The reason for Aoshima's nickname is clear before we set foot on the island. As our tiny vessel slows to a halt and its handful of passengers prepare to disembark, the quayside is alive with orangey-white blurs – a whiskered welcome party that forms as soon as its members hear the hum of a motor.
The only human here to greet us is Naoko Kamimoto, dressed in a pinafore with feline designs, who secures the boat with a rope as half a dozen cats swirl around her feet.
A 35-minute ferry ride off Ehime prefecture in Shikoku – the smallest of Japan's four main islands – Aoshima is the best-known of the country's 11 "cat islands". Despite the absence of a shop, restaurant or guesthouse, this speck in the Seto Inland Sea has become a must-see for visitors intrigued by a remote community where cats easily outnumber humans.
But Aoshima's days as a feline-fixated tourist destination are numbered. A decade ago there were about 200 feral cats – the descendants of animals enlisted by fishers to destroy rodents who were gnawing through their sardine nets.
This story is from the December 28, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the December 28, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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The reason for Aoshima's nickname is clear before we set foot on the island.
