From the Encounter with Amami Cat, Annku

It's been over half a year since I moved to Amami Oshima, and now I find myself reflecting on this strange, grand flow of events.

I lived in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward to keep a cat. Shortly after moving, in 2024, I applied for a cat adoption event in Ota Ward, but missed it due to a mistake checking my email... Unable to wait until the next one, I searched online and found another cat adoption event. And it was happening tomorrow at a nearby variety store. And what's more! There was a long-haired female kitten, just what I'd hoped for!!

The next day, I practically flew over to the event to meet her. Among many kittens, she was three years old, well-built, had a commanding presence with one eye, and was the only long-haired one. She'd made an impact when I saw her online, but at the venue, she truly stood out. Being a cat novice, I consulted the staff but felt a bit nervous. Yet, when they suggested, “How about a trial?” I decided. We'd welcome her home in two weeks. Her name? Around this time, I'd been eating homemade sweet bean paste made with rice koji every day, so I named her “Annku.” I'd already thought of a name, just in case I ever got a cat.

Then something occurred to me. When I saw her online, and even at the venue, none of the other cats had their place of origin listed. But Annku was marked as being from Amami Oshima. I vaguely imagined it from the Oshima tsumugi fabric, but a warm island south of Kyushu? I'd always had a vague longing to live on a warmer island when I got a bit older, and now I found myself consciously thinking about Amami.

Then, not long after, the large characters “Amami” caught my eye at the nearby Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno. It was an announcement for the “Isson Tanaka Exhibition: Amami's Light, Paintings of the Soul” featuring an artist who moved to Amami in his later years and continued painting there. I didn't know the artist, but I went to the museum right after it opened. I was overwhelmed by the rows of unfamiliar Amami landscape paintings, but above all, I was impressed by Isson's drive to move to Amami at age 50.

So, should I move to Amami Oshima? I searched online. I attended a Net Amami Migration Seminar, which offered a real-life experience tour. Despite hearing that outsiders struggle to find housing, my move to Amami was decided in the blink of an eye.

During my final days in Tokyo, I received various advice from close friends, and remarkably, everything regarding the move unfolded exactly as they suggested. It sounds almost scripted, but it's an undeniable fact.

Did Annku also want to return to Amami? After meeting him, the flow suddenly changed, and a powerful current began to surge. Cats are often considered spiritual beings, and this entire experience left me with no choice but to believe it was exactly that.