'cat Lord' Of Japan Castle On Duty In Heat Wave
An iconic tomcat that serves as the "lord" of an ancient castle in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, is trying to fulfill his duty of greeting tourists in the intense heat.
Bicchu Matsuyama Castle is located in the city of Takahashi, which had a daytime high of 37.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Temperatures in the city topped 35 degrees for 18 days in a row.
The lord of the castle, Sanjuro, is usually active but has been spending much of his time lying in the shade in the recent heat wave.
Officials of a local tourism association has set up a hut with bamboo blinds for Sanjuro. They also try to keep out of the sun when they take him for a walk twice a day.
Sanjuro quickly went to the shade and lay down during his daily walk on Wednesday. But when tourists came, he approached to greet them with a friendly look.
A woman in her 50s said the heat is unbearable but she is happy to see Sanjuro. She says she wants him to stay fit and give some relief to visitors.
A local tourism official said he will work hard with the cat lord so people will have a good time coming to the castle in the hot weather.
