February 22nd is "Cat Day". On this day once a year, I want to spend time after a cat. It's good to play with your cat, go to a cat cafe, or spend time with a cat, but unlike a whimsical cat, why not go looking for "cat goods" that you can stay with for a long time?

This time, Enuchi got the information that there is a cat miscellaneous goods & cat gallery shop "Cat's Forehead" in Koenji. Prior to Cat Day, I went to check out cat goods!


■ I came to the cat miscellaneous goods & cat gallery shop "Cat's Forehead"
From the north exit of JR Koenji Station, walk for about 5 minutes on the shopping street toward Asagaya, where you will find the "Cat's Forehead". It's hard to reach, and I'm worried, but let's walk straight.


When you enter the store, you will see cat goods and cat art lined up in a narrow space! From miscellaneous goods, tableware and accessories to figures and paintings, all kinds of cats are waiting for you. Most of them are handmade by the artist, so despite the narrow sales floor, the appearance is perfect.


Even on this day when the weather was bad, it was crowded with customers, and some of them had cats.


In the back is a "chat" between the store manager Kimura and the sign cat. No way to meet a real cat ... I asked Mr. Kimura to stroke it. Chat is introduced in the cartoon on the "Cat's Forehead" web page. I can cry.


By the way, today I would like to decide the 3 best "recommended cat goods" from this list!

■ Best 3 recommended cat goods

◆ 3rd place Cat's face plate
First, let's start with the 3rd place. The first thing I noticed when I looked around the store was the cat drawn on this plate.


There are two types of illustrations, a cat with a mouth closed and a cat with a tongue extended. All of them stare at me and I can't easily look away. If you serve food around your mouth, it will look like cats are eating and it will be fun. This series also includes plates, mugs, spoons, etc., so you can use them together.


◆ 2nd place Cat food postcard
The 2nd place was a postcard designed by cats in a cooking style!



It is a postcard with delicious dishes lined up, but if you look closely, it is all drawn like a cat. The names are also elaborately given, such as "Anyago" and "Aburi Meow" for sushi, and "Uzura Winnya" and "Shinyake" for deep-fried skewers. Is this a cat-shaped dish? Or is it a cat dressed as a cook? Either way, it's cute! !!

There was also a framed three-dimensional cat dish produced by the same artist.



◆ No. 1 Cat's Choco
And I chose the No. 1 place for the cat, which is a small golden cat looking at me from the bottom. In addition to the vertical stripes in the photo, the outer pattern also has a polka dot pattern, and the size and facial expression of the cat are slightly different.


If you pour clear liquor, the golden cat will sway inside, as if you were really there. Watched by cats, even one person seems to enjoy drinking. This was the one that came the most to the "cat goods that will be with me" that I came to look for this time, so I ranked it first.


These are the 3 best recommended goods for the "cat's forehead" selected by the editorial department of Enuchi. The ones I introduced are just a few of the works in the store. We recommend that you take the time to find your own favorite.

In addition, "Cat's Forehead" also has the face of an artist who works on cat works as a gallery, and there are many artistic cat works that can not be met at a mere general store. In the gallery space on the left after entering the entrance, works are exhibited with different themes every two weeks.


■ The mystery of the "cat's forehead"!
There are various types of works such as miscellaneous goods and art, and there is only one of them, which is a completely different "cat's forehead". We talked to the store manager, Mr. Kimura, to unravel the mystery.

◆ What is the concept of the store?
Enuchi: Do you have a concept for the store?

Kimura: "The catchphrase is" The whole shop is cat-made "(laughs). For the works placed in the store, whether the artist suits himself or not is more important than whether the work is good or not. Also, I want to support an unknown artist, so the number of works I handle is increasing. For those people, I also consult with them about materials and painting materials, and propose things that are hard to wear with other works I have. "

Enuchi: So even if there are so many works, there are no similar ones.

Mr. Kimura: Besides, if you feel that "this person looks good at cats" to writers who are not so-called cat writers, "Why don't you draw a picture of a cat?" I will call out to you. "

Enuchi: For a writer who doesn't draw cats at all?

Mr. Kimura: "That's right. For example, the point is that both of them have beautiful curves, so people who are good at women are good at cats. The cat works made by such people are really only here, and they are different from other shops. I think it's also

◆ What is your commitment to handling one item?
Enuchi: Why do you handle only one item?

Mr. Kimura: "Unlike mass production, one piece is full of heart. Not only that, one piece of work is the artist itself. (Pointing to the work) This is just like the artist. It's interesting to see what kind of person the writer is by looking at it. It seems that he is looking at a cat work, and in the end he is looking at the person beyond that. "

◆ Why did you start a cat goods specialty store?
Enuchi: Please tell us if you have any chance to start a cat goods specialty store.

Mr. Kimura: "Once upon a time, I killed my cat due to illness due to lack of knowledge. At that time, I thought,'Can I do a job that connects cats and people?'" So I called out to about 30 writer friends and started the shop. "

Enuchi: Was Kimura also a writer of cat works? Perhaps Kimura-san's work is also in this ...?

Kimura: "No, I don't have my work right now (laughs)"

Enuchi: I used to leave it. How many artists' works are in the store?
Mr. Kimura: "Currently, there are about 200 artists who have works in the store, but so far there are more than 300 artists who have handled works."

◆ Thank you, Mr. Kimura!


The cat miscellaneous goods & cat art shop "Cat's Forehead" was not just a shop for selling cat works. The shop itself is involved in the work from the "root" part (only for cats), such as consulting with the artist and requesting the work by identifying the talent of the artist. There are only works that the artist loves. It was the "cat's forehead" that treats the work with love.

"Cat's Forehead" participated in the "Nyan Nyan Nyan" in Kosugiyu event held at Koenji on February 22nd, Cat Day. We will sell the works of cat writers in a bid format and raise funds for everything except the production costs of the works. For more information, please visit the "Cat's Forehead" website.