Natsume Soseki · Kanto, Chubu, Tokyo, Aichi

Following Natsume Soseki's I Am a Cat from Tokyo to Aichi: A Literary Travel Guide

Trace the real house, neighborhood, and even the actual cat's grave behind Natsume Soseki's I Am a Cat — from a quiet Tokyo backstreet to a relocated Meiji-era house 300km away in Aichi Prefecture.

I Am a Cat (吾輩は猫である, 1905–06) is narrated, chapter after chapter, by an unnamed housecat observing its owner — a bad-tempered English teacher closely modeled on Soseki himself — and the parade of friends who drop by to argue philosophy in his sitting room. The cat wasn't invented: a stray black kitten really did wander into Soseki's rented house in the Sendagi neighborhood of Tokyo around 1904, and its owner really did start writing about it. This guide follows both the Tokyo neighborhood where it's set and, further afield, the actual house — since relocated to a museum in Aichi Prefecture.

Stop 1: The former Soseki residence site, Sendagi/Nezu, Tokyo — "the Cat's House"

The house where Soseki lived from 1903 to 1906, and where both the real cat and the novel arrived, no longer stands on its original site — it was later moved (see Stop 3). What remains at Mukogaoka 2-20-7 in Bunkyo Ward is a stone monument, inscribed by novelist Yasunari Kawabata and erected in 1971 by a group of Soseki admirers, along with an explanatory plaque and small cat statues marking the connection. It's a quiet residential backstreet rather than a formal park, but it's the actual ground the novel came from.

• Getting there: About a 10-minute walk from Sendagi Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line), or 8 minutes from Hon-Komagome Station (Namboku Line).
• Good to know: There's no building left to tour — this is a five-minute stop for readers who want to stand on the actual spot, best combined with a wider walk through the Nezu/Sendagi area, one of Tokyo's better-preserved old shitamachi neighborhoods.

Stop 2: Soseki Sanbo Kinenkan and the cat's real grave, Waseda, Tokyo

Soseki moved from Sendagi to a house in Waseda in 1907, where he lived until his death in 1916, writing most of his later major novels there — this postdates I Am a Cat itself, but the site holds something that doesn't: the actual grave of the cat that inspired it. The Neko-zuka ("Cat's Grave"), a small memorial the Soseki family built for their pets, was first erected in 1920 — on the 13th anniversary of the real cat's death in September 1908 — destroyed in WWII air raids, and rebuilt in 1953. It stands in Soseki Park, next to the Shinjuku City Soseki Museum (新宿区立漱石山房記念館), which opened on the house site in 2017 with a free permanent exhibit on his life and work.

• Getting there: About a 10-minute walk from Waseda Station (Tokyo Metro Tozai Line), Exit 1.
• Good to know: The museum is closed Mondays (or the next weekday, if Monday is a holiday); the permanent exhibit is free, with a small charge for special exhibitions. The park and Neko-zuka are outdoors and freely accessible during park hours.

Stop 3: Meiji Mura, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture — the actual house

For readers willing to go further, this is the single most substantial artifact connected to the novel anywhere in Japan: the real Sendagi house, relocated in 1964 to Meiji Mura, an open-air museum of preserved Meiji-era architecture outside Nagoya. Novelist Mori Ogai lived in the same house briefly before Soseki did, so it's officially preserved as the "Mori Ogai and Natsume Soseki Residence." Inside is a reconstructed version of Soseki's study, with his desk, writing implements, and hibachi — the room where I Am a Cat was actually written, along with Botchan and Kusamakura, both covered elsewhere in this series.

• Getting there: From Nagoya, take the Meitetsu Inuyama Line limited express to Inuyama Station (about 26 minutes), then a Gifu Bus on the Meiji Mura Line from the station's east exit (about 20–26 minutes) directly to the museum entrance. Direct highway buses also run from Meitetsu Bus Center and Sakae in central Nagoya.
• Good to know: This is a full museum, not a quick stop — admission is around ¥2,500 for adults, and hours shift seasonally, so check current times before planning your day around it. Budget at least half a day for Meiji Mura as a whole; the Soseki house is one of dozens of relocated Meiji-era buildings on the grounds.

Practical travel notes

• Best time to visit: Any season works for the Tokyo stops. Meiji Mura is outdoors and spread across a hillside, so spring and autumn are more comfortable than midsummer.
• Base yourself in: Tokyo for Stops 1–2; if you're adding Meiji Mura, it's an easy day trip from central Nagoya rather than somewhere to stay overnight.
• Language: All three stops are well within normal tourist infrastructure — English signage is adequate throughout.