The Date for the 2026 Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival Has Been Announced — Now Featured in the Film Rental Family Starring Brendan Fraser
- Shinya Yamada
- Nov 2
- 3 min read
Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival 2026: Where Tokyo’s Tradition and Cat Culture Come Alive
Tokyo’s autumn is a season when culture, creativity, and community blend harmoniously, and few events capture this spirit as vividly as the Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival. The date for the 2026 celebration has already been confirmed: Sunday, October 11, 2026. Each year, the historic streets of Kagurazaka—lined with stone pavements and softly glowing lanterns—transform into a whimsical world where thousands of people from around the world become “cats” for a day.
Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival: A Cultural Celebration of Cats and Community
The Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival began in 2010 as a cat-themed costume parade, inspired by the area’s long-standing reputation as “the town of cats.”Kagurazaka, once a flourishing kagai (geisha district), is a neighborhood where traditional culture and modern urban life coexist in harmony. It is also closely associated with the celebrated novelist Natsume Sōseki, author of I Am a Cat, whose playful yet philosophical view of feline life resonates with the festival’s theme.
Participants of all ages and nationalities are welcome to join simply by donning cat ears, whiskers, or full costumes. The event is not a chaotic street party like Halloween in Shibuya, but rather a peaceful, family-friendly Cat Halloween Festival filled with smiles, music, and creative expression. Its safety, elegance, and local warmth reflect the refined character of Kagurazaka—one of Tokyo’s most sophisticated cultural districts.
The festival is part of the Kagurazaka Machi Tobi Festa, a larger community event series that spans several weeks each autumn. Through these activities, residents, merchants, artists, and visitors come together to celebrate the neighborhood’s deep artistic and spiritual heritage.
Kagurazaka on the Global Stage: Featured in Rental Family
The 2026 festival will attract even greater international attention thanks to the upcoming film Rental Family, starring Academy Award® winner Brendan Fraser. The movie, set for release in Japan on February 27, 2026, was filmed entirely on location across Japan from March to May 2024. It beautifully captures authentic scenes of Tokyo, including the glowing neon of Shinjuku, the iconic Shibuya Scramble intersection, and serene moments in temples and narrow backstreets.
Among the film’s most heartwarming sequences is the scene in which Brendan Fraser’s character, Philip, joins the Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival with a young girl named Mia (played by Gorman Shannon Mahiro). Together, dressed with cat ears and painted whiskers, they wander the lively streets of Kagurazaka—sharing laughter and warmth like a true father and daughter. This cinematic moment captures the essence of what the festival represents: human connection, playfulness, and the universal joy of belonging.
The film will premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 3 and 5, 2025, further cementing Kagurazaka’s place as a symbol of authentic Japanese life and hospitality.
Tradition Meets Modernity in Kagurazaka
What makes the Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival so distinctive is its ability to bridge centuries of Japanese culture. From its Edo-period roots as a center of geisha entertainment to its literary legacy under Sōseki and its modern role as a hub for culinary and artistic creativity, Kagurazaka represents Tokyo’s elegant balance between history and innovation.
During the 2025 edition of the festival, performers from Gokayama, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Toyama Prefecture, presented a special rendition of the ancient Kokiriko-bushi folk song—believed to be Japan’s oldest. This collaboration between distant regions highlights how the festival connects diverse traditions across time and place.
Join the Celebration in 2026
The Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival 2026 will take place on Sunday, October 11 (exact hours to be announced). It is organized by the Bakeneko Festival Committee.
For updates and details, please visit the official website: http://bakeneko.oops.jp/.
In 2026, reality and cinema intertwine in the heart of Tokyo, where the streets that inspired I Am a Cat come alive once more with laughter, imagination, and community spirit. Whether you arrive as a curious traveler or a fully transformed feline, the Kagurazaka Bakeneko Festival promises a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the soul of Japan.
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How to Access Kagurazaka
The Kagurazaka area is conveniently located within 30 minutes from any major station in Tokyo. This is because Kagurazaka is situated in the heart of Tokyo, at the center of the Yamanote Line. Please come and visit this convenient and charming Kagurazaka.
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