Tashirojima, the cat island

photo by AMANO Jun-ichi · CC BY 3.0

photo by Eraevsky · CC BY-SA 4.0

42 inhabitants (2026), and more cats than people: the shrine began with a cat killed by mistake.

You land at Nitoda pier and the cats are already there, on the nets spread out to dry and on the steps of the houses. In the centre of the island, in the woods, is the cat shrine: it was born, so the local legend says, from the solemn burial of a cat killed by accident by a boulder while a large fishing net was being set. Near the harbour, the cat-shaped bungalows of Manga Island, designed by Chiba Tetsuya among others, are closed from November to March.

An island of 2.92 km² in Ishinomaki Bay, about 17 km from the mouth of the Kitakami River, whose highest point is Mount Masaishi, at 96 metres; remains from the Jōmon period have been found there. The cats were raised to protect the silkworms from mice, and over time they also became a good omen for fishing: in the centre of the island there is a shrine dedicated to them. The population, almost all fishermen and elderly people, was 43 at the 2020 census and fell to 42 in the municipal register of March 2026, fewer than the cats that live there, of which there is no precise count.

ℹ️ ⚠️ You can get there ONLY by ferry, run by the private company 網地島ライン (Ajishima Line): the route links Ishinomaki (Chūō and Kadowaki piers, depending on the service) with Tashirojima (Ōtomari and Nitoda ports), then with the island of Ajishima and with Ayukawa. Official fare, read on 02/09/2026 on the company's website: 1,250 yen each way for an adult from Ishinomaki to Tashirojima (another, unofficial source gave 1,200: the official figure prevails). There is also a 7-day unlimited-travel coupon at 3,150 yen, which covers the outward and return trips plus travel between the islands (Ayukawa excluded). Payment is in cash only, with no booking, and tickets go on sale ninety minutes before departure. The crossing takes about 40 minutes on the Sea Cat hydrofoil or 60 on the Mermaid II ferry. On the regular timetable there are 3 return services a day between Ishinomaki and the islands, rising to 4 from mid-July to mid-August and on the days of Obon (source: Japanese Wikipedia; the official site publishes the timetable as an image of a table, which cannot be read as text). For those who want to come back the same day, a blog updated on 02/08/2026 names the 9:00 and 12:30 departures from Ishinomaki-Chūō as the useful ones. Ōtomari port may be unreachable at low tide or in rough seas: Nitoda, which also has more cats, is the recommended port. ⚠️ NOT resolved: which Ishinomaki pier (Chūō or Kadowaki) serves which specific service; that is in the image table on the official site, which could not be read as text.

🚉 Nitoda-kō (仁斗田港) · in front of the station

Sources: ajishimaline.com · ajishimaline.com · ja.wikipedia.org · shinkansenkenkyu.com · i-kanko.com · city.ishinomaki.lg.jp

All series · Open the map