Undiscovered Treasure Lures New Residents to Ama, Shimane

Oki Islands (Municipalities)

A view from Nakanoshima toward Chiburijima, at left, and the peninsulas of Nishinoshima at right. (© Mochida Jōji)

Rice paddies sit adjacent to woodlands. (© Mochida Jōji)

Ama Town Population Changes

Ama’s mayor Ōe Kazuhiko. (Courtesy of the Ama municipal government)

People love the chewy texture of the sazae turban shell curry (left), developed by the product development trainees, and Oki’s renowned beef (right). With the decline in public works, a local construction company has entered the livestock industry. (© Mochida Jōji)

Housing for new residents. (© Mochida Jōji)

The marine product processing facility uses a “cells alive system” to freeze squid instantaneously. (Courtesy of the Ama municipal government)

The Tajimaya brand sea cucumber plant. (Courtesy of the Ama municipal government)

Newcomers to Ama (Cumulative)

The Toyoda fishing harbor in northern Ama. (© Mochida Jōji)

Kojima Megumi and her unusual business card. (© Mochida Jōji)

Ama now receives frequent visits from representatives of other local governments that are struggling with depopulation. Here, representatives from the village of Ogasawara, a remote island outpost in Tokyo, meet with Toyota Shōgo (in blue, at the desk at front) to learn about Ama’s strategies. (© Mochida Jōji)