Google Street View For Cats? Japan Pilots Unique New Online Maps

Japan's Street View For Cats Is Everything You'd Want It To Be

If you've ever wondered what it's like to see the world through the eyes of a cat your dreams have come true.

A city in Japan has developed an online map - similar to Google Street View - which allows you to see parts of the city of Onomichi from a height of about 10 inches off the ground.

It shows 28 shops and seven landmarks, and notes the usual locations of 11 of the city's beloved cats.

Meet the cats on the streets of Onomichi

Onomichi, situated in the Hiroshima prefecture calls itself "a town of slopes and cats."

The city even has an area called "Cat Alley" and a museum dedicated to Maneki-neko, the beckoning cat sculptures that are supposed to bring luck and wealth.

The interactive map is part of the prefecture's "Kanpai! (Cheers) Hiroshima -- Look! -- Eat! -- Drink!" tourism campaign.

Technicians who worked on Google’s street view helped the project come along and used the same equipment to capture the images.

Meet Rara, one of the cats involved in the project

A Hiroshima tourism official told the Wall Street Journal: "We were seeking to introduce a different way to look at our cities and offer a view of the streets that wasn’t available before."

Each feline has a profile page which can be interacted with (albeit in Japanese), revealing the stories behind each of the furry friends.

The project is ongoing and the tourist board will continue to add more locations to the map, the next update coming in October.

The whole experience can be visited on its web app.

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