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2GN2S ...
Stray Cats Save Osaka Restaurant from Going Out of Business During Pandemic
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| all images courtesy diorama_shokudo |
Railway model enthusiast Naoki Teraoka has operated miniature model-themed ramen restaurants and eateries in Japan since 2005. His latest was the Diorama Restaurant in Osaka, which he opened in 2018. But when the global pandemic struck two years later, business went south and Teraoka was pushed to the brink of shutting down his business. But an unlikely savior–a stray cat that Teraoka rescued–would turn things around.
During the pandemic, Teraoka rescued an emaciated stray kitten that had found its way to the restaurant. Later, the kitten’s mother and siblings also showed up and before Teraoka knew it he had a family of cats climbing, lounging and sleeping on his miniature models.
It was like the set of a monster cat movie so the owner began photographing and posting pictures to the restaurant’s Instagram account. Before long, people began showing up from all over Japan to see the cats and business took off.
Feeling grateful and in debt to his feline friends, Teraoka opened a cat shelter on the 2nd floor of his restaurant and now devotes a significant amount of time to helping stray cats get off the street and into homes. Here is the Diorama Restaurant website where you can make reservations to visit, learn about their rescue cats or donate to help support their activities.
Cute story?
Cats Tattooing Cats by Kazuaki Horitomo
Kazuaki Horitomo is a California-based Japanese artist who combines two of his great passions tattoos and cats into one, here. As an illustrator and tattoo artist, Horitomo is steeped in the Japanese tradition of tebori (a technique of tattooing by hand) and his illustrations reflect that. Some of our favorites works are the humorous and surreal depictions of cats performing tebori on other cats.
Horitomo’s brand Monmon Cats derives its name from monmon, the old slang word in Japanese for tattoos. Horitomo currently works at State of Grace Tattoo in San Jose. But if tattooing isn’t your thing, you can also pick up his book, or buy prints from his shop. Or you can just follow him on Instagram. Below are some other his illustrations featuring tattooed cats.
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Thanks for coming by today.
6 comments:
Love the cat stories today. Today’s piece is so satisfying. The color choices and line quality are just the best. :-)
Thank you, John. It's an old one I hadn't seen in a while and I liked it too.
Your collage is brilliant. Wonderfully abstract and the colors are perfect.
I too loved your cute cat stories and I already followed the link to Instagram. Just lovely.
I think you are enjoying your training today and being in company with dear friends.
Hi Jacki,
As always, your blogs are delightful, funny and creative.
One of my cousins in Nebraska had a pet raccoon. If you noticed in the short video, their paws look like hands. That means they are very good at opening screen doors (used frequently in Nebraska because of the humidity and insects). They can also twist open canisters, lift the lids off cake stands, and many, many more things that can make life not so nice. (Remember, their masks are not for Covid. They are, in fact, expert thieves.)
Thanks, Elenor. You are so right I was so happy to be in class today, my third time back. I have a long way to go to gain back what I have lost, but I don't mind a bit.
Thanks, Carrol. Always so good to hear from you.
I'm not sure a racoon would be the perfect pet? But that face does make them look so cute, and this one's expressions were precious.
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