If you proudly refer to yourself as a cat lady (minus the crazy), then allow us to introduce you to your next bucket list destination: A little island off of the coast of Japan called Aoshima. But it's more commonly referred to as "Cat Island" — and for good reason. There are only 16 human residents on the island, compared to a whopping 140 cats.
These animals were originally brought over to the tiny fishing village to help kill the mice that hung around the fishing boats. During this time, the population was around 1,000 and has slowly declined over the years, while the number of cats grew. Now, it's a popular tourist destination and visitors take a 30 minute ferry ride just to observe (and, you know, hopefully play with) the cats that roam the town.
But don't worry: The local residents don't mind the visitors. "If people coming to the island find the cats healing, then I think it's a good thing," a local man named Hidenori Kamimoto told Reuters. "I just hope that it's done in a way that doesn't become a burden on the people who live here."
Doesn't it look magical?
[h/t Business Insider
