• Looking at cats through religion

• She connects the cats and Buddhism as the only sacred things left

• Jumps back to back from cats to legends

• From other cultures cats were seen as a sign of rebellion

• Jumps from explains legends to talking about what she believes in

• Hayao Miyazaki's movies describe post-human world where relationship between animals and humans is unstable

• Aoshima island - only 5 humans on island of cats

• But cats need humans, they are not exactly wild

  • Aoshima is inversion of modern food chain (too few humans, too few prey, too many predators - cats)

  • Are cats the dominant species on that island, or humans?

  • Are humans privileged to be the caretakers of the cats?

  • The age of humans was growing late. From animals we had taken -- to animals we would return.

Analysis: her research shows that after her experience at Gotokuji, the maneki-neko (cat statue) turns from an artifact into a cultural symbol that serves cultural tradition and fosters beliefs -> the meneki-neko is now all over stores and throughout the city. (describing neighborhoods in and around Sendai and Nara)

cats-> her research kind of points toward a kind of cultural assimilation involving cats ( as a symbol )integrating into society

• Research/ Writing process

  • went to the coffee house with Mihoko to discuss the lack of cats

• Implication:

  • lack of cultural respect from the government: the government thinks they are no different than pests if their population reaches a certain number

  • Cats and other animals are also intellectual, and they domesticate themselves; they choose to live among humans

  • There should be no government regulations (euthanasia) on the animals

-young people are leaving small towns

-In Nagoro --> life-size dolls in gardens, houses, schools!

-Japan's aged society --> 29.1% over 65 and in 2040, 35% --> Japan's declining population

-what will happen to the cats if one day there are no humans? Cats make their own decisions and choices.