Giant 3D cat installed in Tokyo to 'cheer people up during the coronavirus pandemic'

The hyper-realistic feline appears between advertisements on a 1,664-square-foot LED screen in Shinjuku district

There is no shortage of attractions to see in the bustling Japanese district of Shinjuku in Tokyo. And now there’s a new billboard that’s caught the eye of many who pass by because it features a hyper-realistic 3D cat.

The 1,664-square-foot curved LED screen, located over one of the city’s busiest railway stations, shows a giant 3D calico cat in 4K display just going about its day in between advertisements displayed on the billboard.

The digital feline can be seen between the hours of 7am to 1am and behaves like an actual cat. In the morning, it gets started awake, by afternoon it stands and meows at people who pass by and then, in the evening, it lies down to fall asleep and rests its head on its paws.

It also talks, greeting pedestrians with “nyannichiwa" – a blend of “konnichiwa" for hello, and “nyan" for meow.

The display won’t officially launch until Monday, July 12 but test broadcasts have been taking place since last month and many online users have gotten a peak and shared how impressed they are.

For those unable to view it in person because Japan is currently closed to tourists, the company behind the display has created a livestreamed view of the billboard on YouTube. However, they warn that certain angles can affect how the 3D effect is viewed.

Takayuki Ohkawa is a spokesman for Unika, one of the two companies behind the feline display. He told The New York Times that the cat does not have an official name yet, although fans have been calling it “Shinjuku east exit cat”. He explained the reason behind creating the 3D cat was to help cheer people up during the coronavirus pandemic.

“There are many reasons we decided to display the cat, but one of the big reasons is that with corona, the world became very dark. Through the cat display, we wanted to revive Shinjuku and make it brighter," said Ohkawa.