A girl struggling to fit in. A homeless kitten. An unexpected job offer in an unfamiliar country that changes everything.

CJ had a long history of escaping places and people she wasn't fond of. But for the sake of a silver tabby, she decided to stay in Japan for a while. This decision helped her open up her heart and mind, revisit her way of thinking, and reconnect with her estranged family.

Let this heartwarming memoir take you to the land of cats and cherry trees as you read about CJ's adventures - from the craziness of Furukawa's naked men festival, the experience of forest bathing and the significance of finding a life purpose or ikigai, to the temples of Takayama, and wonders of Cat Island - you'll see what a homeless kitten found outside a temple in Japan taught her about an old culture and new beginnings.

Chapter 1: Like a Borrowed Cat ............................................................... 5

Chapter 2: A Good Cat Doesn't Need a Collar of Gold.............................14

Chapter 3: A Cat's Resentment (toward those who help it) ......................22

Chapter 4: Like a Cat Playing with a Walnut ............................................35

Chapter 5: A Long Bath from a Cat's Tongue...........................................48

Chapter 6: A Cat's Craving for Cold ..........................................................56

Chapter 7: Better to Enclose a Cat Than to Scold It..................................64

Chapter 8: All Cats Are Grey in The Dark...................................................71

Chapter 9: When a Cat Washes Its Face, a Guest Will Arrive....................77

Chapter 10: To Change Like a Cat's Eye....................................................85

Chapter 11: No Cat Was Seen on The Street ...........................................101

Chapter 12: Like a Cat Burying Poop ...................................................... 109

Chapter 13: Not Even a Kitten Around......................................................120

Chapter 14: An Umbrella to a Cat .............................................................132

Chapter 15: Three Months Is a Year to a Cat ............................................137

Chapter 16: To Indulge a Cat......................................................................145

Chapter 17: Give Catnip to The Cat...........................................................149

Chapter 18: Act Like a Cat, or Act Like a Tiger..........................................157

Chapter 19: When a Cat Washes Its Face, It Will Rain.............................165

Chapter 20: A Cat That's Always Mewing Doesn't Catch Mice ................173

Chapter 21: A Cat's Tail ............................................................................181

Chapter 22: A Flea in a Cat's Teeth...........................................................194

Chapter 23: Like Silver Vines to Cats ....................................................... 201

Chapter 24: Want to Borrow a Cat's Paw..................................................207

Chapter 25: It Will Work Some Meow (Somehow).....................................210

Epilogue: The Cat's Repayment................................................................222