Japan's Cat Island

Aoshima island (青島), Ehime, has become one of the popular destinations for the cat lovers. The island has 15 people (between 50-80 years old) and more than 100 cats. There is neither inn, restaurant nor vending machine.

During WWII, many people escaped to the island from the main land. The island population hit the highest of 655 people in 1960. There have not been enough job so many people left the island. On 1976 the island's only primary school shut down. In early 2000 the cat population started to grow while the human population hit then new low, 50. Today you only see 15 people( 4 fishermen and the rest retirees) on the island.

There are nos car or even a bike on the island, so there are real threats to the cats, where they live peacefully among the many abandoned houses.

Another cat island in Japan is Tashirojima Island (田代島) in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, with 86 inhabitants and more than 100 cats. On this island, the cat is enshrined. There is a cat shrine and also a cat photo competition!