猫と寺 - The Mystery of Cats and Temples

Happy New Year! It's 2009, the Chinese Year of the Ox. Harbouring secret fears of becoming a little too ox-like myself, one of my resolutions for this year is to do as much walking and exploring as I can. The first foray was a 10km amble between Shinjuku (my part of the world), and Kita Senju, an area in Adachi-ku (ward) in the north of Tokyo, home of my mate Dave. The walk took us through parts of town we'd never been through before, and was particularly interesting for the sheer number of temples and shrines that quietly dot the urban landscape. The kanji below forms part of the name of one such temple. 仁 meaning benelovent or gracious, and 寺 meaning temple. Cats are also surprisingly common in the narrow back streets of Tokyo, but seem wary of strangers, and so fleeting glimpses are the norm.