At a glance
Among its thousands of small islands, Japan has two islands populated by cats and one island of rabbits! Here's a look...
Japan has a huge number of small islands inhabited by fishing families. In recent decades, many of them have been abandoned by younger generations who left in search of a better life in big cities. All that remains on these islands are a few dozen elderly residents and, sometimes... some rather unusual wildlife!
Aoshima and Tashiroshima: the cat islands
Unlike the humans, the handful of cats brought to these islands by fishermen to fight rats and mice on board their boats or in their homes never left, and were able to multiply freely. Today there are more than a hundred of them on the small islands of Aoshima (see the video below) and Tashiroshima (video). Their numbers are so striking that these islands have become genuine tourist attractions. Every day, tourists arrive to watch the little felines and feed them. As for the cats, they're only too happy to let tourists approach them.
Rabbit Island
The island of Okunoshima (Hiroshima prefecture) is known in Japan for its hundreds of rabbits (video). Between 1929 and 1945, the island housed a poison gas factory. Since then it has become a recreational island with hotels, a golf course and lovely beaches. Needless to say, the rabbits that live there are protected, and none of their natural predators may be brought onto the island!
Want to visit them?
Ao Island (Aoshima) can be reached by boat from the port of Nagahama (Ehime prefecture), while Tashiroshima (Miyagi prefecture) is reached from the port of Ishinomaki.
Okunoshima island is accessible by ferry from Tadanoumi and from Omishima island.
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