Y-cat - Blog Posts

Some amusing art in Matsumoto

In my previous post, I mentioned I was taking the train from Nagano to Tokyo, but my destination for the day was actually Matsumoto. There's quite a lot to see there, mainly the castle, but I'll get to that another time. For now, I'd just like to share some lighter, more amusing details.

This awesome statue depicts two samurai frogs riding on toadback - the poor thing seems to be overwhelmed! That would be because the street by this river has adopted the frog as a mascot. According to local history, the river used to have loads of frogs, making it a rather noisy place (I bet, if my memories of Futami, Mie, are anything to go by!). But after a typhoon caused a flood, the frogs left for higher ground and didn't go back to the river, so loads of frog statues were erected instead.

On the bridge near the entrance to this street and near the castle, other creatures could be found: "Y-cats", created by Yamazaki Takashi. I think this was a temporary exhibit.

Oh alright, I'll tease the castle...