Fans of everything cats might need to list the Japanese island of Tashirojima (also known as Tashiro Island) as a must-see route (watch this YouTube video for a preview). This position has about a hundred more people and several hundred wild cats.
About an hour by ferry from Ishinomaki (hometown of manga artist Ishinomori Shotaro, writes Japan Guide), the island is less than 3 kilometers long and allows cats to roam freely. “Cats are loose to enter and pass whenever they want on the island, whether on roads, grass or anywhere else,” according to Live Japan.
A loose brochure, tashirojima’s map, is available at Nitodak Pier, says the online page, which points to all the tourist sites in the area, adding a kitten sanctuary located in the center of the island, and recommended sites to see the feline inhabitants. “A long time ago, this sanctuary was built so as not to forget a cat that died of human negligence and rested there out of pity,” Live Japan reported. The fishermen began to make giant catches. Fishermen have a classic cat-shaped deity, and islanders leave offerings in the sanctuary.
Tourists can even sleep in cat-shaped cabins, decorated with, what else? many kittens.
At the end of the Edo era, from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century, according to Slate, cats have become valuable because they deterred mice from threatening silkworms used to create textiles. Tashirojima also supported a passionate fishing industry and the Felines begged the fisherman for some of the delights they savored. As more and more kittens arrived at the docks, “a mythology born around Tashirojima’s cats,” the site reported. “The fisherman came here to consider them as an opportunity” – some other explanation of why the sanctuary was built.
Respect for cats is maintained to this day, and to the fullest they are wandering, the net ensures that animals have food and attention. Dogs are forbidden on the island, Atlas Obscura reported, “to protect the well-being of cats. “
When the 2011 Tohoku earthquake hit the domain and a tsunami followed, Tashirojima was damaged, but the hillside houses remained standing. It is said that the felines of the island felt something bad in the air beforehand. (There’s a YouTube video of the cat “warning. “)