To get to Ainoshima.  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