Kikai

Among the history which was at the mercy of domination of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Satsuma domain and the United States, the island's people have lived strongly. Idyllic and affluent island time passes in Kikaijima. There are a lot of people with compassion and unique character.

Kikaijima in Kagoshima Prefecture is an island which is located in the north-east of Amami Oshima, with a population of about 7500 people. They became a member of “The Union of the Most Beautiful Village in Japan” in October 2009.
Kikaijima is an island formed by the coral reef and has been raised at a speed of about 1.8 mm per year. Around the island is 48.6km. It’s possible to drive all the way around the island in one hour. The village with a traditional coral wall, vast sugarcane fields and subtropical plants such as hibiscus and banyan decorate the rustic island landscape. Kikaijima is a small island, but dialects and customs vary considerably from one village to another. For example, cat is called “Maya” in the southern part and called “Guru” in the northern part.
There are ruins Gusuku village of Kikaijima, large-scale excavations have been continuing. Kikaijima, which is located in a transit point between Kyushu mainland and Okinawa, has the history which was at the mercy of domination of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Satsuma domain and the United States, there remains various legends and historic sites. The Satsuma domain invaded Ryukyu in 1609. People in Amami walked the road of hardship by fierce sugarcane policy of the Satsuma domain. During World War II, Kikaijima became the front-line base of suicide attack units, and had also been hit by severe air raid. After the war, it came under the trusteeship of the United States and was returned finally to Japan in 1953.
Key industry of Kikaijima that set a goal of "Agriculture-oriented Island" is sugarcane cultivation. About 35% area of the island is arable land, native species sesame, citrus, melons, tomatoes and others have also been cultivated. The soil contain abundant mineral and the brown sugar of Kikaijima had gained a high evaluation as “best of Michinoshima” from the Edo period. Recently the movement has sprouted so that Kikaijima become the island of organic.
The people in Kikaijima are kind and their friendly smile is very impressive. In the event of the traditional event of village and the barbecue on seaside, young and old begin to dance to the sound of the shamisen and shimauta with a smile. Rustic and gentle atmosphere is good. Natural and rich island time passes here.

Interviewed in April, 2015