Tashirojima is a small inhabited island in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan. It is located in the Pacific Ocean off the Oshika Peninsula, west of Ajishima, and currently has a population of only regarding 100, most of whom are over 65 years old.
Just a short ride from the east coast of Japan, Tashirojima is also known as “Cat Island” because it is literally a cat’s paradise, where the animals outnumber the human population by a factor of regarding 6 above 1.
Cảng Tashirojima. Ảnh: Sayoko Shimoyama.
Japan: Unique with the legendary “Cat Island” where people worship cats
Almost devoid of people and cats running around, this is definitely one of the most quaint and almost abandoned places that curious visitors can visit. Every year, many tourists come to the island in groups.
In the past, at the end of Japan’s Edo period, much of the island was used to raise silkworms to weave cloth. To keep mice away from their precious silkworms, the residents here began to breed and breed cats, as they are known to be natural predators for rodents.
Later, due to the strong belief of local people that keeping cats will bring wealth and good luck, they were no longer spayed. As a result, the cat population increased dramatically as humans migrated, and the island’s population dropped from 1,000 in the 1950s to less than 100 today.
In 2011, the island was said to have suffered heavy damage in some areas when the Tohoku tsunami hit the coast of Japan. Although the cat population appears to have remained relatively intact, younger people that survived the tsunami have left the island. The current result on the island is only the elderly.
In Japanese culture, it is believed that cats bring good luck. Therefore, residents and tourists come to Tashirojima every year to seek good luck. Photo: Sayoko Shimoyama.
Tashirojima today is no longer a place where humans live, but a place to nurture and worship cats. It is a safe haven for those who want to be away from modern society for a while. Shotaro Ishinomori is a famous manga and anime artist. He is very influential in Japan, he had planned to move to this island before. Therefore, Tashirojima is now also known as Manga Island.
There are comic-themed cat lodges and cat shrines all over the island, as well as newly built cat-shaped cabins where tourists can stay.
With 83% of the population classified as elderly and 50% or more of them over the age of 65, most are engaged in fishing or the hotel business.