Halloween Japan style. TOkyo's Bake Neko -- demon cat -- parade.
|
|
Halloween fun that's only in Japan. Tokyo's Kagurazaka district Bake Neko (pronounced bahkei nekoh) Parade celebrates this country's ancient folktales of ghostly shapeshifting and sometimes demonic cats. Costumes and make-up are fantastic but if you want to participate all you need is a pair of cat ears or a simple mask and pay the 500 yen participation fee.
In ancient Japan, cats were often associated with the dead — some cat spirits of legend steal corpses. Bake Neko are not born but made. A house cat can become a Bake Neko (also called nekomata), though the timeline for this is anywhere from ten to a hundred years depending on the legend. Their tail mysteriously splits in two once their paranormal powers manifest. They can shape shift and grow to enormous size. Some, like those celebrated in the parade, like to walk on two legs and wear human clothing!
Here's the website for the parade. If you are in Japan next October, come and watch or join in!
In ancient Japan, cats were often associated with the dead — some cat spirits of legend steal corpses. Bake Neko are not born but made. A house cat can become a Bake Neko (also called nekomata), though the timeline for this is anywhere from ten to a hundred years depending on the legend. Their tail mysteriously splits in two once their paranormal powers manifest. They can shape shift and grow to enormous size. Some, like those celebrated in the parade, like to walk on two legs and wear human clothing!
Here's the website for the parade. If you are in Japan next October, come and watch or join in!
|
|
