The second session of the Shikinejima Academy, a workation monitor tour, was held! (Day 1)
The second session of the Shikinejima Academy program was a two-night, three-day workation monitor tour. Participants boarded the new Salvia-Maru ship at the Tokyo Takeshiba Terminal and departed for Shikinejima on the day prior to the start of the program. Their special experience already began while aboard the ship, where they enjoyed the night view of Tokyo Bay from the deck, among other things.
After arriving on Shikinejima, the participants gathered at the SHIKINEJIMA Coworking Space to take part in a briefing. Members of Shikinejima's meeting and participants in the monitor tour each shared their hopes for the program and got to know each other better.
Following the briefing, participants savored the local cuisine when they were treated to a lunch of zuke-don, a bowl of rice topped with medai (Pacific barrelfish) sashimi marinated in a homemade sauce with chili peppers, and tatakimaru, a rice ball wrapped in a deep-fried fish cake made from muroaji (amberstripe scad) and flying fish.
Afterwards, participants spent their time on the island as they liked. Some explored the island on electric rental bikes, while others interacted with members of Shikinejima's meeting or worked in the SHIKINEJIMA Coworking Space and at their accommodations.
The participants who worked remotely from Shikinejima had already experienced workations in various other places. They seemed to be satisfied with the fact that Shikinejima provided communications equipment and a workspace where they could fully concentrate on their work, while they were still able to fully enjoy the island environment.
At the end of the first day, participants enjoyed elaborately prepared dishes at their accommodations while they talked with each other about everything from their experiences on the first day to their work and hobbies.
After dinner, many people participated in a tour of the Jinata Onsen that was led by the proprietress of an inn. As they walked down the path to the onsen in the darkness of the night, an unusual place that looked like a rocky mountain had been split open with a machete came into view. The Jinata Onsen is an iron sulfide spring with a temperature of about 80°C at the source. The tour participants enjoyed a soak once they found a spot where the hot spring water mixed with seawater to create just the right temperature. They took in the scent of the spring water and the ocean and gazed at the star-filled sky and sea sparkles (Noctiluca scintillans) as they recovered from the day's fatigue.
To be continued (Day 2).
