Japan is well-known for being a nation of cat lovers; this giant 3D cat billboard proves that, when it comes to our feline friends, the nation that brought the world the cat café knows exactly how to show off our furry friends' quirks at their very best.
Looming high above the Shinjuku district in Tokyo, Japan on a 1,664-square-foot curved LED screen, is a giant cat that seems to be doing different things depending on what time of day it is.
In the morning the cat gets up, stretches its legs and begins its busy schedule of yowling at that day’s shoppers. By the evening it has settled down, ready to chill. A big-time case of art imitating life, then.
Inevitably, this billboard has attracted a lot of attention, with up to 190,000 people passing through the streets below every day. We have a feeling that it will attract even more in the coming months.
But the publicity hasn’t been limited to the immediate vicinity. A Twitter account set up to promote the billboard has over 17,600 followers, with one video having already attracted 138,900 likes and counting, as you can see below.
今日の15時半ごろに現地で撮られた映像です。雑踏が思いのほかうるさいので、声の大きさは調整しなきゃ。再生時、音量注意です！⚠️ pic.twitter.com/8OsmcyyVOoJuly 5, 2021
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There is even a 24-hour YouTube video feed hosted by Cross Space, one of the companies behind the billboard.
While its not switched on all the time (it runs from 7am to 1am), there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to catch it below.
While this isn’t the first interactive billboard of its kind, it’s definitely the first one that we can recall capturing the imagination of the public in this way.
While the initial videos you’ve seen here are only from test shots (it’s not due to go fully live until July 12), it’s hard not to be impressed at the attention to detail and realistic nature of the cat. How long before a local fire department turns up with a super-sized ladder to try and rescue it?
