These monkeys in Japan have seriously mastered the art of relaxation. Whether they've had a long day of finding food or grooming each other, these monkeys have settled down for the extreme relaxation that only a hot spring can provide. Here are 14 pictures of monkeys that have reached the level of relaxation we all aspire to. For more animal photos, have a look at these cute shoulder animals.
Japan
For over a decade, Sakae Kato has stayed behind in Fukushima, rescuing cats abandoned by neighbors who fled the radiation clouds emanating from the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant. He refuses to leave.
His story is one of heartbreak and selflessness, and we are thankful for all the work that he's done.
"I want to make sure I am here to take care of the last one," Kato said from his home in the contaminated quarantine zone. "After that I want to die, whether that be a day or hour later."
Read more about his incredible story below.
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Via HIRO@sea
This is one seriously chill capybara! And this capybara is certainly living the good life!
When one capybara, who was chilling to the max within the hot spring, spontaneously emerges with a mandarin orange upon its head, it was a moment of beauty and amazement for all. It was perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Who could resist a capybara where an orange as a hat? Not many people in this world, including us.
This is why we're sharing this holy video with you, for you to feel connected to this capybara and the moment it reached enlightenment. Doesn't get any better than this, folks!
This is the greatest idea ever!
If you've always wanted a cat, and just wasn't sure about what living and sleeping with a cat would be like, this one Japanese Inn located in the hot spring town of Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan might be the answer to your questions! My Cat Yugawara, a lovely inn that has a really unique offering... the chance of having a sleepover trial with a potential adoptee!
In Japan, inns are known as 'ryokans,' and you'll be able to distinguish a ryokan from any common inn, a ryokan has more a minimalist design, futons for sleeping on a mat on the floor, traditionally paper walls, and communal baths (in this case, hot springs as well). What truly sets this inn apart from others is the opportunity to help cats find a forever home. Potential cat owners, who are unsure about living with a cat due to various living conditions, can really have their eyes opened by booking a room with a cuddly and adorable feline. Some rooms at the inn can house up to five people, letting a whole family experience a day in the life of having a cat.
Via BazPaws
Meet little Lalah! She was first rescued as a wee kitten from the side of the road in Okinawa, Japan. Her rescuer (and now owner) is the owner of a local climbing hall and brings Lalah with her.
It may not come as a surprise that Lalah was a natural at climbing the wall since she is after all a cat, but it's just so awesome and cute to watch her climb up the wall with no fear and no hesitation! And what's truly amazing, you can see all her moves are calculated, as if she's really thinking about which step to take next.
The bouldering gym, Boulbaka, often shares new videos of Lalah dominating the wall on social media!
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The cutest squirrel EVER. Yup. We said it.
The Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel looks like a real-life Disney character brought to life. Those giant eyes, that perfect round body, those giant eyes -- again! We're in love. We want to be surrounded by these squirrels as we sing nonsense about washing the dishes or folding the laundry.
The Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel is native to Japan, you'd find it in the "sub-alpine forests and boreal evergreen forests on Honshu and Kyushu islands." And good news, this squirrel faces absolutely no threats and is listed as "least-concern species".
We don't know much of this world but we do know we love this squirrel.
Once a week, we will be featuring an extraordinary animal account on Instagram! Their story, the adorable pictures, and pawesome videos! This week's spotlight goes to the traveling cats; Daikichi and Fuku-Chan!
Daikichi and Fuku-chan are both rescue cats, rescued by their owner Daisuke Nagasawa, who has been traveling Japan (with Daikichi and Fuku-chan) and documenting their adventures! With over 1000 destinations visited, these cats are definitely living their best lives and seeing the world at the same time!
When the pandemic struck, it halted their travels but they continued to share some amazing travel photos and videos from their previous adventures! Check them out below.
Read up on last week's star on Instagram, Sam, The Eyebrow Cat!
How lovely is that? Imagine your country bing as clean as Japan to the point where you see fish living and swimming in the street drain canal?
When it comes to cleanliness, Japan is at a whole other level. The Japanese are known to practice cleanliness regardless of location and we're taught to do so at a young age. Children volunteer monthly to pick up litter from the streets surrounding their schools. Neighborhoods even have street-cleaning events!
If you're a tourist in Japan, you'll notice you cannot find a single garbage can on the streets. Each person is responsible for their trash and carries a plastic bag to fill with their daily trash which they can dispose of at any department store or subway station.
If only the rest of the world to step up and meet at Japan's level. In the meantime, enjoy these videos and images of koi fish living in Japan's drain canals:
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Cats are cats, even in Japan!
If you're a cat owner, you don't have to understand Japanese to understand the context behind each one of these comics... It would help, no doubt, but it's not completely necessary.
Artist @kyuryuZ or Cure Z on NekoNavi.jp has a gift for conveying the story past a language barrier. Below are some of the wonderful comics we simply had to share, along with some google translations of the story to each.
Remember to read from Right to Left
Japanese contemporary artist, Tokuhiro Kawai, is an expert with oil paintings but also a true cat lover.
He used his mastery to create surreal images similar to those created by the Italian painters of the High Renaissance.
But instead of biblical figures, kings and queens, Kawai infuses his paintings with cherubs, children and cats.
Lots of cats.
Take a look at some of Kawai's most interesting works that put our feline friends as their centerpiece.
Japanese people are known for their love for cats.
"Kuroneko Yamato" is one of Japan's largest delivery services. In English, it means "Black Cat Yamato".
No wonder, then, that the company has recruited an adorable black kitty as its new delivery driver.
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Don't you just love wool-felt art? It is actually done by knitting wool fibers into shapes with special needles.
The recent creation getting hype in Japan is a "cat frames" by local artist, Fujitasatomi's (@fujita_satomi).
Scroll down to see what Fujita is doing with these ordinary-looking wool-felt fabric and eye parts…
With a closer look, you can see that each cat has a different facial expression.
How cute are they?!
Nasu Animal Kingdom zoo in Japan recently welcomed a new member to their family: an adorable female kitten sand cat.
The cat, still to be named, was born in late April and has been growing strong under the care of zookeepers.
Upon birth, she weighed in at 59 grams and measured 13 cm from head to tail. While she was weak early on, she has dramatically increased in size and weight.
Sand Cats, as their name suggests, are found in deserts throughout the world. Measuring about 40 to 60 cm in length, they are one of the smallest wildcats in the world.
Luckily for us all, the zoo has been releasing footage of their new kitten on YouTube, as part of a daily diary. And it only takes a microsecond to realize what all the excitement is about—we are totally in love!
Story via: The Japan Times
Northern Japan is known for its wealth of rice that produces a rich harvest each Fall. And after that rice is harvested, there's a huge amount of rice straw that is leftover called "wara."
The Japanese people are also known to not waste anything so that excess wara was reused in plenty of ways: roofs, fertilizer, livestock feed, and historically used for a variety of goods that have been since replaced with modern advances.
One area decided to do something different with the excess rice straw. In the region's capital city, Niigata, they have used the rice straw to create giant and incredible animal sculptures. The Wara Art Festival has been an annual event for the past decade!
Story via Atlas Obscura
Japanese Twitter user and arts and crafts handiworker @trill_yukawa, or Trill, decided to build a new house for his kitty, Hachi.
Up till then, Hachi lived in an Amazon cardboard box which he quite liked but was starting to be too small for him.
Trill knew it was time to build a special new house for his beloved cat, one that used his creative capabilities.
With the kanji for "fish" (sakana) and Hachi's name on it, it looks like Hachi wasn't just getting a new house, but their very own sushi restaurant!
Check out his working process on this very detailed design, all based on the Japanese traditional style including sliding doors, hand-painted windows, roof tiles and of course, a pet heater.
But at the end of the day, Trill knew only Hachi's opinion counts.
Maybe it was the appeal of possible sushi inside, but Hachi took to it quite naturally!
Some pet beds are cooler than others and these instant noodle soup cup beds from Japan have definitely nailed it.
The online craze started when a twitter user posted some pics and a video of her Shiba Inu puppy, Yuki, noddin' off, and having a sweet dream in one of these beds. It instantly went viral.
The noodle bed comes in a variety of flavors and can be purrfect for any pet this size.
