It never ceases to amaze me how the Japanese manage to take every day objects and translate them into something beautiful and functional. No, I don't just mean
Hello Kitty, although I love the little character and have very fond memories of childhood plastic purses and pencils sporting Hello Kitty and friends' lovely little faces.... There is a company called
JEWEL Japan that I absolutely adore--their pottery designs inspire me in my creation of graphic arts and draw me into a world of coloured kitties and flying goldfish that can be enjoyed every morning with my cup of coffee.
Sadly, their Japanese website has the most mouth-watering product photos and it makes me want to go out buy a set of every single one of their creations--but I have no idea where to find any of them for retail sale in North America.
I do however own a Colored Lucky Cat mug (number 5 in the photo on the left)! I bought it in the Japanese pavillion at Disney's Epcot last summer, long before I discovered Jewel Japan. It brightens my mornings with every sip of Costa Rican Crack Coffee as the happy little lucky kitties wave their tiny paws at me... or maybe that's the coffee talking. I love that the Japanese have the same affinity for felines that I do--and I adore the
Maneki Neko (lucky cat) icon.
For those of you who have heard of
Japan's Cat Cafes, you may be interested to know that there are
new laws going into effect that will change the way these feline-cuddling cafes are regulated. Proper regulation of any business associated with animals is essential, and I am glad that there are laws in place that take into account that these kitties are living creatures who should be treated with kindness and respect.
Looks like it's story time in this Tokyo cat cafe!
At the moment my lucky cat mug is languishing in the cupboard in Florida while I am sitting in my Mum's kitchen in the Maritimes, but that's just fine. I have been enjoying a reunion with my four cats here--and really, who needs the mug when you can hang out with the real thing?!
Bazzy Puss
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Bella Wella Bing Bang aka Bingy
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Yoshimoto
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Dante
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