• "He has the eyes of a hunter...!"
  • "This is such a soothing sight..."
  • "I can't get enough of this picture!"

These are just some of the comments elicited by a photo posted by Japanese Twitter user Marco (@marco744444), who lives with four cats.

As Marco was placing a taiyaki cake on the table, one of his cats called がんも Ganmo came up to him.

Taiyaki, as seen in the image below, are sea bream-shaped cakes traditionally served hot and filled with sweet azuki red bean paste. In the last forty years, they've experienced somewhat of a renaissance, and recently, they're sold with various fillings and in various shapes, from coelacanths to video game and anime characters. They've also become somewhat of a phenomenon outside of Japan as well, with some businesses, like Taiyaki NYC, adapting them into ice cream cones.

ykokamoto / © PIXTA

Whether he was allured by its fishy shape or the delicious aroma wafting from it, Ganmo made his hunger for the taiyaki cake very clear through the ravenous expression on his face. The owner couldn't help but notice, and muttered, "Taiyaki-kun, make your escape!"

Reproduced with permission from Marco (@marco744444)

His words were reminiscent of the title phrase およげ!たいやきくん Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun ("Swim, Taiyaki!") by Masato Shimon, a hit children's song about a taiyaki cake that swam away from a shop and returned to the ocean. The song is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the best-selling physical single in Japan with more than 4.57 million copies sold after its release on 25 December 1975. The song was so popular that it contributed to the renewed popularity of taiyaki in the mid-'70s.

Ganmo is propped up with his paws on the edge of the table, staring at the taiyaki with a gaze that says, "Looks so good..."!

According to his owner, Ganmo, who is not good at jumping, can't help but be curious whenever there's food on the table. He stretches out his paws to touch and taste the food on the table, but "In fact, since he can't reach, he ends up tasting nothing."

Ganmo will probably continue his vigilant watch. In the meantime, let's hope his owner also feeds him with tasty cat treats!


By - grape Japan editorial staff.