I open my eyes and wake up in a strange land, strangely different from the one that I have  been residing in. I see a cat. With.. another cat. Followed by a dozen. Holy kittens! Is that an entire clowder?!

I hope this isn’t a dream. I think I have knocked on heaven’s door. But no, this is infact reality. I have mystically found my way to Japan’s cat island, Tashirojima. Which for me, is no less than a dream!

Welcome to paradise, where cats are kings and outnumber us Homo sapiens by a ratio of six to one. In the last 50 years, a massive decline in the human population has been witnessed- from a thousand to less than a hundred, making these felines the primary and dominating residents of the island. Regardless of the number, the few remaining humans, now known as the secondary residents, have made sure that the cats, their masters, are well-fed and taken proper care of.
 

Picture Credits: Barcroft TV

There’s a boatload of incoming tourists who come here to tick off this mystical land from their bucket lists. But of course, a pen scratch against paper isn’t the only scratch this island gives them! There are a number of other 'cat islands' around Japan as well, including Enoshima, in the Kanagawa Prefecture, Okishima, in the Shiga Prefecture, Sanagishima, in the Kagawa Prefecture and Aoshima, Ehime Prefecture.
 

To add to the spice of this already strange island is the fact that no dogs are allowed here! As if any dog would be silly enough to tumble across the wrong side of the border. This island would surely be smeared by a bright red cross on their doggie map.