Atlas Obscura on Slate is a blog about the world's hidden wonders. Like us on Facebook, Tumblr, or follow us on Twitter @atlasobscura. A 40-minute ferry ride from Ishinomaki, near Sendai, will get you ...

While the domestic cat is believed to have originated in the Middle East, the species’ affable nature and prowess for rodent extermination has allowed it to expand across the globe, reaching some of ...

Welcome to Cat Island. No, make that Cat Islands—plural! Because in Japan, there are at least two locations in Japan with that nickname. Perhaps the most well-known “neko shima” (猫島) or “cat island” ...

One of Japan's 'cat islands,' Tashirojima Island is home to an unusually large number of cats. With their cuddly looks and standoffish attitude, cats are full of charisma, and tourists can't seem to ...

Cats as far as the eye can see: your idea of heaven or hell? Tashirojima, off Japan's northeastern coast, is home to more than 100 cats, leaving space for only 50 humans. Along a paved road running ...

TASHIROJIMA, JapanTASHIROJIMA, Japan — On a small island off Japan’s northeastern coast, visitors make offerings at a shrine for unlikely local guardians: cats. The “Neko Jinja,” or Cat Shrine, ...

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi — TASHIROJIMA, Japan (AP) — On a small island off Japan's northeastern coast, visitors make offerings at a shrine for unlikely local guardians: cats. The "Neko Jinja," or Cat Shrine ...

Deputy director of the social group "Nyanko Kyouwakoku" Yutaka Hama plays with cats on Tashirojima Island, Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Dec. 13, 2017. (Mainichi) ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi -- Here kitty, ...

Tashirojima is famously known as Cat Island. This enchanting island in Miyagi Prefecture is a feline paradise, where cats vastly outnumber humans. If you are a cat person, this place will most ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

On one idyllic Japanese island, there's no such thing as a dog person. Tashirojima is a dwindling two-port, 100-person fishing community where cats outnumber humans many times over. It's a real-life ...

On a small island off Japan's northeastern coast, visitors make offerings at a shrine for unlikely local guardians: cats. The "Neko Jinja," or Cat Shrine, mythologizes cats as guardian angels of ...