Concrete initiatives for FY2020 targeting foreign residents in Japan have begun!
Tako Bay
Visitors can reach Kozushima via ferries from Takeshiba Pier in Tokyo and Shimoda in Shizuoka Prefecture, as well as by air from Chofu Airport. Many people visit during the summer to swim in the ocean, but other activities such as fishing and trekking on Mt. Tenjo can be enjoyed year-round. Kozushima is also known as an island where you can see beautiful starry skies. On December 1, 2020 (local time in Arizona, USA), the entire area of Kozushima Village became the first municipality in Tokyo to be certified as an International Dark Sky Place.
Maehama Beach
Up through FY2019, members of Kozushima's meeting worked to develop tour plans and spread more information to protect Kozushima's natural environment under the brand concept of "An island with an abundance of water that'll make you realize ordinary miracles." Focusing on the travel style of foreign visitors from Europe, the U.S., and Australia, who tend to stay longer regardless of the season, they organized content and resources on the island that could serve as a basis for informational releases and tour plans. Building on this progress, in FY2020, members began to discuss what exactly to communicate, and by what means, in order to target foreign residents in Japan.
Key to the discussion was "storytelling" that accurately conveys the characteristics and appeal of resources on the island to the target audience. Clarifying this story will give rise to a common understanding of the appeal of Kozushima's resources among residents of the island, making it possible for anyone to talk to visitors about these resources in the same way at any time. "Storytelling" can be said to be a theme that directly relates to island branding.
Many different resources were suggested as candidates for storytelling content, but after much deliberation, members decided on two themes: water and the fishing industry.
View from Mt. Tenjo
Water can be said to be the essence of Kozushima's identity. Particularly famous is the "Legend of Water Sharing on the Izu Islands," a folktale passed down on Kozushima. The story goes, "Once upon a time, the gods of the Izu Islands gathered at Mt. Tenjo on Kozushima to discuss the allocation of water, the source of life" (quoted from the Kozushima Tourist Association's website). While water shortages are generally an issue on many remote islands, this folktale supports the fact that Kozushima has long been recognized as an island with an abundance of water. In fact, two of the island's springs, Tako Spring and Tsuzuki Spring, have been listed among the "57 Famous Springs of Tokyo," and are loved by the islanders.
Tako Spring
The fishing industry is another indispensable theme when talking about Kozushima. In addition to the wide variety of fish caught on the island, including the largest catch of kinmedai (golden eye snapper) in the Izu Islands, various fishing-related techniques and traditions are integrated into scenes of everyday life on Kozushima--for example, the traditional kinchaku drive fishing method, and rituals and events such as "ritual bonito fishing," which has been practiced since ancient times.
Landing of kinmedai (golden eye snapper)
While selecting the two themes of water and the fishing industry, members discussed what media to use to communicate the content of these stories. Ultimately, it was decided to create a website targeted at foreign visitors in English.
Going forward, they plan to have foreign-national editors living in Japan experience the island. This will help members consider how to convey information about water and the fishing industry from a foreign visitor's point of view and further develop the stories based on their feedback after the experience.
Members are also planning to conduct a survey on the quality of the island's spring water to understand the background behind the water's abundance and delicious taste, and to turn this information into a story in the future.
They aim to release the website by the end of FY2020, and are looking to further expand the website by developing and introducing a menu of experiences while enhancing the content related to water and the fishing industry.