Bake Neko (Supernatural Cat) Festival

Taking place on the main street of Kagurazaka, this is a Halloween parade with a difference — you must be dressed as a cat.

It’s one of the dozens of events that make up the Kagurazaka Machi Tobi Festa, the neighborhood’s autumn arts and culture season.

What happens?

Expect spooky cats, samurai cats, cute cats, and even real cats on the streets of Kagurazaka.

There are four main parades, each lasting 20 to 30 minutes, kicking off at 12:20 p.m. (brass band), 2:30 p.m. (samba), 3:20 p.m. (early music), and 4:30 p.m. for the finale. In between, there’s onikenbai demon sword dancing from Iwate at noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

There’s also a drop-in cat version of awa odori folk dancing at 1:30 p.m., a stamp rally around seven Kagurazaka spots (from ¥500), a mini market selling cat bread and costume bits, and a ninja throwing-star dojo the kids will love (from ¥500).

Why cats?

The reasoning for all the cats is that the area was (near) the home of the cat from the Natsume Soseki novel “I am a Cat” and apparently people like cats. So put on your best creepy Cats™ make-up and faux fur for a prowl around Kagurazaka.

Tickets

To walk in the parade you need a cat costume — or at least, the organizers say, “the heart of a cat” — plus a cat-town passport badge, which starts at ¥500 for the basic “citizen cat” tier. A ¥1,000 “noble cat” badge adds a dedicated lane and a ¥100 voucher, and ¥5,000 buys “royal cat” status with a front-of-parade lane, changing room, and bag storage. Citizen and noble badges are sold at stalls around the venue on the day, royal badges at festival headquarters only, and it’s cash or PayPay only. Kids in elementary school and under need an adult with them. It is free to view the parade.

How to get there

The festival takes over Kagurazaka’s main street and Shirogane Park, so you can drop in from either end of the hill — Iidabashi Station at the bottom or Kagurazaka Station at the top. Festival headquarters, along with the paid changing room and makeup services, is at the Kagurazaka senior welfare center, a few minutes from Kagurazaka Station.