Turning a Corner to Meet Cats - Unexpected Encounters with Felines on the Cat Alley in Onomichi

Transportation: Take the train to JR Onomichi Station (Sanyo Main Line) and then walk for about 15 minutes or take the cable car uphill. After visiting Senkoji Temple, you can walk to Neko no Hosomichi (Cat Alley). Along the path, you'll find various stones painted with cat designs and decorations featuring cat motifs. For cat lovers, this is a memory-filled destination. You can't walk too fast, as you might spot cats of all sizes and shapes hidden in inconspicuous corners. Cat Alley also has a small Cat Shrine. It is unattended by humans and rarely visited by people. To draw a fortune slip, you first spin the cat stone. Next to the cat stone are four quadrants marked with a mouse, fish, bell, and paw print. Depending on where the cat stone stops, you pick a slip from the corresponding box. I drew the only bad fortune I've ever gotten in Japan here, but I think it might be because I had just visited Rabbit Island the day before, petting rabbits and even bringing them food, but I didn’t bring anything for the cats. Perhaps the Cat God was displeased, thinking, "Why are you here after petting rabbits?" Haha. The fortune wasn’t too bad, though—it mentioned that I was in a recharging period and things would improve later. To boost my luck, I could visit the Maneki Neko Museum and touch the lucky cat statues there. After leaving the Cat Shrine, I encountered a real cat. It was very calm and didn’t shy away even when I got close to take photos, though it refused to look at the camera. I secretly petted it a little. Since I didn’t touch the cats at the Maneki Neko Museum, I considered this cat as a substitute. However, I only saw this one real cat during my visit. Perhaps it was because I came during early summer at noon, and the weather was too hot, causing the cats to hide. If you want to meet real cats, it might be better to visit during cooler seasons or times of the day.