Hotojima, Fishing island in Tsukumi, Japan
Hotojima is a small island off the coast of Tsukumi in Oita Prefecture, Japan. Concrete houses line the steep hillsides that rise directly from the shoreline, packed closely together in a way that gives the island a compact and distinctive look.
In the 1800s, Hotojima grew into a major center for tuna fishing and began supplying markets across Japan. That focus shaped how the island was built and why so many houses were packed onto the hillsides to house a growing fishing population.
The Kamo Shrine sits at the center of the island and is easy to find when walking through the village. Festivals held there are tied to the sea and give visitors a direct sense of how life on the island is organized around fishing.
The island is reached by boat from the nearby coast, so checking departure times before you go is a good idea. Once on the island, the lanes are steep and narrow, so comfortable shoes make a real difference.
The island has a local rice bowl made with raw tuna and sesame seeds that has become known well beyond Tsukumi. The recipe is said to have come directly from fishers eating their catch over rice during breaks at sea, making it one of the most direct links between a food and its origin.
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