Going kitty for Yanobe Kenji’s “Ship’s Cat”

As a regular visitor to Kyoto, I first spotted an illuminated elegant feline on one of my Kyoto walks – in a patisserie. Another regal cat resides in a hotel lobby nearby. Luminescent elegant yet cute cats, artworks in seemingly random places, a beautiful moment in everyday life.

But what were they? Random artworks? Then, upon planning my Tohoku Trip in 2025, I saw pictures of a Tokyo shopping mall with two huge cartoon cats in orange space suits hanging in the atrium. Big cats, even better! I hate shopping malls, but I would have to see the space cats. Of course by the time we got to Tokyo, my friend in Tokyo informed me that the space cats, called “Big Cat Bang” had been replaced by a work by Julian Opie. Oh well, that’s that, I thought.

And then… there she was again, smiling benevolently down at me as I crossed the road in central Takamatsu, perched on the roof of Takamatsu WeBase Hotel. I even considered staying there, just because of the cat. And then… and then… there I was, planning a nice upcountry trundle on local trains, stopping in the denim capital Kojima and in Bizen for the ceramics,

I am slowly writing on a few posts on cat-themed sights in Japan. The first one is here. What about cat cafes, you may ask? As someone who loves cats, I have been to a cat cafe in Japan exactly once, in 2008, and enjoyed it. This was a cat cafe in a residential area in Tokyo, with separate rooms for the cats to retreat and rest in, but it still had a group of pedigree cats, not rescues. I now avoid commercial cat cafes in Japan for welfare reasons. A servant to three rescue cats myself, I want cats to be loved companions, family members, and I do not see this in commercial cat cafes. There are exceptions, but I have not visited any of these.

Therefore, my cat encounters in Japan are usually limited to art and petting random cats. Thankfully, there are plenty of cat-related places to visit in Japan – cat-themed shrines, temples, and there is even a cat serving as a stationmaster on a railway branch line in Kansai (on the fence about the last one) . Let’s enjoy cat art and love real cats the way they need to be loved, as family members, not attractions.

I only just drafted this post a couple weeks ago, intending to take my time, but Yanobe Kenji announced on Instagram the public opening of his storage space in Osaka just a few days ago, starting on 29 October, while at the same time, he is running a special exhibition in Nara for Gakuenmae Art Festa, too. Therefore, I am somewhat hurriedly finishing this post, but I intend to update as I pay my respect to more Ship’s Cats. If any of these links expire over time, please check the artist website for news in English. To be honest, I am extremely tempted to ditch this autumns pans I had for Japan already to see these two exhibitions and take in the autumn leaves at a leisurely pace in less crowded places, too… my mobility is taking a nose dive again, so I am thinking of easier itineraries and much more public transport.

Who is the Ship’s Cat?

“Ship’s Cat” is a series of small and large-scale sculptures featuring cats. The original Ship’s Cat was born around 2017 in Hakata, Fukuoka. Through a collaboration with WeBase Hotels, a conceptual artwork suiting the City of Fukuoka, a major port, was to symbolize the seafaring tradition as well as create enjoyable public art. Since sailors often kept cats on ships for company and to protect its cargo from rodent infestation, a large cat statue was created – wearing a space suit.

And so, the story developed… cats with different names different sizes, mostly wearing space suits. Only later came the spacecraft – of which LUCA is the most well-known one. It was exhobited in the “Big Cat Bang” installation at Tokyo’s Ginza Six Shopping Mall, and receive d quite a lot of publicity – this is how I learned about the artist.

A different series, of cats, called “Totem” has been exhibited in parallel indoors, for example at some WeBase Hotels. I think I had seen smaller examples in a shop or two in Kyoto, thinking “ah, cute cat”, without learning more about the exhibits. These cats, made from washi paper over a scaffold of bamboo or wood, are strictly indoors creatures, but very impressive, up to 3metres tall. They are refined and elegant looking in off-white, unlike the spacesuit cats, who are all white with silver or orange space suits.

There are now even preparations to send the Ship’s Cat back into space, a process I do not entirely understand, but it involves sending them up in a high-altitude balloon, based on a crowdfunding project, which sold out in minutes. It’s all a bit too conceptual for me, but I hope most of the sculptures wills stay for us earthlings to enjoy. I really just hope this does not put an end to the “Ship’s Cat series, but the recent installation of a new and really big cat called “Misty” at JR Kameoka Station (near Kyoto) is giving me hope.

About Yanobe Kenji

Yanobe Kenji , born in 1965 in Ibaraki, Osaka, is an active artist, producing mostly large-scale sculptures, and Professor of Art at Kyoto University of Art and design, his Alma mater. He is the director of the ULTRA FACTORY at the university, a large-scale makers Space with workshops. He grew up in Osaka and was influenced my contemporary manga and animation, the first Osaka World Expo in 1970, and the Chernobyl and Fukushima Nuclear disasters.

And, let me tell you, I am not big on art theory and art knowledge – I was primarily drawn to Yanobe Kenji because of Ship’s Cat, but I grew to like his early projects, which are often video and mixed media and process natural and man-made disaster, destruction of nature by man and dystopian yet somehow incredibly likeable characters.

So, one sees where the space-suited cute cat, one of his newer projects, is coming from. What I also love about the artist is that he is actively teaching and producing art – art that is freely accessible to all, since many of his large-scale sculptures are exhibited in public places. He often appears in public and gives lectures and talks – so, if you are travelling to Japan, you might stand a good chance to meet the artist, especially if travelling around the Kansai area.

“Enfants Terribles” Exhibition at NAKKA

I was in Takamatsu, returning from my Shikoku Pilgrimage trip, when I found out by chance that Yanobe Kenji was exhibiting some of his works in a group exhibition at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art (NAKKA) in Osaka. Probably fuelled by seeing a smaller cat on the entrance of WeBase Hotel in Takamatsu.

The exhibition was called “Enfants Terribles, Premonitions of Oblivion —Morimura Yasumasa, Yanobe Kenji, Yanagi Miwa” ad ran from April 25 – July 20, 2026. I immediately cancelled all my plans for the next day. Dragging my growing luggage through Shin-Osaka and then trekking to Osaka Station and getting on a crowded bus during Friday rush hour wasn’t part of my plans that would see me travelling to Kyoto rather leisurely – but this was my only change – or so I thought.

Read to the end to find out how you can see the Yanobe Kenji part of the exhibition, absolutely free, this year!

As expected, the trip from Kojima to Osaka’s NAKKA was pretty awful and rushed. Instead of taking my time and travelling cheaply by local trains, I endured the most expensive standing train ride on a completely full Sanyo Shinkansen, standing for over an hour and struggling to alight the train at Shin-Osaka, dragged my suitcase in 30C heat through Shin-Osaka, trying to find a locker (and not lose my way), and then, got on a crowded train to Osaka Station and then a bus to NAKKA.

But once I arrived, I could feel relaxed. It was still hot, but NAKKA is in a rather modern administrative area of Osaka, the museum new, spacious and cool. I paid my entrance fee and could take my time to visit the exhibition… until we all got kicked out at 17.00 when they were closing.

There was a lot of Yanobe Kenji art, from his beginnings through some video, graphic art and smaller sculptures.

I really loved this graphic art, too! I think Ship’s Cat is great, but very whimsical. You also could get really up close to the exhibits, which I loved. Of course, there were two other artists exhibiting as well, but most visitors congregated in the room where Yanobe Kenji’s sculptures were exhibited.

To my great delight, when you exited the museum, there was a small shop selling a few Ship’s Cat memorabilia. Some of the stuff was fairly expensive. I already had bought some stickers and pins at Tsutaya in Takamatsu, but here I bought my second ever gacha, containing… well… if I were unlucky, I would have gotten a Torayan, resembling the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz a bit. I bought two, just to be safe… and got two cats! I just need to install them permanently now.

I have included the Nakanoshima exhibition, even though it has now finished. Keep an eye out for similar exhibitions in Japan, The Instagram page of Kenji Yanobe is a great place to look. This is also where I learned about new installations, and, best of all, his “Open House” at his storage facility in Southern Osaka, which he opens once a year in autumn, free for all to view!

Since it is a very small facility, you can see the exhibits up close and you can also buy special merchandise only available at the special opening. It is held at the Mask Mega Art Storage Kitakagaya, and the 2026 dates are from 30 October to 29 November. More information here. The News section of Kenji Yanobe’s Web site is also a good place to look.

You can look for current and previous exhibitions at Yanobe Kenji’s website. or check out his page on MutualArt – although this did not have the NAKKA exhibition listed, so listings may not be complete.

Seeing Ship’s Cat in the Wild: Kyoto

As a native and resident of Kansai, you will fund the largest collection of Ship’s Cat in Kyoto and Osaka. I have listed where the sculptures can be found – these are the main ones, but as I mentioned, I spotted a smaller one on display in a patisserie in Downtown Kyoto.

• Eizan Line Chayama Station, near Kyoto University of the Arts: (a small white spacesuit sitting cat)
• WeBase Kyoto (a large washi paper cat called Totem)
• Liberte Patisserie Boulangerie ( a small washi(?) paper spacesuit cat called Thinker)
• NEW: Misty (very large silver spacesuit sitting cat) at JR Kameoka Station

Seeing Ship’s Cat in the Wild: Osaka

First of all, don’t worry if the exhibition at NAKKA has finished. The large Ship’S Cat outside NAKKA is on permanent display, and you can see it easily when passing the museum. There is also a large “Torayan” (not a cat) on permanent display inside NAKKA.

• Nakanoshima Museum of Art (outside, huge orange spacesuit cat)
• Osaka Airport Itami) Airport station: large stained glass window with several Yanobe characters, including Ships Cat, called “Journey of Life”
• Seasonal Openings of Mask Mega Art Storage Kitakagaya (Southern Osaka)

Seeing Ship’s Cat in the Wild: Kyushu

• WeBase Hakata Hotel (a very large white spacesuit sitting cat outside the hotel, Yanobe’s first Ships’s Cat)

Seeing Ship’s Cat in the Wild: Shikoku

WeBase Takamatsu Hotel (a white spacesuit sitting cat sitting above the hotel entrance, easily spotted from the street)

Other Yanobe Kenji Artwork in Kansai

Since Yanobe Kenji is from Kansai, Kansai is where you see most of the artwork, including some very large-scale sculptures that may have been perceived as controversial elsewhere in Japan, but appear to be loved in Kansai.

There may be another storage facility in existence in Ibaraki, Osaka, but I have to research into this properly. A lot of the web sites about Yanobe Kenji’s art are in Japanese, and although one can Google Lens them fairly easily these days, I rather try to read and verify the information given, to make sure that you don’t waste a trip.

What I can confirm, though, is that there is a large spaceship-like tower, one that probably served as an inspiration and predecessor for LUCA; a the Osaka Expo70 Commemorative Park. It isn’t exactly great served by public transport in terms of main line trains, but there are buses. While you are there, check out the “Sun Child” sculpture at Minami-Ibaraki Station on the Hankyu railway Line. I don’t know whether it’s the one that caused such a controversy when it was placed in Fukushima in Tohoku, but it seems that Kansai people have a different sense of humor and, of course, were not directly effected by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake.

A much less controversial sculpture stands outside the Hyogo Museum of Art in Kobe, called “Sun Sister”.

Staying with Ship’s Cat

Since I love Kyoto and am still learning to like Osaka, I will always be a bit Kyoto-biased… so, Kyoto recommendations first.

Of course, the hostel chain that promoted Ship’s Cat first needs come in top place here. WeBase Kyoto is a cool small hotel with private rooms that has a 3-metre “Totem” Ship’s Cat in its lounge and the windows are decorated with graphic Ship’s Cat art. The cheaper rooms do not have a private bathrooms, but with a single room starting at 30 Euro per night, rates are extremely reasonable and comparable with some of Kyoto’s fancier hostels. The superior rooms all have private bathrooms with separate rooms for bath and toilet and are rather spacious with a desk and a sofa. The location, two blocks from two of Kyoto’s major shopping streets, Shijo-dori and Karasuma-dori, with easy access to both Kyoto Subway and Hankyu Rail, makes this a great choice for a quiet yet very central convenient location.

If you prefer Yanobe Kenji art extending to your room, and have a larger budget, take a look at Hotel Anteroom Kyoto. It has at least one room designed by Yanobe Kenji, but there are no Ship’s Cats or any other of his quirky sculptures to be seen.

Last not least, there are further WeBase Hotels in Kamakura, Takamatsu, Hiroshima and Hakata. WeBase Hotel Takamatsu is a large hotel and hostel in an excellent location right next to a shopping arcade and bus stops and has a Ship’s Cat overlooking the entrance – so you don’t need to stay at the hotel to admire the sculpture. Rooms range from capsule-like spaces in dorms to huge studios, so there is something for every budget. There are also large communal lounges and coworking spaces.

WeBase Hakata in Fukuoka is a hotel and hostel with a similar concept, large, modern, very central – with a very large Ship’s Cat peeping through a giant cat flap at the hotel frontage. The place features big lounges, a library, kitchen, and rooms ranging from semi-private dorm cubbies for under 20 Euro to quadruple rooms for well under 100 Euros, though all rooms have communal bathrooms only.

Kitagaya in Southern Osaka is quite a creative neighbourhood off the tourist routes, and, aside from MASK, has some interesting art spaces and repurposed old buildings – and its fair share of coffee shops and street art. I have not been there yet. but I am nearly swinging my planned autumn trip to Shikoku into a “less explored” Kansai trip… and actually booked myself into the Air Osaka Hostel, less than 5min from MASK. Located in an older vine-clad building, it has both private tatami rooms and semi-private dorms. there aren’t really any full-service hotel sin the area, but you can get to Kitagaya by Metro easily, either from Namba or Umeda (Osaka Station). I would probably stay somewhere a little less busy near Shin-IMamiya, which is close to Shinsekai, a tourist attraction in its own right. Both KOKO Hotel and Osaka Ebisu Hotel are full-service hotels in Shinsekai but a little away from the restaurants and bars, so quiet and convenient.

I have not found anything too attractive looking near Osaka Expo70 Commemorative Park and Hankyu Minami-Ibaraki Station yet, but if you like the Yanobe Kenji Art out in the wild, you can see a predecessor of the “LUCA” spaceship in teh park and a oversize statue of the “Sun Child” at Minami Ibaraki.

The Small Print

I visited Kyoto, Osaka and Takamatsu in 2026 after cycling a section of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. I first encountered a small artwork of Yanobe Kenji in Kyoto in 2025. All trips were entirely self-funded.

Nothing you see here was sponsored, and I did not receive compensation, discounts, or special treatment in exchange for writing it. All my own honest and unbiased opinion. This post does contain affiliate links to accommodation I stayed at as well as some good accommodation in the area which I researched and would consider staying at. If you book a hotel using my affiliate links, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please refer to my blog’s Terms and Conditions for further information.

This post (well, my entire blog, except this) is free from generative Artificial Intelligence.