४ मार्च, २०१५

Depressing-looking village attracts loads of tourists by having lots of feral cats.

Here's this photo essay in The Atlantic: "Aoshima Island is one of about a dozen 'cat islands' around Japan... In Aoshima more than a hundred cats prowl the island... tiny Aoshima has seen a steep rise in tourist visits, overwhelming the handful of permanent residents."

People who travel too much and people who love feral cats... I'm picturing the Venn diagram... and thinking of additional circle for it.

१८ टिप्पण्या:

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

The additional circle:

First World Inhabitants?

Old Lesbians?

Loud talkers at Cocktail Parties?

Bryan C म्हणाले...

Also a pretty good place for the Yakuza to dump bodies.

I made that up, but I bet it's true.

MathMom म्हणाले...

Those cats all look related. There was only one Tuxedo cat in the whole bunch!

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

I want the Temptations cat treats concession for the Island. They should sell at a high price, like $10 hot dogs at the ballpark.

Jane the Actuary म्हणाले...

That's depressing. From what I understand, these sorts of villages are all over the place in Japan, depopulated, schools closed, with only the elderly left.

Same thing is true, I suppose, of former-Soviet Eastern European countries (e.g., Moldova) where the young have all left to seek their fortune elsewhere. But Japan is prosperous -- yet headed toward gradual extinction.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/janetheactuary/2015/02/from-the-library-shutting-out-the-sun-how-japan-created-its-own-lost-generation-by-michael-zielenziger.html

And those cats? It is not cute to encourage this overpopulation of feral cats by feeding them. It really seems unnatural -- don't male cats have territories?

Shanna म्हणाले...

I like the picture of the cat with the fish!

I was going to say Key West, but the cats at hemingways house aren't feral I guess. Key West's thing is chickens.

Matt Sablan म्हणाले...

"And those cats? It is not cute to encourage this overpopulation of feral cats by feeding them. It really seems unnatural -- don't male cats have territories?"

-- They don't seem feral. There's a lot of pictures of them begging for food and waiting around where people come to feed them. Feral cats have territories, but pseudo-domesticated ones can share the space since there's no real competition.

Larry J म्हणाले...

I see a horror movie plot just waiting to be written. Perhaps something on the lines of Hitchcock's "The Birds" where the cats get pissed one day and start attacking the villagers.

There are many perfectly nice cats in the world, but every barrel has its bad apples, and it is well to heed the old adage, "Beware the bad cat bearing a grudge."
- "Babe" (1995)

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

Additional possible circles:

Women with dyed hair married to men with toupees.

Men in Shorts and black socks.

Retired teachers (implied: with nothing better to do).

Former Olympic Shot-putters who practiced by throwing cats.

People who have had face-lifts.

Fans of Ellen.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

"Shima" (also Anglicized as "jima") is Japanese for island. So Aoshima Island is redundant.

Yes, Hiroshima is a city founded on an island in a river delta.

Eric the Fruit Bat म्हणाले...

What that island needs is a flyover from a C-17 and a Low-Velocity Airdrop of squirrels.

RLB_IV म्हणाले...

All they need is a few Vietnamese restaurants on the island.

jr565 म्हणाले...

If I ever get rich enough to buy my own islands I'm going to have a cat island. And maybe a dog island.

campy म्हणाले...

"If I ever get rich enough to buy my own islands I'm going to have a cat island."

Start small. Invest in a cathouse.

Mary Beth म्हणाले...

It looks overcast in most of those pictures. It must smell lovely when the sun shines.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

You'd think being known for an abundance of feral cats would keep people away.

Paul म्हणाले...

Very healthy looking felines! I like the pic where the two brownish and two orange tabbies are walking shoulder to shoulder. We have a brown and an orange tabby who walk shoulder to shoulder down the hall and around the corner into the kitchen, the brown female leaning into the orange male steering him around the corner. Such a hoot.

hombre म्हणाले...

Is it true that the Audobon Society has scheduled an outing there?