Pop Japan

Japan has a lot to offer besides the common tourist sites such as a museum, historical places, amusement parks and aquariums. Satisfy your curiosities and searching for fantasies with these off the beaten paths that are exotic and hidden.

 

Cat islands

 

Islands of Aoshima, Okishima, Muzukijima, Enoshima, Aijima, Genkaishima, Kadarishima, Tashirojima,Iwaishima and Manabeshima.

 

If you like being surrounded by domestic cats and the experience of felines outnumbering human residents, then each one of these islands should be in your travel list. The locals believe that feeding stray cats bring good fortune and wealth and as a result, the cat population rose to more than a hundred.

 

Aoshima island

Nagahamacho Aoshima, Ozu, Ehime Prefecture

 

This island is off the coast of Matsuyama and south of Hiroshima City. In Aoshima island, the furry friends outnumber about 100 to 15 people who are mostly retirees. There are no hotels and other conveniences on the island. To get into this cat ruled island, you’ll need to go to Ehime prefecture where there is a ferry in Nagahama port. Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted by hordes of furry friends eager for attention or snacks. Due to the increasing popularity of Aoshima, tourist and cat lovers flock to the island to take photos or give treats to the cats.

 

Tashirojima Island

Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture

 

Tashirojima island lies in northern Japan and off the coast of Sendai and Ishinomaki, one of the country’s cats islands. The friendly felines outnumber people who are under 100 and mostly elders. The present cat population are believed to be the descendants of the original cats brought during the Edo period to protect the silkworm farms from mice. Up to this day, the residents take care of the cats and even dedicated some shrines and cat cabins. The cat cabins are cute and resemble a feline head complete with eyes and ears. One of the shrines there are complete with flat stones and Maneki-neko (a Japanese figurine) believed to bring luck to owners.
 

Okunoshima Island (the Rabbit Island)

Okunoshima, Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture

 

 

Photo courtesy of Flickr and bshamdblen

 

Okunoshima Island lies between the city of Takehara and the larger Omishima Island. The island was used to be a wartime factory for chemical weapons and research during world war II. It was later abandoned and is now home to a thousand rabbits that often greet tourists to ask for cabbages, leafy greens and other vegetables. The rabbits are regarded as a symbol of birth and children’s blessing.

For amenities, there is free public wifi, a service for short-term luggage keeping, a national park resort hotel, a shuttle bus service, the poison gas museum, a rabbit cafe, and a rabbit-themed port cam and souvenirs.

How to get there: Starting from Hiroshima station, go to Tadanoumi station. Take a Tokaido Shinkansen train that will go to Shin-Osaka. Drop in Mihara station and catch a JR or local train line that will go to Hiro station. After 40 minutes, you’ll arrive at Tadanoumi station where you will exit towards Tadanoumi port. A ferry will take you to the island within 12 minutes.

 

Aokigahara (The Suicide Forest)

Northwest Mt.Fuji, Narusawa, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture

 

                             Photo courtesy of Flickr and *_*

 

This place will test your curiosities for anything that is eerie and mysterious. The Aokigahara forest is located in the northwestern flank of Mount Fuji. Due to the remoteness of the area, the forest became the favourite spot for people who commit or attempt suicide by drug overdose or hanging. In fact, in 2010, the local authorities found bodies that are nearly skeletonized or are already skeletons. In an attempt to reduce suicide, the Japanese authorities conducted patrols and security cameras.

Due to numerous suicide occurrences in that area, the forest earned a reputation as a hunted place that may host some ghosts of suicide victims. An internet article reported that a compass doesn’t work in that area and visitors may easily get lost even scouring small areas. The same article detailed the story of a couple who felt as if they are being watched or followed while walking. Then, there’s another story of hikers noticing a guy without a definite figure that suddenly teleported 10 meters ahead of them. Another is the experience of a man who suddenly heard some eerie whispers.

 

Despite the spooky notorieties associated with Aokigahara, the forest is beautiful and peaceful - except for the strewn of some shoes and clothing reminding of what Aokigahara has become in the paranormal world.

 

Aogashima Island (the most isolated inhabited island)

Aogashima is a volcanic island inhabited by about 160 people. It has an area of 3.38 square km and is the most isolated among the islands of Izu archipelago. The notable feature of Aogashima is a crater (perhaps extinct or dormant) covered by the vegetation. If you are looking for an isolated place far from the stress of city life and precarious living, then is one of the best locations.

 

Yonaguni Island

                                                          Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Gorgo

 

Yonaguni Island belongs to the group of Yaeyama islands and the westernmost part of Japan. It is also one of the nearest Japanese islands to Taiwan (East) and the Philippine’s Basco Batanes (South). The island is 28 square km in area and has a population of fewer than 2000 people. The island is inhabited and has a residential area and an airport. Yonaguni’s subtropical forest, beaches and serenity await those who are seeking a remote but partly urbanized island that is away from the noise of traffic and city.

 

Have you heard of Atlantis from Greek mythology? Asia has its own Atlantis too and that can be found off the coast of Yonaguni island. Known as the Yonaguni monument, this submerged stone formations or structure are under investigation by the divers and marine archaeologists. Some claim that the underwater structure is man-made and thus could be the remnants of the lost continent of Mu - a large landmass that once existed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Masaaki Kimura, a professor emeritus from the University of Ryukyu, surmised that that area structures could be a man-made artifact and perhaps from the lost-continent of Mu. Others disputed his claim and they said that the monuments were natural formations.

 

Hashima Island (Abandoned Island)

 

                                                    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and kntrty

 

Nicknamed ‘Battleship island”, Hashima island was once populated but now left as if it exists in a dystopian world. If you are seeking an experience akin to visiting Alcatraz Island in California, this place should be in your bucket list. There are tour companies that cater to visitors and have conditions or rules before you are admitted to visiting the place. Hashima lies near Nagasaki City and can be reached through tour companies and cruises via Nagasaki port.

 

• Yakushima forest (real-life enchanted forest)

Yakushima island

 

                Photo courtesy of Flickr and caseyyee

 

Yakushima forest is situated off the coast of Kagoshima prefecture and near Tanegashima island (the same location for the Tanegashima Space Centre). The island is accessible when you fly to Yakushima airport from Fukuoka and Osaka. The forest features a lot of Yaku cedars that are over thousands of years old. The bridge, thick and virgin forest, trails and gorges make Yakushima an ideal place for those seeking treks and romantic photo taking adventures.

 

Japan’s off the beaten paths should be in your bucket list if you looking for isolated places or experiences for reasons such as adventure or when you have been to common tourist attractions in Japanese cities. The above are just a few of the off the beaten paths and there are many of them in the country.