Much of Asia was celebrating the Year of the Horse this month. In Japan, which does not mark Lunar New Year, attention turns to a different animal.
There is no cat in the Chinese zodiac ¡ª legend has it that the rat tricked it out of a place ¡ª but Japan has a day that more than makes up for it. Feb. 22 is Neko no Hi, or Cat Day, with 2/22 able to be read in Japanese like a feline ¡°meow.¡± Established in the late 1980s by the Japan Pet Food Association, it¡¯s one of many commemorative days based on wordplay ¡ª such as Good Couple¡¯s Day (Nov. 22) or Mayonnaise Day (rapidly approaching on March 1; don¡¯t forget the mayonnaise lover in your life).
In recent years, Cat Day has exploded, as companies embrace a growing market for felines. The ubiquitous convenience store chains compete to see who can sell the most themed desserts and merchandise, this year featuring paw-shaped puddings, while the likes of energy giant Eneos Holdings are looking to hook customers with a fully-electrified cardboard tower.
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