The Taketomijima Visitor Center, also known as Taketomi Yugafukan, introduces visitors to the nature, traditional culture, and performing arts of Taketomijima. Staff provide up-to-date information about cultural events and sightseeing opportunities on Taketomijima. This gives you two questions to consider when planning your trip: What topics does the center present, and which events or sightseeing opportunities on the island interest you?

Culture at the Taketomijima Visitor Center

An audio exhibition featuring local folk songs and stories offers an opportunity to hear the island’s cultural expressions. There are also picture books featuring stories and words from the Taketomijima dialect. The offerings have different emphases: here, songs and stories take center stage as things to listen to; there, stories and dialect words appear in book form. If you are interested in local language and storytelling traditions, you can focus on these specific offerings rather than viewing the cultural program only in general terms.

The Visitor Center also provides a place for exchange between Taketomijima residents and visitors. This role adds another perspective to the center’s presentation of nature, traditional culture, and performing arts: alongside its topics and exhibits, exchange between residents and guests is also part of its function. As you find your way around Taketomi, you can distinguish between the center’s content and its role as a place for exchange.

Tanetori Festival: Ten Days According to the Lunar Calendar

The Tanetori Festival, also called Tanadui, is Taketomi’s largest festival. Each year, it takes place over ten days, from the Kōshin day to the Kōgo day of the tenth month according to the lunar calendar. During the festival, people pray for the safe growth of the sown seeds. Tanetori is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. Taken together, the festival’s purpose, duration, and calendar dates give a clear picture of this tradition: the festival is connected with sowing and takes place during a recurring period of the lunar calendar each year. If you want to plan your trip around Tanetori, check the specific dates for your chosen year; the timing is based on the lunar calendar.

Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings

The island’s district for the preservation of traditional buildings offers another perspective on Taketomi’s culture. It was selected as a national preservation district for groups of traditional buildings in 1987. This designation applies to a district and traditional buildings, whereas Tanetori’s designation concerns an intangible cultural property. The comparison highlights two different aspects of island culture: a recurring annual festival tradition with dates set by the lunar calendar, and a designated area associated with traditional buildings. Depending on whether you are more interested in the festival or the preservation district, you will encounter different aspects of Taketomi’s culture.

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