Kikai Town
Etsuo Kumazaki

By Looking Outward and Welcoming the World, the Island’s Beauty Comes Into View

Kikai Island is one of the world’s rare uplifted coral-reef islands and is also known as an agricultural island, distinguished by its production of sugarcane and domestically grown white sesame. Visitors are often surprised by how much the island offers—from observing migratory butterflies to enjoying marine activities, exploring historic sites, and experiencing its distinct food culture. Yet residents rarely boast about these qualities; they tend to regard them with a quiet, natural ease. While this modest attitude is part of the island’s appeal, Mayor Kumazaki notes that population decline and aging pose serious challenges. He emphasizes the importance of creating an environment in which everyone—from children to adults—can confidently say, “This island is remarkable.” That, he explains, is essential for making Kikai a place people want to return to after leaving, and a place where newcomers will want to build their lives.
Looking back to 2009, Kumazaki explains that the town’s application to join the Most Beautiful Villages in Japan Association—submitted during the tenure of former mayor Hiroo Kato—was driven by the hope that promoting Kikai Island as an “Organic Island,” known for its active commitment to organic cultivation of sugarcane and other crops, would help build civic pride among residents. He adds that the recent certification of the Kikaijima Geopark likewise provides an opportunity to reconsider and appreciate the island’s cultural foundations, drawing on the island’s rare natural characteristics.
The Coral Study Program (“Sango Ryugaku”), launched in 2023, is another form of exchange made possible through collaboration with the Kikai Institute for Coral Reef Sciences—an institution found nowhere else in Japan. Now in its third year, the program has already grown so popular that the number of applicants far exceeds the available places.
By welcoming perspectives from outside the island, residents are able to rediscover aspects of their local identity that might otherwise be overlooked in daily life—and turn those discoveries into new strengths. Although this may sound simple, it is likely a path of community revitalization made possible precisely because of the people of Kikaijima, whose warmth, openness, and generous spirit shape the character of the island.

Interviewed in October, 2025
Writer : Mikiko Tamaki / Photographer : Eri Tokura