Shikinejima Island Workcation Tour Begins!
The Shikinejima Island Workcation project aims to promote understanding of the island using exchanges between the island's residents and visitors. In order to improve established initiatives for the island via the Tokyo Treasure Islands project from 2019, we named this year's acceleration program Shikinejima Island Workcation Recommendations, inviting the general public and corporations to experience a workcation and real-life meeting (lodging together) tour.
This general tour is one of the first of two tours, as we try to explore the possibilities of moving to a new place and living in two places at once workcation style. We recruited applicants from their 20's to their 30's. We promoted the tour using new articles on Niijima village portal website for permanently settling there, Flowlife, selecting four groups and six people out of 15 groups.
(Introductory Online Exchanges)
After initial introductory exchanges online between the tour participants and Shikinejima members, we hosted two two-nights, three-day tours from the end of November to the beginning of December. After the participants landed on Shikinejima, they started their work or joined in online meetings at the lodging or coworking spaces at the places they stayed at. They also enjoyed hearing sermons by the chief priest at Toyoji Temple or enjoying a bath at a hot spring.
(Working at the Lodging)
Participants consisted of married couples, dating couples and people who want to move to the island or start up a business on the island. Both participants and Shikinejima members exchanged various opinions on these topics. Many people thought that work environment was better than Tokyo as Shikinejima is now equipped with an optical internet network. The island offers a good place to get work done.
(The Last Day Talking About Living/Working on the Island)
One question remains, "Is Shikinejima a viable option to permanently settle?" Some people expressed their concerns that while the island is great to raise children, there are not many options for their children to learn, make friends or get a higher education when they get older. Some also said as workcation location, that they would like to see more restaurant options and that there's a risk of not being able to return to the mainland when the weather is bad.
Several participants of the group continue their relationship with the island as they're aiming to start a business on the island or work there on a semi-permanent basis. Whether or not workcations will attract people to the island remains to be seen, The Shikinejima Island Workcation project will continue our efforts to promote the island as such a destination.
