You probably have seen the famous picture of monkeys chilling in an outdoor onsen hot spring in the snow. Most people here take care of cats very well that no pet dogs are allowed on this island. It is also believed by the local people that feeding cats will bring wealth and good fortune. The island used to raise silkworms for their silk which naturally attracted mice, and the introduction of cats helped this production as the cats kept the mice population to a minimum. While the population of the island is about 100 people, there are more than 100 cats. The cats are very cute but please treat them nicely and respectfully.Īnother famous cat island is Tashiro-jima, a small island part of Miyagi Prefecture. There are no cars, hotels, restaurants, or even vending machines on the island. It’s best to bring your water and food, and take your garbage with you when you leave the island.

However, Aoshima Island is not a tourist hotspot. Recently becoming popular online, tiny Aoshima has seen a steep rise in tourist visits. Cats were originally introduced on ships because the fisherman had to deal with a rodent problem. You can find as many as 120 cats here while there are only 15 to 20 human residents. On this small island of 1.6 kilometer long, cats outnumber human six to one. Probably the most famous cat island in Japan is Aoshima, which belongs to Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku. The nickname is not an exaggeration because some of these islands have more cats than people! There are about a dozen places called Cat Islands in Japan because of a large number of cats living on the islands. Other articles you might be interested in.

Anianla in japan scenery