Japan has many cat islands — as the name suggests, these are islands teeming with cats everywhere, making them paradises for many cat lovers. This one introduces Blue Island, located near Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka. The origin of cat islands is quite simple: as most residents on Japanese islands make a living through fishing, they keep cats to prevent rat and insect infestations.
To get to Blue Island, you can only go by ferry. First, take a train or Shinkansen from various locations to Kokura Station, such as taking the Shinkansen or limited express train from Hakata. Then, walk about 15 minutes via the overpass from Kokura Station to the Maejima · Blue Island Ferry Terminal. Most tourists take the 9:00 AM or 10:30 AM ferry (depending on weekdays or weekends — details can be found on the official schedule).
Since there’s only one ferry in the morning, it's advised to leave enough time to walk to the terminal, and there aren’t many signs along the way. Once on board, the first stop is Maejima — don’t get off just yet, as the second stop is your destination: Blue Island.
After arriving on the island, you can already spot a few cats at the waiting area. Looking at all the passengers, many, like me, are there for the cats, but even more are visiting to fish.
Japanese children always have bright smiles — probably because they don’t have to attend cram schools or face exams. Weekends spent playing outdoors are what they should be enjoying.
Walking around, it’s not hard to spot the cats. Unlike the street cats in Hong Kong, they don’t avoid people; many will even follow you. One tabby cat followed our group for most of the island. We’d stop, and so would it — always amusing, and presumably hoping we’d give it some food.
Speaking of food, Blue Island welcomes visitors to feed the cats. However, you must follow the island’s rules: feeding is only allowed in designated areas, and you must not enter residential zones. Also, Blue Island is just a small fishing village with very few actual sights, and virtually no restaurants. There are only a handful of vending machines selling drinks, so it’s recommended to bring some snacks before you come.
Even though there aren’t many attractions, seeing the ocean here can really help you relax.
In the afternoon, after getting tired from exploring, I rested near the ferry terminal. By chance, I struck up a conversation with an elderly fisherman. Of course, he was quite surprised that someone from Hong Kong had specifically come to Blue Island. He mentioned that in recent years, the number of cats on the island has drastically decreased — in the past, it wasn’t uncommon to see large groups of them gathering together.
As he spoke, I saw a little kitten sneak up toward the fish the old man had caught. He casually tossed a fish to the kitten. The kitten, utterly delighted (no exaggeration — the cat really looked startled), ate the fish and wore a satisfied expression. It seems the cats of Blue Island can live well-fed lives thanks in part to the fishermen.
As a small island, Blue Island might not be a top choice for travelers, but the cats bring a unique vibrancy to this little place. Rather than driving them away, the residents have embraced them, making it an extraordinary cat island in the seas of Kitakyushu. Could such a story happen in Hong Kong too?
Original location: Kyushu Sanyo Trip (Part 2) – Cat Island in Kitakyushu – Blue Island
--
Author Profile
Fai Redefined
A person who loves nightscapes.
Instagram: fai_redefined
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/redefined0307/
Blog: Genius Loci - http://redefined0307.wixsite.com/geniusloci/blog