Ao Island — Attraction in Ozu

Hopefully some helpful tips:

The island is currently not really open for people from outside the island. a) its not a tourist attraction b) the protect the population for sickness

People are only allowed to be at the pier. So 8h there is maybe a bit boring. So I would recommend the second ferry. Which would give one hour to play with the gets. (Only two ferries to and from the island per day)

You do not need to bring food or water for the cats! There are also not 200 cats. Maybe some come out when it’s autumn or spring but in summer maybe 20 cats hang out around the pier. The cats get fed by the captain of the ferry twice a day. He also looks after the water.

The captain feeds the cats when the ferry arrives so just follow him and you will find the cats.

And the residents also feed and give water to the cats outside the main feeding area. The cats are looked after and yes some old cats are just old and look therefore not the best. But they have been sterilized some wear collars and it looks like the ship captains favorite cat is the one without a tail.

There is a place/ hut at the pier where you can pick up cat toys, leave cat food, rest and with a toilet.

During the summer months the cats are mostly in the shade and outside the visitor area.

Currently the island has also some construction work around the old school building done.

Its beautiful and sad at the same time. Beautiful nature and sad to see that one day there will be only cats left on the island. And even the cats will be gone one day because they are sterilized. Cat with missing part of the ear= sterilized cat

I spoke with one of the residents of the island. She was super nice and spoke with me about the island and its shrines. She was also interested to hear more about where I am from and why I came all the way to her island. If you speak Japanese, I highly recommend to speak with the residents. After all you are basically in their home and guests on their island. At least greet them in Japanese and say thank you.

The island is perfect for people who love animals, nature, quietness, Japanese history and loneliness. Its not a tourist place at all. Again currently only pier allowed.

Thank you for coming to...

This cat island is not what we expected, either in terms of the cats, or the island itself. It’s reached via a ferry journey from Nagahama. If you go on the 14:30 ferry and come back on the 16:00 ferry you will have time to explore most of what is accessible on the island. The ferry arrives at a pretty harbour in what appears to be a paradise island. There will be cats at the harbour. Make sure to bring food – that’s why they have obligingly come to meet you. There were not as many cats as we thought there would be. Maybe a few dozen at most. They mostly seemed ok, although some of them looked as if they might be a bit sick. Some are quite thin. After meeting the cats, we wanted to look around the island. We walked up to the temple near the harbour, which is clearly maintained. Other than that, most buildings and pathways are closed off or derelict. We had read that the island has only a small human population and we didn’t really meet anyone who wasn’t a visitor. It seems that most locals have abandoned the island, leaving a tiny community of just half a dozen older folk, living around the harbour. It must once have been a thriving island though. There are some big buildings, like a municipal block on the hill above the harbour, completely overgrown and broken down. It’s beautiful, in a way, to see how nature has taken over. It is full of insects and spiders. Most notable are the sea slaters, woodlouse-type insects that occupy every roadway and building. As you walk, they scatter and then, if you stand still, they crawl back. They must live for a long time because some are tiny and some are up to about 2 inches long. The most shocking thing about the island is the plastic. If you walk along the harbour wall and look down between the rocks, or if you go onto the beach, there is a plastic littered everywhere. Little bits and big bits and all sorts of things. It is an interesting place to visit, but it feels neglected. Fun fact: Aoshima, literally means, Blue Island, maybe for how blue the sea is here. (Forgive me if I have got that Japanese...

The positives - there are lots of lovely cats. The negatives - many of the cats appear to be sick. In addition to wounds from fighting, there are numerous cats with eye/respiratory issues with redness, crusty eyes, or too wet eyes and runny noses, and I have seen several really bad cases of what appears to be mange/scabies. I hope cats can get medical attention they desperately need. Also, there seem to be very few water dishes. Hot weather is coming, people planning to visit the island please bring some water dishes and water for the cats, not only food. I wish I knew the situation before I went. Cats need water especially if they are fed dry food. Also, many of the cats seem not to like dry food, and some of the sick ones are unable to eat it (one of the cats was drooling a lot, not sure if it was from a dental problem or other reasons since she was in quite poor condition generally). I wish I knew before I went to bring more wet food, as it is I brought some but not enough, and I brought a lot of dry food (higher calorie density and easier to carry but clearly not preferred by the cats) There are significant weight differences among cats. Braver and more aggressive ones are very fat, while the thin and timid ones are afraid to approach the food when there are more dominant cats around. It is hard to ensure that everyone gets enough, since some clearly don't get enough food while others are overweight. Practical issues - ferry runs twice a day only. Does not seem to be full on a working day mid-June, so it may not be necessary to line up quite so early unless its weekend. There is indeed no food or drinks to purchase on the island. There is a toilet in the waiting room. All in all, not most convenient but expected from the comments. My low rating is mainly because of sick cats which do not seem to have received adequate medical attention. Unless something is done soon, situation will...