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Writer's pictureDan Spencer

The Peculiar Truth about Japan's Cat Islands

  • 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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