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My kids are absolutely obsessed with cats (my wife and I are pretty big fans, too). As proof, I’ve got articles on all the cat cafes we’ve visited in Taipei (where my kids were born) and this cat village in Taiwan. We travel for cats!
So when we planned our most recent trip to Japan, a major priority was to visit one of Japan’s “Cat Islands”. Yes, that is plural, because there are more than 10 of them!
Tashirojima is one of if not the most famous cat island in Japan. We also found it is conveniently located about halfway between the two other main places we wanted to take our kids on this trip, Tokyo and Hokkaido (see our Tokyo itinerary, Hokkaido itinerary and reasons the kids loved Hokkaido).
In this article, I’ll tell you in detail how we got from Tokyo to Ishinomaki, spent the night there, took a ferry to Tashirojima Cat Island, explored it on foot, saw the Cat Shrine, and the kids counted over 100 cats during our visit.
I’ll also tell you how to find and experience the daily cat feeding on Tashirojima, which attracts almost every cat on the island to one spot!
Table of Contents
Tashirojima Cat Island Introduction
Tashirojima Island (田代島 or Tashiro Island) is a small (3.1 km2 or 1.2 sq mi) island off the east coast of Miyagi prefecture in Tōhoku region of Honshu Island, Japan – yes, that’s the region where the big tsunami happened in 2011.
As of the most recent census (2022), the island has a mere (human) popular of 54. That’s down from over 1000 islanders in the 1950s, so the remaining inhabitants are mostly elderly. Compare that to the cat population today, which is in the hundreds!
So why are there so many cats on Tashirojima? Well, in the early 1600s, locals on the island raised silkworms for the textile industry. House cats were released to help keep the rodents from damaging them.
Local fishermen also believed the cats’ behavior could help them to forecast their catches at sea. It was fishermen who first set up the island’s main Cat Shrine.
According to locals on Tashirojima today, these cats bring wealth and good luck. In fact, they don’t allow any dogs on the island to make sure the cats can continue to thrive.
A lot of the cats on the island are Japanese bobtails, so you may notice their short tails. A lot of them are also very poofy, which is ideal for handling the island’s cold and windy winters.
When the tsunami struck in 2011, the island’s cats fled inland to find safety. But the tsunami caused a lot of damage to the island’s harbors and general living conditions, leading to even more residents leaving.
Today, hundreds of tourists visit the island every day.
Getting to Tashirojima
There are three steps for getting to Tashirojima Cat Island: Tokyo (or elsewhere) to Sendai, Sendai to Ishinomaki, and the ferry to the island.
While we didn’t take enough trains to need a pass, if you plan to travel a lot by train in Japan, order your JR Pass here.
Tokyo to Sendai
No matter where you are coming from in Japan, you will most likely need to pass through Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture.
From Tokyo, you can take a Shinkansen (bullet train) to Sendai (1.5 to 2 hours). For cheaper options, see here.
For this trip, we booked all our Shinkansen tickets here on Klook, which allowed us to make a booking before the seats are even available. When the tickets are released, Klook buys them for you. It costs a little more, but as someone who loves to plan early, this is a great stress-free option.
We were actually coming from Nikko, not Tokyo. Many people do Nikko as a day trip from Tokyo, but we spent the night there to enjoy its stunning temples and forest statues (which I highly recommend!)
From Nikko, we took the Nikko Line (40 minutes, no ticket needed, we just swiped our Pasmo Passport cards) to Utsunomiya, the nearest city on the Shinkansen Line. From there, we hopped on the Shinkansen to Sendai.
Sendai to Ishinomaki
At Sendai station, we transferred onto the Senseki Line (again just swiping our Pasmo Passport cards) to Ishinomaki (1 to 1.5 hours).
This was as easy as going up the escalators, checking the list of trains and platforms, and proceeding to the correct platform.
Before the trip, I had already used GoogleMaps to figure out what time the next train to Ishinomaki would be.
Ishinomaki to Tashirojima Island
From Ishinomaki Station, it is a 15-minute walk to the ferry terminal, which is called Ajishima Line Chuou Port.
Because we arrived in Ishinomaki in the afternoon, we already missed the two day trip ferries of the day (see schedule below). Our plan was to spend the night in Ishinomaki in this hotel first, then do our day trip to Tashirojima Island the next day.
If you want to do Tashirojima as a day trip from Tokyo, it will be possible but you will need to leave Tokyo very early and it will be a long day. I don’t actually recommend this, because as you will see from the ferry schedules below, you’ll only be able to stay on the island for a couple hours.
The ferry to Tashirojima takes about 45 minutes. Shortly after departing, it makes one more stop on the mainland here.
The ferry then makes two stops on Tashirojima Island. First, it stops at Odomari Port (大泊港) here at the northern end of the island. We got off here and also took the ferry back from here.
You can also ride the ferry to (or take it back from) the second stop, Nitoda Port (仁斗田港) here at the southern end of the island. After that the ferry goes on to another island, Aji Island.
I’ll share our island itinerary in more detail below, including why we took the ferry to and from Odomari Port.
Tashirojima Island Ferry Schedule
Knowing the ferry schedule to Tashirojima is crucial because there are only three ferries in each direction per day, and only the first two will work for a day trip.
Even though I was able to find the ferry schedule online, I was still stressed that I was reading it wrong or things might have changed.
So after we checked into our hotel in Ishinomaki on Day 1, we took a walk over to the ferry terminal to confirm the times. The staff in the small ferry terminal office gave us this ferry schedule:
As you can see, for doing a day trip to the island, it’s only possible to take the first or second departures (9:00 AM or 12:30 PM), which are outlined in orange. Only take the third departure (15:30) if you plan to stay overnight on the island.
And as a day trip, you could only come back on the second or third departures (13:55 PM or 15:30 PM from Nitoda Port, 2:02 or 3:35 from Odomari Port), also outlined in orange.
Note that after Tashiro Island (Tashirojima), the ferries proceed to another larger island called Aji Island before sailing back. Here’s the full schedule with Tashiro and Aji Islands:
For our day trip, we took the 9 AM ferry to Odomari and came back on the 14:02 ferry, again from Odomari. For us, this was plenty of time to walk across the island, have lunch, and come back, even with kids and walking very slowly (due to petting so many cats).
If you took the 12:30 ferry from Ishinomaki, you would only have about two hours on the island before you would have to come back. It would be enough to walk across the island (or across and back to the same harbor), but you would be more rushed.
You can only buy tickets on the day of travel. When we came back the next day to actually go to the island, we bought tickets from the machine (in has English, Korean, and Japanese options, plus the staff will help if you need it – we did).
The machine takes cash only. Tickets cost ¥1250 each way (¥2500 return) per adult. For our kids, they were half price. The fare is the same whether you get off at Ohdamari or Nitoda stops on the island. See the fare chart here.
Note: there are also some luggage storage lockers in the ferry office in case you need them. They cost ¥400 for a large locker and ¥200 for a small locker, with 100¥ coins only.
Spending the Night on Tashirojima Island
While we didn’t, it’s possible to spend the night on Tashirojima Island.
One accommodation which stood out to us is Manga Island near Nitoda Village. It has campsites, cat-shaped cabins, and bicycles/fishing gear available.
There’s also one accommodation at Odomari Port and a handful of guesthouses in Nitoda village.
None of the island’s guesthouses are on platforms like Booking or Agoda, so you’ll have to contact them directly for a booking, which may not be easy.
There are no shops, convenience stores, and only a couple restaurants with limited opening hours on the whole island. Make sure your hotel serves food or bring some if you need to.
Our Experience Going to Tashirojima Cat Island
Now that we’ve covered the most important logistics, I’d like to share our personal experience visiting Ishinomaki and Cat Island, including our walking route, where we ate, PETTING ALL THE CATS, and all the other info you might need.
Staying in Ishinomaki
When we arrived at the small Ishinomaki train station, there first thing we noticed were the statues of manga characters inside and outside the station. Even some of the trains to Ishinomaki have these characters on them.
This is because Ishinomaki is home to the Ishinomori Manga Museum, which honors the works of Ishinomaki-born Shotaro Ishinomori. His Super Sentai series was adapted to become the Power Rangers.
The museum is on “Manga Island” right across from where we would catch the ferry the next day. (Note: not to be confused with the guesthouse called Manga Island on Tashirojima Island)
Although my kids and I didn’t recognize any of the characters, my wife (who grew up in Taiwan, where Japanese manga is extremely popular) did. We never made it to the museum.
As soon as we arrived, we checked into Ishinomaki Grand Hotel (see on Booking / Agoda). Hotel options in Ishinomaki on Booking and Agoda are pretty limited. This pretty typical 3-star hotel was our only option near the station, so it worked!
The hotel was actually surprisingly decent, with helpful counter staff, solid breakfast buffet with Japanese and Continental foods included, and passable rooms. There were only double rooms so our family got two rooms. And this being Japan, the “double” beds were tiny!
After check in, we went for a walk to the ferry terminal to inquire about the schedule. While there, we purchased some seasickness medication from this small pharmacy near the terminal, knowing that my wife and kids easily get seasick when riding boats.
We also spent some time trying to find an ATM that would give us cash (I suggest taking out cash before you come to this small city).
For dinner, we randomly chose this small restaurant just down the street from our hotel. The restaurant seemed totally unaccustomed to foreigners and the staff were nervous but welcoming. There was no English whatsoever.
Between our knowledge of some characters (we can read traditional Mandarin) and GoogleTranslate, we managed to order a feast of yakitori (barbecued meats), onigiri (rice balls), sashimi don (sashimi rice bowl), miso soup, and a whole boat of sashimi. It was a feast!
If there’s anything to do at night in Ishinomaki, we don’t know about it. We accidentally discovered there was a small “red light district” of karaoke and hostess bars a few blocks from our hotel, with dozens of tiny bars with sexy names.
Speaking of tiny bars (as in each one only sits like 3-4 people), there was even one at the front of our hotel. Japanese seem to love having drinks in really tiny, intimate spaces!
Taking the Ferry to the Island
Up early the next morning, we enjoyed our breakfast buffet then checked out and left our luggage at the hotel’s front desk.
I suggest you arrive at the ferry terminal 15 to 30 minutes before departure. When we arrived, there was a small line of people at the ticket machines.
Even with English option, we had a little trouble with the machines. The staff on hand were quick to help. Remember to bring cash!
Seating on the ferry is first-come, first served, with options inside on the main floor and outside on the second floor.
The ride was very smooth as we sailed out the river and made a brief stop at another port. Then we made for the open sea and things got bumpier.
Drowsy from motion and seasickness meds, both my kids fell asleep on my lap.
Our Island Plan
GoogleMaps told us that it only takes 30 minutes to walk from Odomari Port in the north of the island (see “You Are Here” in the above photo), where we would arrive, to Nitoda Port and village in the south.
With young kids, we expected to double that time, so one hour to walk to Nitoda and one hour to walk back.
Catching the 9:00 AM ferry, which arrived there around 9:40 AM, and departing on the 2:02 PM ferry, we knew we had 4 hours and 22 minutes on the island. You can see the exact route we ended up walking in red in the below map:
This gave us more than enough time to walk across the island and back, including visiting the famous Cat Shrine, a stop for lunch and watching the 12:00 cat feeding in the middle of the island (note the noodles symbol), and a short detour to Manga Island (cat shaped-cabins).
Because we had more than enough time, we really went slowly, letting the kids take their time and pet a shit-ton of cats along the way.
This is also why we didn’t decide to start at one port and depart from the other. If we only walked one-way across the island, we would have had TOO much extra time.
For faster walkers, you can consider adding the more remote coastal trail to Cape Mitsuishi-zaki (orange line in above map). If I had visited on my own, I easily could have walked between the two villages and done the coastal trail in four hours.
Walking Across the Island and Back
Arriving at Odomari Port, we found that there was almost nothing there. There are maybe a dozen houses, a temple, a shrine, and that’s it. Watch for the traditional gate and steep staircase up to the shrine.
It didn’t take long before we spotted our first cat. And then another, and another, and another. While most passengers who alighted here started hiking right away, we spent at least 15 minutes just petting these first cats.
There are two roads leaving the village (see the orange and purple lines I made on the map). You can take either one, as they eventually meet up before reaching the Cat Shrine.
On either route, the roads go uphill for some time, so this was the “hardest” part of the walk. It’s nothing too crazy, but was enough to get us huffing and puffing a little.
We randomly met some cats along the way, but not many. We spotted some pretty flowers, bamboo forests, snails, and other critters.
When the two roads meet up, you have to make sure to keep right for Miyori Shrine (美與利大明神), AKA the Cat Shrine (猫神社 or neko-jinja).
The tiny forest shrine is dedicated to all the cats on the island. You can read its cute founding story here.
We were happy to find that there were a couple cats hanging out at the cat shrine, ready to pose in our photos.
We also found that some visitors leave little cat figurines, mementos or photos of their cats on the shrine, and we wished we’d brought something related to our cat at home, Meownt Fuji.
From there, we continued on to Tashirojima Nyanko Kyowakoku Shimanoeki restaurant (here), one of the few places to eat on the island.
The restaurant is about halfway between the two villages and roughly at the highest point of the walk.
When we arrived, there were at least a dozen cats hanging out around the restaurant, including several sleeping in boxes and cat houses on the patio. Inside on the wall, there’s a poster showing (almost) every cat on the island and its name in Japanese.
I highly recommend stopping here. Not only do they have delicious Japanese curry and oden but also they sell a variety of cat-themed souvenirs and postcards. Yes, we stocked up.
The family who runs the shop and restaurant is very sweet.
Another reason to come here for lunch is that the restaurant does a huge cat feeding every day at noon.
We arrived there around 11, so we had an early lunch before the restaurant got really busy for the feeding. Then we stuck around to watch it, passing the time by souvenir shopping and hanging out with all the cats on the patio.
As 12:00 approached, cats began appearing from the woods in every direction. It seems like every cat on the island knows about the feeding (and also knows how to tell the time…)
In the minutes before the feeding, we couldn’t believe how many cats were there. There was a whole lot of meowing, and a few little cat fights broke up. Be careful with the cats at this time, as they are all hangry!
Then the owners came out with a couple super long bamboo trays of food. The cats took their spots on either side of the trays and munched away. I’ve never seen so many cats eating together at once. It was truly a sight to behold!
Note: If you are a faster walker than we are, then you could consider to walk all the way to Nitoda first, then come back for the feeding. If you still have extra time to kill after that, consider doing the more remote Michinoku Coastal Trail to this beautiful cape on the western side of the island.
So, after the feeding, we still had two hours to go before our departing ferry. So we pressed on to Nitoda. From this point on, the walk was mostly downhill.
Just before reaching the village, we made a brief detour to Manga Island to see the cat shaped cabins. This only added about 5 minutes of extra walking each way.
We also found there was a nice view of Totsura Island and the larger Aji Island from there.
Nitoda village is the largest on the island. It doesn’t have much, but there are a couple cafés and simple guesthouses.
We circled around the sleepy village, saw the port, then walked the same way we’d come back to Odomari. We passed the Cat Shrine for a second time on the way back, and got even better photos than the first time around.
There’s a second road you could take back (see purple route in the map I shared above) which follows the coast for a bit before going inland. Either way is about the same distance and amount of uphill/downhill.
Arriving back at Odomari, we were pleased to find that the first cat we had spotted that day was still in the same spot, so he was also our last cat of the day!
Onward to Our Next Destination
Taking the 2:02 PM ferry out, we arrived back in Ishinomaki at 2:40 PM. We fetched our luggage from the hotel and caught the next train to Sendai.
Exhausted from the day, our kids totally crashed on this train ride, in the cutest possible way.
From Sendai, we transferred onto the Shinkansen to our next destination, Hakodate, at the end of the Shinkansen line in Hokkaido!
To be honest, it would have been a lot cheaper to fly from Tokyo to Hokkaido. Shinkansen tickets are not cheap! But then we wouldn’t have been able to stop at Cat Island on the way.
To read about our journey from this point on, read about how we planned our Hokkaido itinerary and what our kids loved about Hokkaido (even though it couldn’t compare to Cat Island…)
You can also read about my past travels to many other places in Japan, like Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, Koyasan, and the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage.
More Pictures of Tashirojima Cats
Since I have approximately one million photographs of the cats on Tashirojima, I’ll finish this article by sharing some of the best ones. Enjoy!