About Us
Ojika Island Tourism is a nonprofit organization, whose goal is to preserve the beautiful natural habitat of Ojika Island, the self-sufficient lifestyle of its people, and traditions that have sustained generations. We hope to achieve this through community-based, slow, and sustainable tourism.
Visitors from all over Japan and the world visit our island hoping for a natural oasis with white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. The reality is that Ojika’s magnificent coasts are dotted with millions of pieces of plastic washed ashore from Japan’s mainland cities as well as neighboring countries like China and Korea.
Strolling down the beaches you will find all kinds of plastic garbage. Many of the items found are from our day-to-day life, such as toothbrushes, straws, lighters, and rubber gloves, just to name a few. Next to the household garbage, you will find ghost nets and other items from the fishing boats as well as a shocking amount of styrofoam.
Already, the ocean is filled with about 165 million tons of plastic. By 2050, plastic in the oceans will outweigh fish, predicts a report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with the World Economic Forum.
On Ojika Island there is a group of volunteers who conduct a beach cleanup every month. The new garbage keeps coming in, however, and it’s just a matter of days for the beach to be covered in it again.
At some point, we have noticed that travelers kindly collect garbage washed onto Ojika’s beaches. We were touched by their thoughtful act and started thinking of ways to help them out.
That is how the CLEAN KIT was born.
Introducing the CLEAN KIT
The Bag
On Ojika Island, on celebrations such as The New Years’, fishermen decorate their boats with colorful flags. Many of these flags are forgotten once the fisherman retires or gets himself a new flag. We thought this was a perfect opportunity for these beautiful flags to shine again. Each bag is handmade by a local who did an amazing job bringing out the flag’s color and pattern! Have fun finding your very own special bag.
The Gloves
Put on these sturdy gloves made from recycled cotton to avoid having dirty hands. While these gloves are thick they do not protect from sharp objects. Ojika Island Tourism cannot be held responsible for any injury that may occur.
The Biodegradable Garbage Bag
The Post Card
This special postcard was printed at a letterpress studio located in Ojika Island that has been around for more than 100 years. The eco-friendly paper was used to make the postcard.
The 4th generation successor of the studio who runs her own printing and design company called OJIKAPPAN was responsible for card’s design and printing.
The Leaflet
※Japanese only at the moment.
Also created by OJIKAPPAN. The leaflet is decorated with cute drawings by the talented Date Yuichi.
The Logo
Ojika Island Green Trip logo was created by Date Yuichi. It features a wild deer from Nozaki Island gazing at one of the most scenic locations in Ojika Island: Goryo cliff.
Local Volunteers
A local volunteer group: りっぱカンパニーズ★ (Rippa Kanpanizu)
Ojika Island has an amazing group of local volunteers who gather once a month to cleanup one of the beaches.
You can check this month’s cleanup schedule on their Facebook page. Feel free to join the cleanup together with Ojika Island Tourism staff. If you come to our office located at the ferry terminal we will drive you to the beach.
#ojikagreentrip
Let’s create a movement! Take a photo of you and your friends using the clean kit and upload it to your SNS accounts with the #ojikagreentrip hashtag. We will then share your photo on our official Instagram account @ojikaislandtourism. Let’s inspire together!