The Japanese love cats.
According to their folklore, cats bring protection and good luck.
One of Tokyo’s most visited attractions is Gotokuji, a temple dedicated to the Lucky Cat, Maneki Neko. Kyoto also has a famous cat shrine.
Japanese pet owners slightly favor cats over dogs, and feral cat populations have increasingly become an issue in many cities throughout the country.
But because cats are so revered, Japan has at least 11 different small islands around the country where cats roam free.
They are called neko shima - literally, cat islands.
Most of the islands are and always have been fishing communities. Felines were shipped in to combat rats and mice. As a result, they’re free to go wherever they want and lounge on docks or in streets or in doorways.
Some cats were abandoned and sent the islands. Others were born there. Few, if any, of the felines are spayed or neutered.
Some locations permit adoption.
Visitors are forbidden to feed the felines, only locals. When it’s time to eat, the cats show up for meals from their handlers.
The animals have no fear of human beings. Most are friendly. Or ambivalent.
Aoshima in Ehime Prefecture has the smallest human population - roughly 15-25 people - but claims to have the largest number of cats. The ratio is said to be 10 cats to every human.
There can be no overnight guests on Aoshima. There’s no hotel or other accommodations, no restaurant, and not even a vending machine (which are nearly ubiquitous in Japan).
Two cat islands are just off the coast of Fukuoka in Southern Japan.
Ainoshima is only about half of a square mile in size, slightly smaller than Rikers Island in NYC’s East River.
Genkaijima has a sizable human population with grade schools. It boasted the most island cats until an earthquake struck in 2005, but the population is growing again.
The islands have become tourist destinations for people from across Japan and from around the world. The cats don’t seem to mind.
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