Exploring Kozushima's attractions with foreign-national editors living in Japan!

Kozushima has stated that they aim to use the island's attractions to draw in foreign visitors from Europe, the United States, and Australia, among other regions and countries. In FY2020, targeting foreign nationals living in Japan, Kozushima's meeting members discussed topics such as, "What is appealing about the island from a foreign national's point of view?" and "What efforts are needed to communicate the appeal of the island to foreign nationals with different lifestyles and cultures?" Through these discussions, it was decided that foreign-national editors and photographers living in Japan would be invited to tour the island in person and report on their experiences.

The tour focused on water and the fishing industry, which are Kozushima's main local resources. The tour group arrived on Kozushima via a small airplane from Chofu Airport. Led by a nature guide, they began exploring the island at the Tako Bay Observation Deck, where they could see the spectacular scenery that characterizes the island. From there, they visited the Mizukubari monument, which illustrates a scene from a legend passed down on the island, and experienced Tako Spring, the Akasaki Walking Path, and hiking at Mt. Tenjo, among other attractions. Most surprising was how the tour group viewed the Akasaki Walking Path. For Japanese tourists visiting the island, the Akasaki Walking Path is mainly a spot for summertime leisure activities. From a foreign visitor's perspective, however, the spot offers a different sort of appeal. The group commented, "Before going there, I thought that it would be a place for adventurous activities, but my actual impression was different. It was very relaxing, and I felt that I could enjoy the spot even without swimming."

To report on Kozushima's fishing industry, with the cooperation of the Kozushima Fisheries Cooperative Association, the tour group observed the automated sorting of kinmedai (golden eye snapper) at the market (using a machine that automatically and quickly sorts the fish by weight in order to keep them fresh) and the fish auction at the fisheries cooperative. At Tako Bay, with the cooperation of the fishermen, the group was able to observe up-close how the fish caught that morning were unloaded from the fishing boats. They were also able to interview the fishermen and hear what they had to say about the fishing boats and kinmedai fishing. This experience left a deep impression on the group, who commented, "It was fascinating to learn about the fishermen's daily lives, which is something you can't experience during a regular trip."

From the entire experience, a wide variety of key phrases came up that can be utilized in future initiatives, such as: "In terms of our impression of the island, Kozushima is authentic, whereas Okinawa is like a resort." "The fact that Kozushima generates its own water not only affects the island's foods and drinks, but it also may have an effect on the good nature of the islanders and their culture, as well."

On the other hand, the lack of information in English was mentioned as an area in need of improvement. It was mentioned that even if some foreign nationals can speak Japanese, they tend to search the internet in English, and it will be difficult for them to become aware of Kozushima as a travel destination if not enough information is available in English. In particular, because many foreign nationals feel anxious about transportation, it would be better to provide more information on how to get to the island and how to travel around the island.

In the future, members of Kozushima's meeting plan to use the feedback they received from the tour group to create stories about Kozushima's water and fishing industry and incorporate this content into a website for foreign visitors.