My Favourite Place in Japan

Given that I lived in Japan and travelled extensively whilst there…it’s safe to say I have a lot of options to choose from, when it comes to choosing my favourite place.

When I say travelled extensively, I mean I’ve been to all but one prefecture! There’s still loads of places I want to go to, and I spent a lot of time in some places compared to others, but I certainly racked up a decent list of wonderful places to pick from.

When I lived in Japan I would play Pokemon Go. It was around the time that mass popularity in the UK had waned and gym battles had been introduced. It was still very popular in Japan and you were guaranteed of enough people to battle a gym in busy areas. Frequently I’d take on a gym with a group of salary men who’d just got off the train in my little city, Shin-Yurigaoka.

Part of the reason I still played it while living there was not just because its popularity made it easier to find people to play with, but also because it helped me to find places of interest.

If it hadn’t been for Pokemon Go letting me know where was something of interest down this side road, I wouldn’t have found what turned out to be my favourite spot in the whole of Japan.

Nice huh?

It’s okay…I’d be confused to! There are some really interesting things to see here (especially that huge drum!), but it doesn’t seem to offer anything in particular that you can’t find at many of the other estimated 80,000 temples across Japan.

But then you meet Luni and it all becomes clear!

Now I love cats (I’ve been to several of the cat islands around Japan), but there was something particularly special about Luni (which I found out later).

Almost immediately this beautiful black and white cat greeted me. So incredibly friendly, his loving nature made me feel calm and helped with my missing my cats back in the UK (I didn’t think they’d cope well with the stress of air travel so left them in the car of my grandparents while we were away).

I’d frequently go to visit Luni and took bags of food for him. A lady that worked there told me that the cat was male, and his name was Luni. She also told me that people who had lost loved ones would come to spend time with him. I told you he was special! This wonderful, gentle soul comforted those in need.

And at times I was in need. I hadn’t lost someone, but some medication I was given affected my mental health. Perhaps this beautiful soul knew I needed his special brand of comfort.

Now that’s all well and good you may be thinking, but it’s not much of a travel blog post for those looking for inspiration for places to go…well I like to think the message/ lesson here is that being curious about the places of the beaten track may mean you find your most favourite place, and find something you didn’t even know you need.

We moved back to the UK towards the end of 2018 and I’ve often wondered how Luni was doing. I mentioned Luni to some friends who we chat to on a monthly basis. One of them lives nearby and went to look for me recently – still there, and still a cuddlebug!