Migration
GALLERYHalloween-like festival draws costumed cat lovers in Tokyo
Stars and Stripes
October 17, 2016
A woman poses for photographers during the Bakeneko festival, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, in Tokyo. The annual Halloween-like festival, whose name roughly translates to "ghost cat with supernatural powers," includes a long and lively parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
A woman poses for photographers during the Bakeneko festival, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, in Tokyo. The annual Halloween-like festival, whose name roughly translates to "ghost cat with supernatural powers," includes a long and lively parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
A man hams it up for the camera during the Bakeneko festival, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, in Tokyo. The annual Halloween-like festival, whose name roughly translates to "ghost cat with supernatural powers," includes a long and lively parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
A girl crawls like a cat during the Bakeneko festival, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, in Tokyo. The annual Halloween-like festival, whose name roughly translates to "ghost cat with supernatural powers," includes a long and lively parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Anyone dressed as a cat can march in the annual Bakeneko parade in Tokyo. Some simply use face paint to join the fun, while others go all out with elaborate costumes that include feline purses and other accessories. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
A woman marches in the Bakeneko festival parade, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, in Tokyo. The annual Halloween-like festival, whose name roughly translates to "ghost cat with supernatural powers," includes a long and lively parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Revelers perform a cat dance during the Bakeneko festival, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, in Tokyo. The annual Halloween-like festival, whose name roughly translates to "ghost cat with supernatural powers," includes a long and lively parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Women pose for photographers during the Bakeneko festival, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, in Tokyo. The annual Halloween-like festival includes a long and lively parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
A girl marches in a parade during the Bakeneko festival, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, in Tokyo. The annual Halloween-like festival, whose name roughly translates to "ghost cat with supernatural powers," includes a parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
TOKYO — Hundreds of cat lovers of all ages donned faux fur and painted whiskers on their faces for the annual Bakeneko festival Sunday.
The Halloween-like event, whose name roughly translates to “ghost cat with supernatural powers,” includes a long and lively parade of costumed revelers, live music and street dancing near Tokyo’s Shinjuku district.
Anyone dressed as a cat can march in the parade. Some simply use face paint to join the fun, while others go all out with elaborate costumes that include feline purses and other accessories.
Bakeneko takes place annually in Kagurazaka, a neighborhood known for its many cat connections. Most notably, it’s the setting of “I Am a Cat,” Natsume Soseki’s classic novel in which a feline narrator comments on changing Japanese society during the Meiji era.