Local residents resolutely oppose Taketomi Island's plan to build a hot spring resort

On Taketomi Island (Taketomi Town) in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, local residents have expressed strong opposition to the construction plan of the hot spring resort facility "Peace Island Taketomi Island Onsen (tentative name)" that local tourism operators aim to open in January 2025 from the end of 2023.

Taketomi Island Kuroshio Kanko, which operates "Hotel Peace Island Taketomi Island" on the island, planned a hot spring resort facility near the hotel, and the construction plan was approved by the Taketomi Town Council in 2019. At the time, this facility was attracting attention as "the southernmost hot spring in Japan", but after the Corona disaster, the groundbreaking ceremony was finally held on December 21, 2023. During this period, the mayor at the time of the construction approval was arrested and charged with bribery, and the new mayor was inaugurated in April 2022.

Local residents oppose it on the grounds that it will be built near the island's sacred site, the Machi Ontake (Marchion). At the extraordinary general meeting of the residents held on the 24th after the groundbreaking ceremony by the operator, the result was 165 votes against, 33 votes in favor, and 9 neutral votes, indicating a resolution against the construction. Although the resolution was not legally binding, it clearly expressed the will of the islanders. There are countless Utaki shrines dedicated to ancestral gods throughout Okinawa Prefecture, and it can be said that their importance is understood even by travelers outside the prefecture.
In addition, on January 6 this year, the administrator of Machi Ontake submitted a letter of opposition to the mayor, and on the 11th, " Taketomi Island Protection Association held an extraordinary general meeting and presented its future course of action.

In an interview with local media, a representative of Taketomi Island Kuroshio Tourism said that it is within the scope of the law, that it has been holding briefings so far, such as securing a maximum of 10 meters or more from Ontake, and that it will contribute to an increase in tax revenue through employment and hot springs.

When asked by the Taketomi Town Planning Division, the editorial staff of Good Travel said, "There is a big gap between the islanders and the contractors, and although we are not able to deal with it now, there are some areas that the town needs to think about, such as encouraging the creation of a place for consensus building," and when asked about the economic effects of the opening of the facility, they explained, "We do not expect that as a town."

Taketomi Island Charter and Resort Hotel Construction

Taketomi Island is a very small island with a circumference of about 9.2 km and 341 islanders (as of December 2023). There are many travelers who visit from Ishigaki Island on a day trip, and in 2019 before Corona Approx. 510,000 is visiting, and we also have the problem of overtourism. In addition, the number of visitors in the entire Yaeyama Islands in the same year was Approx. 1.48 million This means that more than 34% of them visit Taketomi Island.

Taketomi Island has a voluntary establishment by the islanders in 1986 Taketomi Island Charter The Charter aims to protect the island's traditional landscape and culture and promote sustainable development in harmony with the island's natural environment, thus serving as a restriction on the island's development. In addition, since there are few accommodations on the island, the silence returns after the last ferry back to Ishigaki Island, which has the advantage of avoiding travelers from ravaging the island at night. A few years ago, when a reporter from the Good Travel Editorial Department visited Taketomi Island, he heard from a local resident that it would be reset at night.

Currently, there are a total of 11 accommodation facilities on Taketomi Island, of which two are resort hotels, "Hoshino Resorts" and "Hotel Peace Island Taketomi Island", and the others are small minshuku. Regarding the construction of a resort hotel on the island, "Hoshino Resorts" bought back the land acquired by a foreign fund, and "Hoshinoya Taketomi Island" opened in June 2012. The following month, "Hotel Peace Island Taketomi Island" opened. Subsequently, a real estate company on the main island announced plans to open a resort hotel on Kondoi Beach, a famous spot on the island, but it seems that the movement has now stopped due to opposition from residents.