If you are interested in everything related to Japan, you will surely remember that cats are an element that is present in many aspects of their culture. From representative images, monuments or temples and they are even important in the world of anime and manga. In this world we have terms such as “Nekomimis” and “Nekomatas” that, for otakus, can be vocabulary of very common use and that justly refer to these animals represented in different forms, especially with “waifus”.
On the one hand, we have the “Nekomimis“, a word of Japanese origin that literally translates as “cat ears”. Since we have the word “Neko“, which means cat, and the word “Mimi” which means ear. This term mainly refers to female characters that use elements representative of cats such as ears, tails or some other feature of these animals added to a human body. They are quite frequent in “H” stories, and we can also find male characters with these characteristics that can be referred to as “catboy” or “nekoboy”; however, “Nekomimi” is a term used to refer to both genders indistinctly.
On the other hand, we have the “Nekomata“, these are supernatural beings that can be considered as a variation of the “bakeneko”. This type of creatures, according to the belief, arise when the tail of a domestic cat begins to fork. In “Nekomata” it can mimic the actions of humans, such as standing on two legs and walking upright by leaning on its tail. When they meow, they generate a sound similar to human words, but are not capable of transforming into humans. Unlike bakeneko, which are wraiths, nekomata are living, changing beings.
Although August 8 is the day most recognized worldwide as Cat Day, in Japan they have their own date to commemorate these creatures so revered in the country of the Rising Sun; since, in Japan, the date on which cats are celebrated is actually February 22. But this date was not chosen at random, but is derived from the pronunciation of the digits of the date, ie 22/2; in Japanese these figures would have the sound of “ni ni ni”, sound that according to the Japanese, sounds similar to the meowing of cats in Japan “nyan nyan nyan nyan”.
This day in Japan, is called “Neko no Hi“, that is, “Cat Day” and many people, such as the otaku community, have different ways of celebrating it. For example, within the community of anime and manga fans, many users often share “fanarts” of their favorite waifus with cat ears and tails or even the creators of these characters themselves pamper their fans with allusive images to celebrate this animal so revered in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Cats are highly revered animals in Japan, because more than pets or simple animals, they are considered symbols of good luck, prosperity and protection against evil spirits. Other ways in which the Japanese pay tribute to these animals are the famous “Neko café“, shrines and a great number of characters that can be found within the popular culture of Japan.
