Ogijima — Local services in Takamatsu

If you're planning a trip to Ogijima just to see the cats, stop. A charity called Sakura Neko has been working to trap, neuter, and release the wild cats. When they've neutered the cats, they clip their ears. This means that there are much fewer wild cats on the island. During our 3 hours there, we saw less than 10 cats. Also, don't bring food for the animals. The TNR charity provides the remaining cats with some food and water. It's also frowned upon to bring them food. It's really nice to see a "cat island" that has made efforts to control the cat population.

However, if you're going to Ogijima for the art, you will not be disappointed. Most of the installations are within the same small area, making it easy to visit all of the art within a short visit. The instillations were all really wonderful. If you're visiting for the Setouchi Triennale, make sure to come here.

There were also many places to get food, which was a nice surprise after visiting Teshima and Naoshima.

Another piece of advice - line up early for the ferry back to Takamatsu. We arrived at around 2:30 for the ferry that departed at 3pm and there was already a long line at the port. We were only just able to find seats. The ferries are much smaller than those going to the bigger islands, so if you don't arrive early you may end...

Avoid visiting during the Triennale unless you fancy crowds and already purchased a ferry ticket through the Triennale app which is only worth it if you plan to do many trips to different islands. Most visitors have 2 reasons to come here: those who admire the handful of wildcats roaming freely on the island, it might be more satisfying to visit a cat cafe instead. As for the art installations, most if not all of them are also on display outside of the Triennale…

During the Triennale, trying to buy a ticket at the Takamatsu port on the day is a gamble and chances are you will be wasting your time unless you are prepared to wait a long time… Why? The ticket sale starts 30 mins before the tiny ferry’s departure time. Typically there will be a very long switchback queue of people waiting already. Once the capacity of the tiny ferry is sold out, the ticket office closes and reopens 30 minutes prior to the departure of the next ferry which at the time of writing is once in 2 hours… so if you missed out and you really want to go, be prepared to occupy your spot in the queue until the ticket...

I visited in Q4 2022. Ogijima 男木島 and its neighbor island, Megijima 女木島 (literally, "man and woman wood island") are a short ride from the city of Takamatsu 高松. The rule of thumb continues to hold -- cat islands close to major metropolises don't have many cats! The island is a popular weekend getaway for Takamatsu locals wanting a dose of island life and perhaps some nostalgia food. A few cat-themed cafes and stores are on the island, along with a cat photo exhibit hall. Perhaps more interesting are the random pieces of modern art dispersed across the island, part of an art collaboration among various islands held once every few years, the Seto Triennale. Cats are relatively few, I'd estimate no more than 30. The domestic news reports ~140 cats being neutered on Ogijima back in 2018. The remaining cats are very well fed and a few are overweight if not outright obese. Less of a "cat island" and more of a "cat...