Fukuoka Gamelan Club LOU

Cats and Gamelan

For about five years, from 2015 to 2020, the Fukuoka Gamelan Club LOU practiced using an iron gamelan degung set (nicknamed Tecchan) in a rented old house.

Around the same time that we rented the house, four kittens were born in the garden. Wanting to interact with them, our members built a DIY cat door in the window, allowing the kittens to come and go freely1.

Within a few months, the cats began using the door frequently, and it became common to see them relaxing in the practice space2. Some people even visited the house just to meet the cats and ended up becoming members of LOU.

In this column, we look back at LOU’s early practice space, where cats and gamelan coexisted, through a series of photographs.

Entrance to the practice space at the time
Coming in through the cat door
Playing with members during practice
Using the gong carpet as a bed
A cat box placed in the corner of the room
Cats keeping warm inside the box
Occasionally, unknown cats would sneak in
Relaxing in their favorite spots
Among various instruments
Sitting on a Lou Harrison score
(2025 March 4, Okazaki)

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  1. In general, keeping cats outdoors is not recommended. The members who cared for the cats consulted with local residents and looked after them as community cats. They also personally covered the costs of neutering and spaying all of them. The V-shaped notch in one ear of the cats seen in the photos indicates that they have been sterilized as part of a community cat program. ↩︎

  2. During the first one or two years, the cats would often sleep near the instruments or wander around the practice space. However, as they matured, the three male cats gradually drifted away and stopped returning. The remaining female cat, however, chose to stay at the house. One of the members decided to adopt her, and they still live together today. ↩︎