Cats crawl into a luxury 'planter' made from high quality cypress gathered in the Tsukechi district of Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture. (Noboru Tomura)

Photo/Illutration A cat gets comfortable in a planter made of Japanese cypress at a cafe in Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture. (Noboru Tomura)

NAKATSUGAWA, Gifu Prefecture--Disappointed lumber workers here were stuck with a bunch of unwanted planter boxes made from high-quality local Japanese “hinoki” cypress that they wrongly assumed would become a big seller.

However, they found a new market among people who would rather fill the planters with fur instead of soil.

After cats showed a strong inclination to drift off while being enveloped in the natural wood aroma of the planters, the product sold briskly.

The Tsukechi district in the city of Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture is well known for cypress trees that have been used at Ise Jingu shrine’s special ritual called Shikinen Sengu.

The lumber workers in Tsukechi initially developed the materials to help local junior high school students enjoy working with the wood while building the planters.

The workers came up with the idea to sell the remaining kits as flower planters and approached local tourism business company Goshinboku, which means “a sacred tree” in Japanese, to market the boxes for gardening.

Not a single planter was sold in nearly a month after sales began in early July.

During a brainstorming session on what to do with the inventory, one Goshinboku employee said: “Wait a minute. My cats may like it as a bed.”

In an experiment, the two cats of the staff member immediately went inside the boxes.

When the employees saw the decadent expression on the cats, they knew right away that they found a way to sell the planters.

“Cats show sheer bliss when they get into small spaces,” said Ayami Yamada, 53, who works at the company. “We wanted to see cats curling up in the planter and enjoying a good nap.”

Goshinboku on Aug. 28 started sales of the new item, dubbed, “luxurious cat planter made of Tsukechi cypress.”

The planter, aka “nap bed for a cat,” is 45 cm wide, 21 cm deep and 18 cm high. It has a light scent of cypress.

A gap was made at the bottom of the box to prevent the inside from getting muggy.

The item immediately created a buzz on social media. Images of cats slipping into the planters and curling up with an enraptured look were widely shared.

Orders started coming in, even from the Tokyo area. By Sept. 22, 32 cat planters were sold.

The product is designed for cats that weigh up to 5 kilograms, but the company plans to accept special orders for bigger felines.

Hachiro Miura, 67, who heads the local lumber workers’ group, said: “When we say ‘planter,’ we think of flowers or mini-tomatoes. We couldn’t think of it as a thing for a cat. I am surprised by the large sales.”

The stock sold out quickly, and Miura and others hurriedly made more. The planters are currently out of stock again, and it is expected to take about six months to resume sales.

The company is accepting orders but “only from those who can wait patiently,” a representative said.

A finished cat planter is priced at a tax-inclusive 4,400 yen ($42), while an assemble-your-own kit is sold at 3,300 yen.

For more information: (https://goshinboku.amebaownd.com/)

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