Designed like a part of the game that inspired it, the world’s first official Neko-Atsume store has opened for a limited time in Hong Kong.
Neko-Atsume (or Cat Collector) started as a smartphone game app in Japan in 2014, but has been taken up by cat lovers around the world who can check into their garden every day to see if they have received a rare gift from their virtual cats, or if the dreaded Manzoku-san (Mr Tubbs) has eaten all their food.
Hong Kong was chosen for the pop-up store because it is a destination for Asian tourists as well as a hub for Asian popular cultural trends. While there are stores in Japan selling Neko-Atsume goods, this is the first official shop. It is on level nine at Langham Place in Kowloon.

With its layout modelled after the garden featured in the game, the shop encourages fans to take selfies replicating cat poses at familiar spots. And to make the experience typically Hong Kong, the shop offers such items as dim sum, egg tarts, English-style mail boxes, and trams (a favourite of Ekicho-san/Conductor Whiskers).
While the shop is open only until February 17, the Japanese site AmiAmi offers Neko Atsume goods.