This year, Chichijima launched the Project for Promoting Long Stays to Foreign Visitors to Japan, as chosen by the Tokyo Treasure Islands Acceleration Program. Chichijima can only be reached by shiponce a week, via a 24-hour-long sailing from central Tokyo. We are working to take advantage of this unique position to create an appealing environment that makes it easier to stay here, aimed at inbound tourists who can spend a leisurely two weeks or longer.

For this project's main target, we have chosen families, mostly from Europe, who can easily take long holidays. The things we did in late August 2022 included opening a homepage directed at foreign tourists and having a French tourism expert inspect activities.

On this occasion, we investigated activities in the sea, mountains and town that we believed would appeal to foreign tourists, and tried them out for ourselves. Of course, snorkeling and sea kayaking are typically popular activities that let visitors enjoy the beauty of the ocean, but an activity that really caught people's attention as something that tourists are sure to enjoy was "Mermaid Swimming." The experience of swimming in the sea with a mermaid-like tail makes you feel just like a real-life Little Mermaid. Looking back on photos is also likely to offer wonderful memories.

(Mermaid Swimming)

Turning to land-based activities, some suggested battle sites as impressive places to visit. As Chichijima was a location for battles during the Second World War, ruins from that time represent history and provide opportunities to learn.