A. One of the main attractions of Ogasawara Village is its
beautiful nature. I first visited Ogasawara as a student 47
years ago to dive, and the beauty of its sea and mountains that
I felt then remains unchanged today. Many people are drawn by
this nature to move to Ogasawara Village, and the special
experiences they can have through diving, surfing, and sea
kayaking are unique to Ogasawara. Today, 70 to 80 percent of the
village's residents are migrants who originally had no
connection to the Ogasawara Islands, and I myself am one of
them. In Ogasawara Village, based on the vision of “Smile
Tourism,” the island lifestyle, which values the experiences of
interacting with nature and meeting people, is also being
applied to tourism.
When I first visited the Ogasawara Islands, after a long boat
ride, I was touched by the heartwarming nature of the islanders,
and that was what made me decide to emigrate. The people I met
then were also migrants, enjoying their new lives. Ogasawara
Islands have a culture that welcomes both new and old islanders
alike, and this history and the warmness of the people are
another of Ogasawara’s charms. Ogasawara is a special place
where nature and the people's warmness blend together. We hope
that many people will experience this island experience.
A. I have loved sports since I was a student, and since becoming
an employee of the Ogasawara Village Office, I have participated
in various sports tournaments, including volleyball, soccer, and
basketball tournaments. Nowadays, I try to spend my Saturdays
and Sundays relaxing if I don't have any special plans, but
because I like to exercise, I enjoy playing baseball and tennis
with my island friends on Saturday mornings. After exercising, I
sometimes go for a little swim in the sea as a cool down. Of
course, there are many events on the weekends, but I try to make
time to relax in my own way in between by keeping an eye on my
schedule.
Ogasawara has nature close at hand, providing an environment
where I can relax, exercise, and refresh myself. I really like
the fact that even during my busy schedule, I can maintain a
balanced lifestyle while being in touch with nature.
〈 Ogasawara Village, Minamijima Ougiike 〉
A. It all started when former village mayor Mr. Morishita proposed the idea as a commemorative event for the 45th anniversary of the reversion of the Ogasawara Islands in 2013. During correspondence with the assembly, a member of the assembly suggested that we conduct an inspection tour of Okinotorishima Island, and plans were underway to charter the Ogasawara Maru as an event to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the reversion. However, the event was cancelled due to a typhoon, and was subsequently postponed due to the status of the construction work at the site and the impact of typhoons, etc. When the former mayor passed away in July 2021 and I took office as village mayor, I was determined to carry on his legacy and make the inspection tour happen during my first term. As of September 2021, the budget for the inspection tour was not secured, and in 2022, we could not move forward with the tour due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Then, in May 2023, COVID-19 was classified as a Category 5 infectious disease, so we decided to hold the inspection tour in FY2024. After preparing for a year, we were finally able to hold the inspection tour in July this year.
A. First of all, I was relieved that we were finally able to proceed without any problems. I also feel that the timing of the inspection tour was very good. In the past, we often had to cancel the tour due to typhoons, so this time we avoided the August to September period, when typhoons are common, and chose July, when sea conditions were relatively stable. I am very glad that we chose this time of the year.
A. Many villagers participated in the inspection tour, and I
myself saw Okinotorishima Island in person for the first time
and was reminded once again of its significance. What
particularly impressed me was the size of the reef. I actually
circled around Okinotorishima Island twice and was astonished at
the scale of the reef. In addition, the government has been
carrying out conservation work on Kitakojima and Higashikojima,
including the installation of a coastal protection system, and
although we could not see the islets themselves, we were able to
witness the accumulation of sand. We also saw the actual size of
the pier construction being carried out by the government, and
once again realized the importance of this island.
Many villagers understand that Okinotorishima Island is part of
Ogasawara Village, but it is also true that actually seeing the
island changes their awareness. We clearly expressed our
feelings to more than one hundred villagers who participated in
this inspection tour. We hope that in the future, the
participants will convey the importance of it to other villagers
as well.
〈 Snapshot from the Okinotorishima Island inspection tour 〉
A. I was very impressed by Okinotorishima Island itself. What was particularly memorable was seeing the genuinely happy faces of everyone who participated in the inspection tour while I was taking a photo. I took a photo of the participants from behind when they were all looking at Okinotorishima Island. Seeing everyone's smiling faces made me really happy, and I felt that the beauty of this place was well understood.
A. While everyone had different ways of saying it, majority of the comments were that they were glad to have participated in the inspection tour. Many participants also said that they would like to see Minamitorishima Island next time. When we talked with the cruise company in advance, they told us that it would be difficult to go to Minamitorishima Island because it is far away and there is a fuel problem. I also wished to see Minamitorishima Island just as much as the villagers, but I could not say “Let's do it” considering the situation, and I regret that all I could tell them was that there was a fuel problem.
〈 Snapshot during the Okinotorishima Island cruise 〉
A. We would like more people to know that Okinotorishima Island and Minamitorishima Island are in Ogasawara and part of Tokyo. They are difficult to access, and there may be few opportunities to actually visit them, but I believe that the fact that they belong to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government itself will give people a sense of pride and connection as residents of Tokyo. I would be happy if you could inform people of the importance of Okinotorishima Island and Minamitorishima Island through this interview, even if it is only a little, and help them understand how important they are to Tokyo.
The official website of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government