If you’re coming out of Shinjuku station and see a giant kitty about to pounce on you like a mouse, don’t be alarmed. The anamorphic illusion is part of Cross Space, a new LED screen outside the world’s busiest train station that’s set to begin delivering scheduled broadcasts to commuters and other bystanders. In between programming, this slightly scary and enormous cat will nap, stretch, pace around and sometimes interact with people down below.
The new screen, which projects three-dimensional illusions like this one using anamorphic technology, was developed jointly by digital signage firm MADS and real estate firm YUNIKA. Named Cross Space, it sits atop a busy intersection immediately outside Shinjuku Station’s east exit.
Like many of these creative, illusionary signs that have been popping up in Asia, this one too has a viewing sweet spot. But it’s been positioned so that commuters walking out of the station have the best vantage point. Check out the embedded videos for a sense of how realistic the three-dimensional illusion is.