Rural depopulation is a daunting problem in Japan. Younger generations leave for the big cities, places where there are significantly more opportunities and promises of a more convenient life. As a result, only the older generation remains, slowly dying out and leaving behind… nothing. Honestly, the mindset does make a lot of sense to me. As the world becomes more and more digital and social media takes over, access to information and knowledge becomes inevitable. People in rural areas discover the benefits, convenience, and opportunities that come naturally in more populated cities. In essence, they discover that there can be more to life than settling down where they are born.

Shishijima Island (志々島) encapsulates this idea in a confronting yet beautiful manner.

But, before we get into the story, some background on the island itself. Shishijima Island, [lit.: Aspiration Island], is a small island of the coast of Shikoku, specifically the area of Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture. The island has a long and rich history, much of it unwritten (especially in english). In the Sengoku period, it was a refuge at one point for the lord of the Kagawa clan (of which the prefecture is named after) when his castle (Amagiri Castle) was overrun. In the Edo period (1600 – 1868) it belonged to the Marugame domain, after which a nearby city is named after. 
At the end of the Edo period, the island had a population of around 670 people and was known for exporting Sea cucumber. It continued to prosper greatly until the post WW2 era, when rural depopulation began to take hold.

Up until around 1970, the island had a population of around 1000 people! This information was corroborated by a man who I spoke to on the island, who said it was only recently the island had seen such a drastic drop. Sources online state that around 20 people remain on the island today, the man told me only 16 people remain. After seeing how new some of the graves looked in the towns graveyard, I’m inclined to believe him. Residents on the island are also not young themselves. The man told me the oldest on the island was around 100 years old, while the youngest was around 32. You can only imagine their surprise seeing a young 23-year-old couple from Australia on an unusually warm February afternoon.

An interesting tidbit I found; Supposedly, the island used to have a castle! Located north of the main town, perched on the right-most peak of the hill. Very little information about it exists, no ruins remain, and it’s not certain if it was even a castle or just a lookout post. One key part of evidence is that the hill it’s on is called “Shiroyama” or “Castle Mountain”. When I visited though, I wasn’t aware of where it was so didn’t get a great look, but at the very least it’s not an obvious ruin if it does exist. There also seems to be the possibility of 2 other castles on the island, one to the east of the town, and one to the west, both perched on their respective hills. More info can be found here: https://kojousi.sakura.ne.jp/kojousi.shishijima.htm