Nagasaki is famous for housing bent-tailed or short-tailed cats, called omagari neko in Japanese. These cats are not only important to the people of Nagasaki because they are cute and unique, but also because their existence here is indicative of the city’s complex history of international trade. These cats came to Japan on ships from other Asian and European countries that Japan would trade with. The cats were brought along for the overseas journey in order to catch and kill the mice that lived on the ships. Once the ships would port in Japan, the cats would escape and make a new home here. Since at one time Nagasaki was Japan’s only port open to other countries, Nagasaki has the most bent-tailed or short-tailed cats. It is said that about 80% of all the cats in Nagasaki are Omagari Neko, making Nagasaki famous for them.

Photo by Clyde McCaw