We bring to you the voices of the islanders. The "people" of Shinkamigoto Town and "unique encounters"

*Masks are removed only when taking photos.

"We want to cherish the culture and nature of Shinkamigoto Town."

Toraya CEO Shintaro Minami

About 35 years ago, the previous owner, Torao Inuzuka, who loved Goto's nature and his family, started making Goto udon in this place overlooking the sea. Furthermore, with a strong desire to create even more delicious Goto udon using salt from the sea right in front of him, the first salt production in Nagasaki Prefecture began here.

"Toraya is the only place where Goto udon is made from salt," says Shintaro Minami, the second-generation owner, as he guides us to the place where salt is made.

"I made these salt fields myself. I used to be a carpenter, so I built the scaffolding myself, and I reused fishing nets that had been used by fishermen for over 10 years. Even the pebbles underneath were brought from the sea," he says, as if looking up at his own beloved child.

It's a mysterious building with fishing nets and boulders, but in order to further concentrate the pumped seawater in the salt fields, it is necessary to expose the seawater to air for as long as possible and evaporate the water. You will be amazed by this artistic salt field.

Minami: "We're also particular about the time we pump up the seawater. Arikawa Bay, which spreads out before us, is surrounded by mountains. Minerals flow from these mountains into the sea and collect on the seabed of Arikawa Bay. During spring tides, the sea is stirred up by the tidal differences and tidal currents, resulting in seawater with a good mineral balance. We target the time of spring tides and pump up 25 tons of seawater twice a month, for a total of 50 tons per month."

Minami says that a clean sea is an absolute requirement for making salt, and he always dives in the sea on the weekends.

This is true even during the cold winter months. If the mountains are fertile, seafood will continue to be plentiful. Minami-san continues to dive into the ocean as if to confirm this.

Next, we went to the cooking area. The concentrated seawater is boiled here for two whole days. Of course, the boilers are handmade by Minami-san.

Minami: "The kettle base is made from Goto stone. I really like this one too. There are many stone quarries remaining in Goto, and the stone culture there remains. All of the stones that were made by our ancestors have a deep character, so I want to use them carefully."

The feeling of cherishing Goto's culture was also directed towards the environment and nature.

Minami: "We use used oil as fuel when cooking in the pot. We collect the fuel after it has been used at home or in restaurants and reuse it until the very end. We want to make salt that is kind to the environment."

Minami-san placed the salt, just as it had begun to crystallize, in the palm of his hand and said, "Try it. It tastes like real salt." It was an exquisite salt with a sweet, sea-scented taste.

Using the salt they made themselves, they have created not only Goto udon but also new products such as "salt pudding" and "cheesecake." These products are also unique to Goto, combining the best products of three producers: Annou potatoes purchased directly from local contracted farmers, safe free-range eggs, and Toraya salt.

In early summer 2019, we also opened a restaurant called "Shima Dining Toraya," serving Goto udon and seafood dishes.

Minami: "At the moment, Shinkamigoto Town is lacking in employment. We want to provide more places to work and make new friends. Our current goal is to have 30 employees. To increase employment, we need to first get various people to come to the island and get them interested. Depending on your ideas, you may be able to find various ways of working."

Toraya Co., Ltd.

"Gotonada is a sweet potato shochu that conveys the local culture of Shinkamigoto Town."

Gotonada Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. Managing Director Yoshifumi Tamoto / Sales Manager Tomoya Hara

Gotonada is a genuine potato shochu made from potatoes grown on the Goto Islands. Since it began being sold in 2008, it has been highly praised not only on the island but also in the Kanto and Kansai regions. We spoke to Yoshifumi Tamoto, who is bringing a breath of fresh air to Shinkamigoto Town, and Tomoya Hara, who supports him, about the charms of Shinkamigoto Town.

Hara, who is the sales manager at Goto Nada Sake Brewery and a town council member for Shinkamigoto Town, left Tokyo after graduating from university, where he had lived for 22 years, and moved to Shinkamigoto Town with his family in 2016.

Hara: "I had always wanted to spend my retirement years relaxing somewhere with a view of the ocean, so I traveled all over the country with my family. I was touched by the beauty of the ocean at Hamagurihama Beach and the warmth of the people on the island, so I decided to move here."

At first, he worked as a part-time employee in the town, but wanting to meet more people, he participated in a brewery opening event in Goto Nada, where he met Tamoto-san.

Hara says, "They make shochu using high-quality potatoes grown in local fields, and through this liquor they connect with people from inside and outside the prefecture. I thought that this connection was wonderful. I wanted to help with the work that connects people, so I knocked on the door of Gotonada."

Tamoto-san: "I was surprised when Hara-san came to me with his head shaved and said, 'Please let me work at Goto-Nada!' (laughs) What's more, he makes a fantastic Goto-Nada soda mix. It's so good that I end up drinking too much."

Tamoto-san then handed over sales to Hara-san and started holding "sake parties" in the unexplored Kansai region to promote sales. After four years of doing this, a liquor store owner even came all the way from Kansai to Shinkamigoto-cho, and they were so impressed that they drank until late into the night.

Tamoto says that in order to attract more people to the island, it is important that the island itself is vibrant.

Tamoto-san: "Just keep doing the events you want to do and have fun. That way, other people might become interested and want to participate."

Locally produced items go well with local ingredients, which means that locally produced sake also goes extremely well with local cuisine, says Tamoto.

Hara: "Dagasuru Ogasuru, a town revitalization group that we are a part of, held a one-night izakaya with restaurants and producers. The producers were in charge of the hall, and the restaurant owners from Kamigotō were in the kitchen, cooking original dishes just for that day to entertain the islanders. It was a huge success. Over two rounds, 100 people came and enjoyed the island's bounty."

Tamoto-san: "Incidentally, in Goto dialect, dagasuru means 'Who will do it?' and ogasuru means 'I will do it.' When we ask 'Dagasuru?' everyone raises their hand, and it's completely out of control. That's how powerful the young people on the island are. I believe that Shinkamigoto Town is currently at a turning point."

Tamoto and Hara's theme is "brightening up the island with cheerful drunkenness." They want people to want to visit Shinkamigoto through alcohol. They want to make more fans. To achieve this, they are enthusiastic about continuing to make more delicious shochu.

Tamoto-san: "I heard about a potato that had been brought to the island about 100 years ago, and after about three years I finally found the seed potato. It turned out that it had been protected for over 100 years. We cultivated and increased this precious potato ourselves to create Meiji no Imo Gotonada, which took eight years. I believe that Gotonada is a potato shochu that truly conveys the culture of Shinkamigoto Town."

Hara says, "We need to pass on the culture of Shinkamigoto to the next generation. I want to increase the number of people who enjoy Dagasuru and Ogasuru together with the charming and energetic people of Shinkamigoto."

Gotonada Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

<Filming cooperation>
Shikiri Teahouse

"Salt production is the island's treasure. It can only be produced here."

Shuta Kawaguchi, CEO of Yagatame Co., Ltd.

It has been 20 years since the salt shop opened. Salt is made every day using firewood in this location overlooking Nama Bay.
Mr. Kawaguchi follows the advice of his grandfather, the previous owner, to "always continue to use firewood," and makes salt using wood that has been thinned out in order to protect the mountains.

Kawaguchi: "The temperature control is very important when making salt, so salt cooker is a job suited to people with delicate tastes."

Currently, three people are working on four kettles full time. He also said with a smile that he plans to complete a new titanium kettles in December 2021, and take on the challenge of producing even higher quality salt.

Kawaguchi says, "I think it's because we're on an island that we're able to make salt. We pump up seawater from Nama Bay right in front of us, so it's truly the island's treasure. I'd like more people to have the opportunity to experience making salt, which can only be done on an island."

The salt-making experience, which involves boiling seawater in a small pot to create salt crystals, has been popular among tourists for many years. Another gift from the island is camellia oil. Camellia fruits are harvested every autumn and then squeezed with a special machine to extract the oil. This experience is also available in the store.

In addition to salt-making and camellia oil-making experiences, Yakatame Station also operates tourist-oriented businesses such as providing tourist information and selling salted soft-serve ice cream.

Kawaguchi: "I want people to experience the natural blessings of Shinkamigoto Town. I'm also thinking about setting up a 'workation space' to encourage more use of this location. I hope people will look forward to our future developments."

Yakatame Station

"The islanders have a strong desire to try new things."

Nagasaki University Graduate School of Engineering, Yoshiki Hashimoto

Mr. Hashimoto, who is enrolled in the Graduate School at Nagasaki University, is considering moving to Shinkamigoto Town in March 2022. What made him decide to do so?

Hashimoto: "TSUNAGU is a student club that was started in July 2020, where students attending universities in Fukuoka and Nagasaki prefectures rediscover the value and significance of working within the prefecture through various activities such as events. I was the vice-director of this group and one of its founders. Nagasaki had the highest population outflow, so the project targeted students in Nagasaki and Fukuoka prefectures, with the aim of bringing back people who had moved from Nagasaki to Fukuoka."

As part of the activities of the student club "TSUNAGU," Hashimoto first arrived in Shinkamigoto Town in September 2021. Although the town is rich in nature, he could not find any activities or facilities that would interest young people, and he thought that maybe someone like him could help in some way.

He had many opportunities to talk with the islanders, and each time he felt their enthusiasm for trying new things.

Hashimoto: "I think the feelings of the people on the island, 'We can't do anything!', were transferred to me in the same way."

He says that the reason he decided to move was because he felt a desire to go outside in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than staying confined, he wanted to go to an open island. Another big factor was that university classes were now remote, meaning he could take classes anywhere.

Hashimoto-san: "I'm from Oita Prefecture, and there aren't many hot springs in Shinkamigoto Town. There is a natural hot spring in Narao, but it's a bit far from here in Arikawa. Even if it's not a hot spring, I'd like to think about creating a place where people can talk and have skin-to-skin contact, and a place where people can interact."

Hashimoto says that first and foremost, he needs to enjoy life on the island.

Hashimoto: "If we can create a place where I can enjoy myself, it will lead to young people coming to the island. From now on, I would like to create a place where I can thrive. It would be great if I could do this together with the people of the island. I will work hard to become a key person on the island."

When young people come together and passionate islanders team up, an exciting feeling rises up inside you, as if something is about to begin. Shinkamigoto Town is not only blessed with the island's natural beauty, but also with the charm of its people. By interacting with the islanders, you may discover a new side of yourself. The islanders love their island, love nature, and love people. Why not visit Shinkamigoto Town to interact with these powerful islanders and experience something you can only find here?

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