This Asian hotspot is a paradise for cat-lovers - here's why

When in Tokyo and Kyoto, buy cute cat things. Japan is like no other country when it comes to feline paraphernalia.

Forty cats are waving at me, their plastic arms bobbing up and down, beckoning me to buy one. I oblige. I am in Japan, after all.

A cat T-shirt hangs from a shop awning. It has on it a cartoon sketch of a feline being picked up like a baby, its arms outstretched. Yes, please. I buy that, too.

A coffee table magazine called Brutus sits on a gift-shop shelf, surrounded by other cat tomes. This one is all about kitties who live in unusual places, and it's printed entirely in Japanese. But that's OK, I have Google Translate, so I snap it up, too - it will be some light reading for my trip. I read about Kenji, a kind tomcat who connects the people of the port town formerly known as Maki-machi. Kenji is owned by a fisherman, and has his own Instagram page (naturally). A tagline in the magazine says "Home is where the cat is" - and I have to say, I agree. The people of Japan obviously do, too - because their cat culture is next level!

There are so many cats around here, I am experiencing cuteness overload. They walk the streets wearing neck-ties, sit on retaining walls cleaning themselves and snooze in shop windows. As a crazy cat lady, I am in my element. It's not just because of the plethora of cats and all the cool cat gear you can buy, but that's definitely part of it. It's also because Japanese people are so respectful of their felines - it's lovely. It could be said, cats are to Japan what pandas are to China, the crazy critters entwined with Japanese culture, representing good luck and fortune.

They feature on brand emblems, in art and theatre, both as purring friends and smiling assassins. There is folklore representing them as everything from shape-shifters to demons and supernatural beings, and they are common right back through time - from today's pop culture including Pokemon, to the ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the Edo period. It is thought domestic cats were introduced to Tokyo around the same time as Buddhism, which should give you an idea of how much they're ingrained in Japanese society. Ever the keen mousers, cats were used to ward rodents off sacred texts brought from China.

Thousands of years later, the fluffy felines have made their mark, and as I travel around Tokyo and Kyoto, I am transfixed by the delectable array of cat shopping on offer. Every store seems to have something cat-themed in it, from socks, to earrings, to ornaments - all of which I buy, in varying degrees.

A few days into my trip and my consumerism muscle is kicking into overdrive, urging me to buy things I never knew I needed. A vintage cat shirt showing an orange-furred feline named Morris? Yes, I'll have that. (It is not until later I read Morris is the mascot for a 1970s cat food brand from the USA called 9Lives so it's even cooler.)

Some crockery with cats on it? I need those, too. A few plates for myself and some fine dishes for my pet friend back at home.

I'm in full-blown cat-buying mode now. I already own more than enough T-shirts but somehow I keep acquiring them in Japan. My resolve weakens over one featuring a pointy black Iriomote, the critically-endangered Japanese wild cat, which is the logo for a Kyoto brewery. A theme is a-brewing.

I round the corner and am tempted by a sign for Japanese "sukajan", souvenir silk bomber jackets made famous by Japanese teenagers in the 1950s. One in the window has on it a hand-embroidered tiger sitting under a cherry blossom tree. My heart sings, and it comes home with me.

Is it the Japanese obsession with cute things that makes them love these playful pusses? Or is it their small apartments? Their love of fish? I'm not sure, but I'm not done yet. I fork out coins for some printed photographs of cats luxuriating in the sun at the bottom of shrines, along the red gates of the famous Fushimi-Inari shrine walk in Kyoto. When I learn the proceeds go towards helping out all the random cats in the neighbourhood with their vet costs, I grab a few more.

I'm already toting a cat bag that folds up small in my handbag - all the better to do more cat shopping with, my dear!

On my last day in Kyoto, I am drawn to a second-hand kimono shop. A beautiful Japanese grandmother, or "obaa-san", teaches me how to wear a haori jacket - left side wrapped over right. A naughty cat is darting between the reams of fabric, and begins climbing the kimonos. I hear the kind woman scold the feline, and I think it's a stray, but she pops out the back and brings back a bowl of food. It's dinner time.

I don't realise the amount of cat stuff I've bought until I get home and see where my crazed impulses have left me. I also have cat fridge magnets, a manga comic book about "a cat with no name but great wisdom" and a cat-printed towel called Tengui that Japanese people carry in their handbag to dry their hands after they wash them in public bathrooms. I'll use it as a tea towel.

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Back at home, my pet cat has clearly missed me, and I must admit, I've missed him terribly. Next time, I might have to holiday closer to home. I hear Virgin Australia is launching domestic flights that allow you to take your cat in the cabin. We'll order the in-flight sushi - two serves, thanks.

3. Hello Kitty, of course. There is a dedicated store in Shibuya selling gifts, apparel and accessories featuring the cult cat with the red bow on its ear, and other cartoon characters. If you're lucky, you might find Hello Kitty's friend, the cute green frog, Keroppi.

Getting there: All Nippon Airways offers direct flights between Sydney and Tokyo. The Shinkansen bullet train runs between Tokyo and Kyoto.

Staying there: Rates at Tokyo's Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku start from $380 a night. At Kyoto's Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei hotel, rates are from $500 a night. See keioplaza.com; okazakibettei.hotelokurakyoto.com

Explore more: japan.travel/en/au

The writer travelled at their own expense.