Living in Tashirojima | Where 100+ Cats Rule Over Just 42 People | 4K Travel Documentary

Every morning on Tashirojima, the cats wait at the harbour for the fishing boats. On this small island off the north-east coast of Japan, the cats outnumber the people, dogs aren't allowed, and the cats even have their own shrine. So who looks after more than 100 cats when the island's 42 people are growing old?

In this travel documentary, we visit Japan's famous cat island in Ishinomaki, Miyagi. We look at why the islanders first kept cats to protect their silkworms, and the legend behind the cat shrine. We see how the island and its cats came through the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and how cat lovers across Japan raised 150 million yen in three months to help rebuild it.

We also meet the volunteer vet who flies in from Germany, see how a handful of families feed the cats every day, and visit Aoshima, Japan's other cat island, where only about three people are left. And we ask the question no one can answer yet: what happens to Tashirojima's cats when the last residents are gone?

Could you live in Tashirojima? Tell us in the comments.

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