Island Leaving,Island Living

"There is no life in the city, but life can be built on remote islands."

　　Remote islands refer to islands far from the mainland, isolated from the world.
Japan is not just Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido… Japan has more than four hundred inhabited remote islands.
One in every two hundred Japanese people lives on a remote island.

　　The author, Kuso, is a veteran journalist currently residing in Japan.
Over three years, she traveled alone to some of Japan's most remote islands, delving into the little-known peripheries of this island nation.
These included the Goto Islands, where Christian infiltration and the history of envoys to Tang China left their mark; Sado Island, home to a yakitori restaurant that "rejects Masaharu Fukuyama"; and the Oki Islands, a classic example of regional revitalization.

　　These remote islands mostly lack supermarkets, convenience stores, hospitals, or any entertainment facilities, and suffer from unprecedentedly severe low birth rates and aging populations. Inconvenient transportation, scarce resources, gender discrimination, and the decline of traditional culture and arts... The islanders, struggling to make a living through farming and fishing, are forced to flee. This raises the question: why do people still choose to live on these remote islands? Why haven't they left? And why are new people migrating?

　　Through extensive conversations with both new and old islanders, and by staying with local families to experience island life firsthand, the author, with sharp questions and keen observations, uses understated yet emotionally resonant language to trace the historical and cultural background of these islands, tracing the latest regional revitalization trends. While profoundly highlighting the challenges currently facing these islands, the author also reveals the alternative lifestyles represented by their culture.