Japan 2025: A Cat and Crow Side Quest of Maruyama Park

One of the highlights of our day was getting to know the strays of Maruyama Park.

On our way out of the park, we noticed this beautiful cat perched on a tree stump. Like a magical encounter, we quietly and calmly followed it to a rest area with a few stone benches.

There was an auntie and uncle feeding a few other cats for a late lunch, and through my limited Japanese, we learned a little more about them.

This one is Agu, the round black cat with a bob tail and the most beautiful jade eyes.

Eji-chan(?), the cat we followed initially. I may be wrong, so I’ll have to check our footage of this day.

Fu-chan, the sleek panther who was more aloof than the others.

A few other tourists stopped by to pay their scratch tax, and we exchanged wide smiles and warm eyes in the quiet evening. All you could hear was the rustling of the cats milling about and their purrs.

Agu in particular was very friendly, coming onto the bench to enjoy head scratches.

A well-loved scratching post.

While the cats tried to eat, the crows were waiting to swoop in for a bite, too. It reminded me of Haikyuu’s Dumpster Battle!! arc.

The crows in Japan are huge!! and a menace!!

We sat for a long while taking in the moment. One of those moments where you feel that everything happens for a reason.