2nd Island Meeting Held on Chichijima

Chichijina's famous Bonin blue

The Tokyo Treasure Islands Project is a project which aims to refine the Tokyo's islands brands through "Shima-Kaigi" (Island Meetings) with residents. This report covers the 2nd island meeting held on August 26 and 28 for Chichijima.

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Beginning with a reflection of the first island meeting and the study tour

The August 26 island meeting (first half) began with a reflection of the study tour and first island meeting held in June. The remarks made during the previous meeting and the thoughts of those who participated in the study tour were shared.

Afterwards, the participants split into two groups and brainstormed the target persona for Chichijima. Group A chose overseas families due to the safety of the island and the fact that there are no dangerous wildlife, while Group B focused their target during the off-peak season on young solo travelers and those who like being active.

Discussing Chichijima's brand value and persona

The island meeting on August 28 (second half) involved deep discussions. First, regarding the topic of Chichijima's brand value, the participants themselves discussed the value they actually felt. While many people talked about the nature and how they were shocked when they saw the real Earth and the real color of the ocean for the first time when they came to Chichijima, others talked about the other-worldly and openness of Chichijima owing to the fact that it takes over 24 hours for a one-way trip. Still others claimed that the generous cultural climate of the island towards visitors was also of value.

Next, participants delved deep into the persona discussed in the first half. Participants talked about what kinds of people they wanted to visit the island while taking into consideration what was already discussed. Participants said, "There was a time when a visitor complained about the inconvenient public transportation within the island. The mainland and the islands are different. People must be able to endure many things," and "The people of Chichijima, as the name suggests, treats visitors like family. It's good if the people that come are searching for deep family-like relationships."

Many ideas to create areas for networking between residents and visitors

The last topic was the action idea. Using the brand value and the discussion of the persona, the discussion turned to ideas on execution.

The 2nd island meeting ended with participants contributing ideas such as holding "family meetings" where islanders and visitors interact, hosting a "swordfish festival" to share the various ways of eating swordfish, and promoting tomatoes and passion fruits at the same time.

After finishing the two-day meeting, Kazuki Sugo reflected on it and said, "I'm glad that the persona is something we can all agree on. I think the image of the people we all sincerely want to come to the island was summed up well in the meeting."

Discussions on the action ideas raised during this meeting are scheduled to continue to the next session.