A tiny cat island in Japan made a delightful promotional video in a sweet, earnest request to get Ed Sheeran to come visit. It’s sort of like the modern equivalent of a siren call, but with sleepy cats. Getting shipwrecked on this island wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to the Irish singer, who is a noted cat lover and has previously visited Japan’s cat cafes to serenade its residents.
A Japanese cat island made a music video to lure Ed Sheeran
‘Come to our tiny cat island’ is the new ‘Come to Brazil’
‘Come to our tiny cat island’ is the new ‘Come to Brazil’
The video, which politely starts by addressing “Mr. Ed Sheeran,” goes on to explain: “Did you know that there is a cat Island in Japan? It’s called Ainoshima. It’s a tiny, tiny island and the size can’t even be compared to Ireland!” Opening with a nice nod to his heritage, it sweetens the deal: there are over 100 cats eagerly waiting for him. The cats are “care-free and full of life,” may fight at times, “yet have so much love for one another.” Sounds like heaven on Earth.
I can’t say I’m one of the 2.2 billion people who have watched the original music video, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say this one featuring beautifully shot footage of stray cats playfully frolicking on the island’s mountains is probably better. It doesn’t really make too much sense context-wise, but it did get Verge tech editor Natt Garun to admit it was “the first time someone got [her] to listen to this song to its entirety.” So that’s something.
Do give yourself a Friday afternoon break and take a mental vacation to Ainoshima. We’ll report back if Ed Sheeran hears the island’s call and makes a quick stop during his Japan tour in October.
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