I’d been wanting to visit Ainoshima for so long. It’s one of several “cat islands” in Japan, but this one is the most famous in the Fukuoka region. The island is small, about 1.25 square kilometers, and home to only a few hundred residents… and dozens (some say hundreds) of friendly stray cats. 🐈 They live freely across the island, especially near the port and around the fishing village.

To get there, you first drive to Shingu Port, where the ferry to Ainoshima departs. The ferry ride is only 20 minutes, but the schedule isn’t very frequent, there are usually just 4–5 departures a day in each direction, so it’s important to plan ahead. We caught the 11 AM ferry and planned to return with the 1:20 PM ferry back to Shingu Port.

As soon as we arrived around 11:30 AM, we spotted cats everywhere lounging on rocks, walking along the pier, sleeping near boats. But before getting completely distracted by all the cuteness, we decided to grab lunch first so we’d have time later to just relax.