[2025 Onomichi Attraction] Travel Guide for Cat Alley (Neko no Hosomichi) (Updated Apr)

The Cat Path that Onomichi has been promoting in recent years is actually a small path that stretches several hundred meters from Genjinja Shrine. It was first created in 1998 by the artist Kaenyama Haruji, who placed a "Lucky Stone Cat" with a cat painted on a stone that he made himself. It has now become an art installation path. Onomichi officials estimate that there are thousands of Fukuishi cats of various sizes placed on the narrow road. Passing through the dilapidated low houses, you will find a cat shrine with many lucky stone cats placed inside. When you want to draw a lot, you turn the stone and draw from the basket that contains the pattern it points to. The stone steps at the entrance are also painted with cat patterns, and when you turn a corner, there are also lucky stone cats on the steps. Of course there are real cats, but there are too many tourists visiting the Cat Path, so the cats just jump off the roof of the old house and escape. The experience here is different from that of Cat Island. It is more like an interactive art at the Setouchi Art Festival, creating a fun experience of finding cats by searching for the Fukuishi cats on the trails, cat murals, or woodcut paintings. Through these interactions, the vacant and abandoned old houses can be transformed into art galleries or cafes, finding another possibility for their continued existence. 📍Address: 〒722-0033 Hiroshima Prefecture Onomichi City Higashidodo-cho 19-26 🚗It takes about 18 minutes to walk from Onomichi Station along the shopping street to Genjinja Shrine. The path next to it is the Cat's Path. Or take the bus to Changjiangkou Station and walk for four minutes. #MarchGoodPlaces2025

📍Cat's Narrow Road 🏷️ 19-26 Higashidodo-cho, Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, 722-0033 🚶♀️ 15 minutes walk from JR Sanyo Main Line Onomichi Station 🚗Free parking available for 25 regular cars and 3 large cars 🕐24 hours 🗓️Open every day 🚗Senkoji Park Parking Lot: 600 yen 📝 "Cat's Narrow Road" is a narrow alleyway that runs from the left side of Ushitora Shrine, the oldest shrine in Onomichi, to the end of the road, and continues for about 200 meters on both sides. Cafes, bars, accessory shops, art museums, gardens, and more are renovated from old houses along Cat's Narrow Road. It's a spot where you can enjoy just by walking around here. Please take a look! #FreeHotelStay

Located in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, [Hanutei] is quietly located in the Cat Alley! I got a little lost, but I arrived by looking at the map! You have to take off your shoes before entering. The interior is small and there are about four seats, and there are many things that make you feel nostalgic! The recommended seats are by the window, from which you can see the cityscape of Onomichi. There are also notebooks for writing down your travel memories, so please feel free to write them down✨ I ordered a set of matcha and black honey agar! The gentle taste was comforting☺️ Business hours 10:00-17:00 📍11-30 Higashidodo-cho, Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture #0 yen travel autumn #Onomichi sightseeing #Hiroshima trip #Hanutei

If you want to overlook the entire city of Onomichi, Senkoji Temple is the best spot. The observation deck here is also very creative, with one half spiraling upwards and the other half going straight up and down. You can choose the path you prefer. The view from here is absolutely stunning in the summer. The photos taken under the blue sky and white clouds turn out very well. As for Senkoji Temple itself, I only took pictures of two places: one is this pile of little monks in the temple, which seems to be where people buy little monk statues to make wishes, and the other is the large Kannon statue. It appears that the main deity worshipped at Senkoji Temple is Kannon. Halfway down the mountain, there is the famous Cat Alley. This path initially had lucky cat stones placed along it, and it gradually evolved into a path filled with lucky cat stones, hence the name Cat Alley. However, this path is actually quite dilapidated because the surrounding houses seem uninhabited, and many are almost ruins. Although Cat Alley is named after the lucky cat stones, there are actually real cats living here. Today, I encountered three of them, plus one more at the top of the mountain, making a total of four. Onomichi itself is also a city of cats, and if the weather isn't too hot, the chances of encountering cats on the mountain are higher. Senkoji Temple is about a 15-minute walk from Onomichi Station towards the shopping street. You can choose to take the cable car up or walk up. A one-way ticket costs 500 yen, and a round trip costs 700 yen. I personally recommend taking the cable car up and walking down, so you can also explore Cat Alley on the way down. Additionally, there are few shades on the mountain in summer, so make sure to take sun protection measures.