At first glance, Aoshima seems like a quiet island that has been taken over by cats. Yet behind its unusual appearance lies a story shaped by fishing, economic decline and depopulation.
Aoshima is a small, remote island in the Seto Inland Sea, off the coast of Japan’s Ehime Prefecture.
Recent reports estimate that around 80 cats live there alongside just three elderly residents, resulting in a cat-to-human ratio of roughly 27 to one.
Known as Cat Island, Aoshima has attracted considerable international attention in recent years due to the cats roaming freely through quiet streets, abandoned buildings and the harbour.
As a result, Aoshima has become a magnet for tourists from all over the world. With no shops, restaurants or accommodation, Aoshima is suitable only for day trips.
But where did all these cats come from?
Originally, the 49-hectare island was home to a community of fishermen who made their living from sardine fishing. As this industry expanded, rodents became an increasing problem on fishing boats, causing Aoshima’s residents to search for a solution.
They brought cats to the island as a natural form of pest control.
When sardine catches began to decrease and the local fishing industry collapsed, many inhabitants moved to the mainland in search of work, leaving the cats behind.
With little human intervention, the cats multiplied largely undisturbed and eventually began to outnumber humans.
Visitors can take a trip to Aoshima by passenger ferry from Nagahama Port. Since there is no real tourism infrastructure, Aoshima is accessible only as a day-trip destination.
Visitors are allowed to feed the cats, but only in the designated feeding area.
As the animals are already fed by local residents, visitors should offer only small portions of proper cat food and avoid overfeeding them.
Despite its popularity around the world, Aoshima’s future remains uncertain. Its few remaining residents are elderly, while the cats are ageing following a large-scale sterilisation programme that stopped the population from growing.
Over time, both the human and feline populations are expected to decline.
If the island eventually becomes uninhabited while cats remain, volunteers and animal shelters may need to find new homes for them, potentially bringing Aoshima’s era as Japan’s famous Cat Island to a quiet end.
