Located near Fukuoka, Ainoshima is one of the world’s most famous “cat spot”, hailed by CNN as one of the top ten cat islands in the world. Although fame brought many tourists, it also created numerous issues due to over-tourism. To address this, passionate locals formed the volunteer groups to begin to clean up the environment, establish guidelines, and systematically take care of cats. They have finally found a balance between tourism, animal welfare, and island residents’ daily lives
Since 2023, led by Terry, the founder of Polyglo.tw, we have partnered with the Ainoshima’s volunteer groups to organize international exchange events. We bring international visitors to explore the cat island, learn how to care for cats, and at the same time learn about Ainoshima’s unique history. The results have been warmly received by both locals and overseas participants. Last but not least, Kyushu’s well-known television station, KBC, even featured our event in a special report.
Through international exchange, this event aims to bring new opportunities to both the people and cats of Aishima and to give visitors genuine opportunities to learn and connect.
Program
Polyglot.tw will co-host this program with Ainoshima’s volunteer group “Community Cat Ainoshima コミュ猫相島” for Colive Fukuoka’s participants. The participants will be able to tour the island while doing some basic volunteer work for Ainoshima’s cats. The local volunteers will use simple Japanese or English to walk you through everything you need know about cats and Ainoshiam.
Venue:
Ainoshima, Shingu-machi, Kasuya-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
09:40 — Arrive at Ainoshima (Please take the second ferry departing from Shingu; see the ferry schedule below for details).
09:40 – 11:30 — Participate in the cat volunteer experience and learn about cat-rearing knowledge with Japanese volunteers.
11:30 – 12:30 — Lunch and exchange with the volunteers (Lunch is at your own expense).
12:30 – 13:00 — Lecture by Professor Yamazaki of Fukuoka University: Natural Philosophy and Animal Welfare of Japan.
Ferry Schedule (March 1 to October 31)
From Aishima (相島発)
Arrive at Shingu (新宮着)
From Shingu (新宮発)
Arrive at Aishima (相島着)
7:00
7:17
7:50
8:07
8:40
8:57
9:20
9:37
10:50
11:07
11:30
11:47
13:50
14:07
14:30
14:47
16:00
16:17
16:40
16:57
17:30
17:47
18:10
18:27
Fees
Program Fee: ____ Yen
Donation: Please donate at least 1,000 Yen to “Community Cat Ainoshima” in cash to on the day of the event.
How to Register
Please register via the Colive Fukuoka system.
About the Event Organizer Terry Hsieh
Terry is the Founder of Polyglot.tw. He calls himself a “Linguistic Digital Nomad” and has visited 100 countries and studied 50 languages. As a passionate “cat daddy”, he has volunteered at cat shelters in 10 countries around the world. You can witness his love for languages and cats on his YouTube channel “Polyglot with Cats”. In additional his role as the organizer, he will also be the interpreter on the day of the event.
テリー（Terry）はPolyglot.twの創設者です。「言語のデジタルノマド」を自称し、100カ国を訪れ、50言語を学んできました。情熱的な「キャット・ダディ（猫パパ）」として、世界10カ国の猫シェルターでボランティアを経験しています。言語と猫への愛は、彼のYouTubeチャンネル Polyglot with Cats でご覧いただけます。
沉浸式習得留遊學 