Cat Temple in Kyoto: Nyan Nyan Ji (にゃんにゃん寺)
Bowing down to the meow-jesty of our feline leaders - A purr-sonal sanctuary for our priestly cats, where 'nyan' is the chant and worship is an art.
About almost an hour of a bus ride from Kyoto Station to Mikogafuchi bus stop where you can meet a cat priest and his assistants.
Nyan Nyan Ji (Meow Meow Temple) is located in Yase, Kyoto. Its name is written as にゃんにゃん寺 in Japanese. Although its name has a “temple” in it, searching for the location might be quite tricky. The exterior of the building is different from the temples that you see here in Japan.
Why is that so?
It’s because Nyan Nyan Ji is not really a temple, but a temple-type themed spot for cat lovers. It creates a concept of the cat as its deity. The cat monk and his assistants guard the temple.
Upon arrival at the bus stop, you’ll need to walk for a little bit (about 160 meters). There’s signage on the opposite side of the road letting you know that it is what you’re looking for. There’s a small parking lot that lets a few cars in and an outdoor cafe to enjoy snacks while relaxing from the long bus ride.
Past the entrance, a myriad hand made cat sundries are on display for sale.
Most of the designs in the building are familiar with that of a temple -there’s a ceiling with paintings on it that’s similar to Kyoto’s Shojuin and Fukui’s Eiheji. The altar and offertory box where people can purrrray for their cat god. The omikuji, cat-shaped darumas, everything that you can find in the temples, you name it, and you can see it inside.
We found a total of 3 cats on our visit. The healthy shy cat, the fluffy sassy cat, and the social catterfly. The healthy shy cat loves to hang around the food truck. The sassy one is named Kewpie Mayonnaise (Mayo for short) and wags her tail while relaxing comfortably on the chair. And the social catterfly wanders around the temple, capturing everyone’s hearts, including mine. I was wearing a scarf at the time and he happens to like yarns so he played with it for a little bit!
The cat priest visits only on certain days so if you’re lucky, you might be able to meet him!
There’s an exhibition going on called “Tuthannya-mun” – a parody of ancient Egypt and cats as the gods. Discover the world of Tuthannya-mun one floor below where different cat artifacts are displayed. The exhibition’s witty names are surely hilarious you’re gonna love it!
From pyramid renamed as pynyamid (ピニャミッド ), sphinx as nyaphinx (ニャフィンクス)to hieroglyphs as nekoroglyphs (ネコログリフ) and a meowtinent (ニャ大陸) with the shape of a cat’s face. Who wouldn’t love this interesting exhibition?
As of writing, the admission fee in Nyan Nyan Ji is ¥800/ adult. The ¥800 entrance fee includes some cute freebies and access to the Tuthannya-mun exhibition. The exhibition runs until February 27th, 2023.
Would you pay a visit and try your luck to see the cat priest?
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