Meet Ken-chan and Go-chan: two cats whose greatest desire is to enter the Hiroshima Onomichi City Museum of Art in Japan.
Ken-chan, the black cat, first started visiting the museum in summer 2016.
Ken-chan lives in a restaurant near the Onomichi Museum, and one day, the cat wandered over to the museum. The museum happened to be showing an exhibit of cat photographs. The museum workers think that Ken-chan saw some of the photos of the cats through the window, and he wanted to go in and make some new friends.
Ken-chan casually walked into the museum, trying to blend in with the crowd. But one of the security guards spotted him and shooed him away.
“I’m guessing that Ken-chan spotted some of the exhibits through the glass, and since the photos included those of black cats, he must have thought he had found a new friend,” the museum’s curator, Shinji Umebayashi, told the Guardian. “And then he just kept coming back.”
Ken-chan started appearing at the museum almost every day.
Ken-chan would try to get in, and the security guard would put him outside. It became a game, and Ken-chan and the security guard were both enjoying themselves! Ken-chan never even hissed at the guard.
One day, Ken-chan decided to bring back-up. He appeared with a ginger cat the museum workers named Go-chan.
Now, the security guard had two cats to chase out. Luckily, he’s up to the task!
After the security guard kicks the cats out, they wander around the grounds. The museum is located in a park, and there’s plenty of space for the cats to roam. The cats also enjoy looking at the artwork through the museum’s windows. They especially enjoy looking at the museum’s cat sculptures!
“The museum is in a park so there’s no traffic to worry about,” Umebayashi said. “They treat the park like it’s their own garden.”
In 2018, photos of the security guard and Ken-chan went viral on Twitter. Soon, people started coming to the Onomichi Museum just to see the famous cats! The museum even created tote bags that show a hilariously big Ken-chan trying to get in the door.
People around the world have fallen in love with Ken-chan and Go-chan.
Officials in a Russian resort town, Zelenogradsk, have said they would allow Ken-chan and Go-chan into their museum. They contacted the Onomichi Museum on Twitter and told them they would take the cats. But Onomichi politely refused—they’ve grown to love their furry intruders!
Zelenogradsk is a town with shores which is beautiful as well as Onomichi where we live in.
As a result of having repeated consideration, unfortunately, we decided to be not accepted your invitation.
Please give our best regards to cats and people living in Zelenogradsk. Ken & Go https://t.co/kXo3GWR1zM— 尾道市立美術館 (@bijutsu1) November 16, 2018
Ken-chan and Go-chan are an adorable pair of art lovers who enjoy playing cat-and-mouse with a museum security guard! If you want to learn more about the two cats, check out the museum’s Twitter page.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
