Watch What It’s Like to Visit Japan’s Cat Island
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TweetBecause one can never get enough of cats on the internet, I present to you a travel video coming from Expeditioner reader Eric Testroete about the island of Tashirojima, Japan, otherwise known as “Cat Island.”
With a population of only about 100 residents, the island is home to six times that number in cats, or for those good at math, 600 cats.
As you can see in the above video, as soon as you step off the ferry, you are greeted by the island’s many furry inhabitants who make this island a popular draw for tourists. And it looks like the residents really play up their cat association: the toilets are outfitted with cat toilet dispensers, the docks are decorated with cat-themed buoys, and you can even stay in a guest house shaped like a cat.
Why so many cats in Tashirojima? It turns out, the island was a hub for silk production during the Edo Period, which meant that rodents were very interested in dining on the silkworms used to produce the silk. So the islanders bred a large population of cats to keep the mice in control, and today you can see their ancestors up close and personal.
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Matt Stabile is based in New York City, and is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Expeditioner which was founded in 2008. You can read his writings, watch his travel videos or contact him via email at any time at TheExpeditioner.com.