Ainoshima: A Day Trip to Cat Island in Fukuoka

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Features of Fukuoka Aishima

If your Kyushu travel itinerary will pass through Fukuoka Hakata this time, and you also like cats very much, you must arrange a day trip to Aishima, which is one of the most popular cat islands in Japan.

Why is Fukuoka Aishima, or should it be called Fukuoka Cat Island, a place worth visiting? In addition to the convenient transportation and the opportunity to visit cats, Fukuoka Cat Island is also a very suitable choice for enjoying seaside scenery and arranging day trips during holidays.

So during this Fukuoka travel itinerary, in addition to experiencing Fukuoka’s ramen and Fukuoka Yatai delicacies, you can actually arrange a more itinerary to enjoy the sea view, visit cats, and experience life in the outskirts of outlying islands, so that the entire Kyushu travel itinerary It will become more interesting!

Access to Aishima, Fukuoka

If you are also starting from Fukuoka JR Hakata Station, the first is to take the JR Kagoshima Main Line from Hakata Station to JR Fukuko Daimae Station. When you arrive at JR Fukukodaimae Station, transfer to the bus "相らんど Line" and depart from Fukukodaimae Station to the waiting room of Shingu Port - the town-operated ferry しんぐう. Then take the ferry to Aishima, and you can go to Fukuoka Cat Island to visit cats.

To put it simply, you can start from JR Hakata Station to Fukuoka Aishima to visit cats by taking a railway, a bus, and a ferry. compared toCat Island in Ehime Prefecture – Aoshima, the transportation to Fukuoka Cat Island is relatively simple and convenient.

However, before going to Aishima, Fukuoka, you must pay attention to the ferry schedule connecting Xingu Port-Aishima Port, and the timetable of the bus "Araらんど Line" connecting JR Fugong Daimae Station-Xingong Port. It is because the daily traffic connecting JR Fukuko Daimae Station-Shingu Port-Aijima Port is very limited. Usually there are only 5 groups of buses and ferries going back and forth between these two places. So even if you come to Aijima to visit cats, don't be too obsessed with taking pictures with cats, which will affect the follow-up itinerary.

If you also want to know the latest timetable for transportation to Aishima, Fukuoka, you can refer toWebsite of Shingu Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, they will regularly update the bus and ferry times departing from JR Fukuko Daimae Station, Shingu Port, and Aishima Port. You can decide the departure time from JR Hakata Station according to your own itinerary. Or when you arrive at Hakata Station, you can also ask the staff of the tourist office, and they will provide you with transportation suggestions suitable for the itinerary of the day.

According to the information of Shingu Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, the current traffic schedule from JR Fukuko Daimae Station to Aishima Port is as follows:

Bus departure time from JR Fukuko Daimae Station	The time when the bus arrives at Shingu Port	Ferry Departure Times from Shingu Port	Ferry Arrival Time at Aishima Port
07:09	07:19	07:50	08:07
08:36	08:46	09:20	09:37
11:04	11:14	11:30	11:47
14:00	14:10	14:30	14:47
17:05	17:15	17:40	17:57

The transportation schedule from Aishima Port back to JR Fukuko Daimae Station is as follows:

Ferry departure times from Ainoshima Port	Ferry Arrival Time at Shingu Port	The time when the bus leaves Shingu Port	The time when the bus arrives at JR Fukuko Daimae Station
07:00	07:17	07:29	07:40
08:40	08:57	09:07	09:18
10:50	11:07	11:24	11:35
13:50	14:07	14:29	14:40
17:00	17:17	17:34	17:45

Itinerary planning for Aishima, Fukuoka

When planning a trip to Aishima, you must first pay attention to whether the traffic to Aishima that day has changed the departure time due to holidays and weekends. For example, sometimes because the bus and ferry depart ten minutes earlier, it takes an extra hour to wait for the transportation before departing to Ainoshima.

Departure time to Aishima

For the trip to Aishima just for visiting cats, you can arrange to depart from JR Hakata Station at 08:00 in the morning, take the JR Kagoshima Main Line to JR Fukuko Daimae Station, and then take the time to transfer to the bus or ferry , will arrive at Aishima at 09:46 in the morning, so you can spend the whole day enjoying the sunshine with Aishima's cats.

However, if you want to enjoy breakfast slowly near JR Hakata Station and don’t mind arriving at Aishima later, you can also arrange to depart from JR Hakata Station at 10:15 in the morning and take the bus from Shingu Port at 11:30 The ferry departing from Ainoshima Port will arrive at Ainoshima around 12:00 noon, and the trip to visit the cats will begin.

Itinerary options in Aishima

Since the cats in Aishima usually gather near Aishima Port, and there are several restaurants next to Aishima Port, you can visit Aishima slowly and take pictures with the cats without worrying about missing the ferry back to Shingu Port.

Basically, it takes about 3 hours, which is enough for you to have lunch in Aijima, visit the buildings near Aijima Port, and have enough time to take pictures with cats.

Time to leave Aishima

In the afternoon, there are two sets of ferries leaving Aijima, one at 13:50 pm and the other at 17:00 pm. To choose which time to leave Aijima, you can decide according to when you arrive in Aijima and how long you plan to take pictures with the cat. Generally speaking, it is enough to arrange a trip of about 3 hours in Aishima. If you have arrived in Aishima in the morning, you don’t have to stay in Aishima until the last moment. Maybe return to JR Hakata Station earlier to experience Fukuoka Yatai cuisine and Fukuoka ramen are also good choices.

A Day Visiting Cats at Fukuoka Cat Island

The reason why Fukuoka Aishima can become a cat island is because you have a high chance of meeting cats, and the residents on the island like cats very much and will take care of cats, so the cats on Fukuoka Cat Island are very healthy. At the same time, cats are not afraid of humans, and they will come over to ask you to pet them. This is why Fukuoka Aijima is worth your visit.

For example, when I took the bus from JR Fukuko Daimae Station to Shingu Port and waited for the ferry, there was already a cat sleeping at the ticket office. When you arrive at Aishima, you will easily encounter groups of cats.

Gourmet and shopping in Aishima, Fukuoka

Like other Japanese cat islands, the area of Fukuoka Aishima is not very large, but you can still find a few restaurants and small shops on Fukuoka Aishima. For example, you can also enjoy their lunch at Maruyama Cafeteria, and you can also buy some cat-related products in the small shop next to them.

Although you will not find any chain convenience stores in Aishima, Fukuoka, as long as you prepare enough food and drinks before departure, and you will have lunch at the restaurant in Aishima, it is absolutely impossible to arrange a day trip. with any questions.

Things to keep in mind when visiting Aishima, Fukuoka

If it is your first time to go to Aishima, Fukuoka, the following points are what you need to pay attention to before departure.

Departure time to Aishima, Fukuoka

Since there are not many means of transportation from Fukuoka JR Hakata Station to Fukuoka Aishima every day, in order to avoid missing the opportunity to visit Aishima and save time waiting at the station, it is recommended to decide the time to go to Fukuoka Aishima before departure and leave Time in Aishima, Fukuoka.

If it is purely for the itinerary of visiting cats, generally about 3 hours of sightseeing time is enough. You can decide the departure time from Fukuoka JR Hakata Station according to the traffic schedule to Fukuoka Aishima on the same day

Recommended Seasons to Visit Ainoshima

Since cats are generally afraid of the cold, if you go to Aishima on rainy or winter days, you may not meet any cats. If you also want to take pictures with cats, and if you have a chance to meet cats who come to ask you to pet them, it is highly recommended to go to Aishima on a sunny day in summer. However, in hot weather, you must pay more attention to your physical condition.

Shopping on Ainojima, Garbage Problems

The shops in Aishima, Fukuoka are mainly restaurants and small shops opened by local residents, rather than some large chain convenience stores. If you also like to communicate with local people, Fukuoka Aishima is also a good place.

However, if you do not intend to spend in Aishima, Fukuoka, but bring your own food and drinks to Aishima, you should take away all the garbage when you leave Aishima to avoid unnecessary burdens on the residents of Aishima.

Rules for Visiting Cats in Ainoshima

In principle, it is not allowed to feed cats in Xiangdao, because the local residents of Xiangdao will provide food to cats on a regular basis, and it is also to reduce the chance of cats getting sick from eating foreign food by mistake.

Before touching cats, you should clean your hands first to avoid infecting different cats with germs. Of course, it is also because different cats have different personalities. Except for cats approaching you actively, under normal circumstances we do not recommend contacting any cats to minimize the chance of being scratched by cats.

Where to stay in Aishima, Fukuoka

It is also because the general itinerary to Fukuoka Aishima departs from Fukuoka JR Hakata Station, so when arranging accommodation in Fukuoka, you can also considerHotel Nikko Fukuoka,Hakata Tokyu REI Hotel,Hotel Wing International – Hakata, these hotels near JR Hakata Station. It is equally convenient to go to Fukuoka Cat Island in the morning or to other Fukuoka attractions.

Summarize

Compared to cat islands in other parts of Japan, such as theQingdao,EnoshimaIn general, Aishima, Fukuoka's cat island, is a place with relatively convenient transportation and a place where you can experience the scenery of the suburbs. Nor is it like an over-developed, highly commercialized attraction that receives a large number of tourists every day. So you can quietly take pictures with cats, enjoy the seaside scenery, and then return to the city of Fukuoka in the afternoon and set off for the next attraction.

If you are also planning your next itinerary to Japan, we have also prepared practical travel information in different regions for you, and I believe they can plan a unique itinerary experience for you!

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