Ever imagined strolling down a street lined with cute little paws everywhere? Japan’s Aoshima Island, also affectionately known as the Cat Island, is a place where these felines rule and humans are outnumbered. This indeed is the purr-fect destination for all the cat lovers!
Cats have been stealing hearts and couches for centuries. Those fluffy little furballs and their tiny paws? Instant serotonin boost! Japan totally gets the cat craze and made a whole island where cat lovers can live their best wonderful life surrounded by these lovely creatures. Nestled in Ehime Prefecture, southern Japan, Aoshima is a quiet fishing village that’s secretly turned into a cat lover’s paradise where the residents have four paws and a whole lot of freedom!
Previously this island was a center for producing silk worms and the cats were their protectors from rats. Fishermen who would live in these islands would take care of the cats and feed them tiny pieces of their everyday catch from the sea. The golden rule of the island was: No dogs allowed! Truly, a little slice of heaven made just for cats. In the upcoming years due to several reasons humans moved out of the island leaving behind only a handful of elderly residents. Meanwhile, the cats? They threw a population party, taking over every nook and cranny, and just like that, the island became what we know today as the Cat Island!
This island isn’t about cat souvenir or cat-themed restaurants but a quiet cozy island with the furry friends roaming all around freely. This isn’t a famous tourist attraction, but rather an off-beat one. So, to reach here, tourists have to catch a ferry which runs twice a day from Nagahama Port. The ferry stops at two ports on the island but if you're only there for the cats, and let’s be honest, which you are, skip the quiet Odomori Port and head straight to Nitoda Port in the south, where their committee eagerly awaits to welcome you! Many visitors bring cat treats to win over their new furry friends. Just offer a little snack, and you’ve earned unlimited petting privileges to your heart’s content!
Overall, this island brings you closer to nature and its whiskered wanderers. While most tourists flock to flashy, crowded spots, why not choose this quiet little offbeat gem in Japan — and soak in the simple joys of local island life!