Cat Island in Japan

Maybe you saw on YouTube or on TV an island full of cats that is in Japan. Well, it is not the only one in that Asian country, but yes, of those that exist, it is the most popular and reviewed. If you like felines as much as traveling to the other side of the world and visiting an island full of them, then today's article is going to please you a lot.

We know Aoshima, the cat island in japan.

The Japanese and cats

If there is a people that loves cats, it is the Japanese people. Today's popular culture is full of catsat Hello Kitty even those popular and strange cat cafes seen in Tokyo. There are manga, animations (remember an anime from the '80s that became known as Pizza Cats?), and electronic cat ears that can be purchased. So yes, the japanese love cats.

Cats are everywhere in Japan and there are shrines dedicated to them. It is not known when they arrived on the islands or who brought them, although it is thought that they arrived via the Silk Road from Egypt to China and Korea and from there they crossed the sea to Japan and got into their religion and folklore.

In a distant beginning, cats were very valuable and precious, and best of all, unlike other luxurious goods, they could reproduce. And we already know how cats like to do it. So litter after litter by the XNUMXth century AD they were very common throughout Japan.

We said above that cats became protagonists of innumerable popular stories, with powers, good and bad. Even with the power to transform into humans. If you like these stories you can investigate more in the old stories about bakenekos (cats that kill their owners and take their place) or neko musume, cat-human hybrids. From stories like this emerged many figures, drawings and paintings.

And somehow or other we got to the maneki neko or lucky cat that was born in the Edo period and continues to this day as that cute little creature that greets us in stores.

Cat islands in Japan

At the beginning of the article we said that in Japan there are several cat islands, although one is the most popular and reviewed of all. Before talking about it, we will talk about the two lesser known ones. One is Tashiro-jima, in Miyagi prefecture.

This is a small island off the Japanese coast, opposite Ishinomaki. They live here around a hundred people nothing more, but it seems that there are the same number of cats. In another time the inhabitants of Tashirojima were dedicated to the breeding of silkworms, something that naturally attracts mice, so cats were introduced to help to control the rodent population.

Nowadays they are dedicated to fishing and within the beliefs of the fishermen, feeding the cats brings good luck and wealth. Thus, most of the inhabitants treat them very well and the animals have become everyone's pets. In the heart of the island there is a cat sanctuary called Neko-jinja, between two villages, which is dedicated to the kittens who died from falling stones. of course here dogs are not allowed so yes, Tashirojima is a "cat island".

How do you get to Tashirojima? you can get to Ishinomaki by JR Train. From the port of Ishinomaki, in Miyagi prefecture, you take the ferry and get off at the Nitoda port of the island. The ferry makes two or three trips per day depending on the time of year.

The other cat island that is not so popular is called Manabeshima and is in Okayama Prefecture. She super small island located in the city of Kasaoka, which is about two and a half hours from its main station. It is on the coast of the island of Honshu and you have to combine train and ferry to go.

It seems that it used to be inhabited by 300 people, but the visit of a French artist made it a little more popular. Anyway, their favorite inhabitants are cats and you will find them everywhere. Most of them are very friendly, they know about pampering and food, but with cats you always have to be careful. How do you get here? By train J.R. Sanyo Principal line to Kasaoka station. The port is close by.

Before moving on to the most popular island of all, let's talk about another island that recently came off the list of "cat islands in Japan": enoshima. If you like Japan, you have heard of this summer destination that is very close to tokyo. The island is just 4 kilometers in diameter and is in Kanagawa Prefecture.

It is very popular for swimming, sunbathing, surfing or spending the day to escape the heat of the Japanese capital. Why was it on the list at some point and is no longer on the list? Because sometime in the '80s the cat population started to grow and grow. Many animals were abandoned here for many years and the residents began to take care of them. Over time, the situation changed. today only a few are seen on the highest part of the island.

Enoshima is super close to Tokyo, just a 90-minute train ride away by taking the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku to Fujisawa/Odawara/Enoshima.

Aoshima, the island of cats

And now yes, to finish it has bequeathed the turn of Aoshinma, the most popular cat island of all.  It is in Ehime Prefecture and it is estimated that today the feline population exceeds that of humans in a ratio of 6:1 to 10:1. Very much! In fact, it seems that there are only fifteen to twenty human residents and more than 120 cats.

As in Tashirojima, cats were first brought in to combat rats and mice from fishing boats. And they stayed forever. The island it's a mile and a half long and it is in the south of the country. The truth is that despite its international popularity, the island it is not a tourist destination.

There are no hotels, restaurants, vending machines or cars. people are very old no one has thought of exploiting the fame of the island. Yet. So no one is going to bother you while you walk and take photos, just be nice and feed the kittens.

How to get to Aoshima? There is one ferry trip per day. You may depart from Matsuyama, capital of Ehime prefecture. From the main station take the Yosan Line and after an hour you arrive at the Iyo Nagahama Station. Here you buy the ticket and take the boat to the island. The crossing takes 35 minutes.


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