A Future for Tradition: Cultural Preservation and Transmission on Taketomi Island, Okinawa, Japan - Island Futures: Conservation and Development Across the Asia-Pacific Region - page 152

Conclusion
This chapter has documented a successful example of a small but resilient island
community in one of Japan's most peripheral locations. Threatened by depopula-
tion in recent decades, Taketomi Island is now riding a wave of rediscovered appre-
ciation for local heritage and indigenous practices: an appreciation that supports a
buoyant tourism industry as well as the returned migration of its own, former
emigrant youth and young families.
The challenges however do not disappear; they only change in the face of changing
fortunes. While the Taketomi born - whether living on the island or elsewhere - may
welcome this opportunity to reconnect with their cultural roots; it may be difficult or
impossible to offer such a vibrant and meaningful linkage to newcomers who do not
have a Taketomi genealogy. Just like tourists who may visit the island but have no
historical or relational connection to it, these newcomers may still enjoy the Tanadhui
festival but differently, as a spectacle event, with limited or no association to their
own cultural identity. In this respect, Taketomi shares a challenge that is faced by
the whole of Japan: celebrating indigeneity and historical traditions makes it
more difficult to embrace newcomers as residents and members of communities.
Newcomers fit best as temporary sojourners; tourists on brief visits.
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