Many people worship their cats but in Japan, there’s an actual monk cat at a shrine called Nyan Nyan Ji, a temple whose Japanese name literally translates into “Meow Meow Shrine.”
Painter Toru Kaya, who is well-known for his work at various temples, founded the cat shrine in 2016. Kaya reportedly designed Nyan Nyan Ji with his favorite cat in mind, installing statues and hanging drawings of felines around the place.
In the four years since the shrine opened, the temple has had three generations of feline monks. So if you want to be around a cat and gain spiritual enlightenment at the same time, take a trip to Japan and visit the cat shrine filled with feline monks.
To learn more about the Japanese cat shrine, click here.