We are seeking 10 international participants for a special half-price English tour on Ozushima Island, Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture. 

This tour is available with a special price of ¥7,500 (originally ¥15,000) only on Saturday, August 8, 2026.

A local TV crew KRY, is scheduled to cover the tour, making it a rare opportunity to join at a special rate.

This one-day experience invites participants to explore both the wartime history of Ozushima, a rarely visited part of Japan, and the island’s present-day efforts toward community revitalization.

Ozushima is reached by ferry from Tokuyama Port, a short walk from Tokuyama Station on the JR/ Shinkansen line. The island is home to the Kaiten Memorial Museum and former training sites connected to the Kaiten, Japan’s human torpedoes during World War II.

The tour is led by a unique duo—a local university student who conceived the experience and a former international journalist. Together, they offer another lens on the complex human stories of World War II, complementing a visit to Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Museum. Participants will also learn about local creators who are working to preserve Ozushima’s history while helping shape its future.

In feedback from previous participants, all respondents rated the experience highly, expressing strong satisfaction with both its historical elements and its focus on the island’s present-day revitalization efforts.

Please note: A local TV crew, KRY, is scheduled to cover this tour. Participants will be interviewed or filmed as part of the coverage.

Date

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Fee

¥7,500 (originally ¥15,000)

*Additional ferry fee (¥1,440 per person) is not included in the above price

Number of participants

10 people only

Ideal for

• English-speaking visitors interested in history and culture
• Those interested in wartime memory and local stories
• Visitors curious about regional revitalization and community-led initiatives

Applications will be selected by lottery if they exceed capacity.

Selected applicants will be notified by 5:00 PM (JST) on August 1st.

Apply here

Tour details 

etwas, represented by Takashi Sadahiro, has launched the Kaiten / Ozushima Experience on Viator, a global travel platform, making the experience available to international travelers.

Based on Ozushima Island in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the experience takes visitors to the Kaiten Memorial Museum and the remains of a former training base for Japan’s WWII human torpedoes. It offers a rare opportunity to encounter a lesser-known aspect of wartime history, while also experiencing the island’s present-day life and local efforts to sustain the community. The experience adds another perspective to  visits to Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

The experience was created and is guided by local university student Futaba Shiigi, who first developed the idea out of desire to keep the history of Kaiten from fading away.  Lunch is served at a café run by the community group Rainoshima, led by spatial designer Shogo Matsuta, offering insight into ongoing efforts to revitalize the island. The program also includes a traditional “kamishibai” storytelling session by local resident Chieko Matsumoto, connecting visitors with the island’s culture and everyday life.

In feedback from previous participants, all respondents rated the experience highly, expressing strong satisfaction with both its historical elements and its focus on the island’s present-day revitalization efforts.

With its launch on Viator, the experience can now reach more travelers from around the world and continue sharing the story of Ozushima more widely.

Learn more & book here 

　まちおこし舎etwas（代表・貞広貴志）は、2026年6月から、インバウンド向け「回天／大津島体験プログラム」を、米大手オンライン旅行会社（OTA)「Viator」で販売開始しました。

　本体験は、山口県周南市の大津島にある人間魚雷「回天」の記念館や旧訓練基地跡を訪ね、戦争の記憶に触れるとともに、現在の島の暮らしや取り組みにも出会えるプログラムです。広島の原爆とは色合いの異なる、もうひとつの戦争の記憶に光を当てるとともに、地域の今を体感できる新たな観光コンテンツです。英語ガイドで地域を深く知りたい旅行者の来訪を歓迎します。

　ガイド役は、回天の歴史を風化させてはならないという思いからプログラムを発案した地元大学生・椎木双葉さんが務めます。昼食は、空間デザイナー松田翔剛氏が主導する一般社団法人「磊ノ島」が運営する「島食堂ひなた」で提供します。また、島の語り部・松本千恵子さんによる伝承にもとづく紙芝居など新たな試みも取り入れ、訪れる人と島の記憶をつなぐ体験を提供します。

　これまでの参加者アンケートでは、「回天の歴史＝過去」と「島再生の取り組み＝現在」の双方で、全員から「大いに満足」との評価をいただいています。

　今回のViatorでの販売により、海外を含むより多くの旅行者に本ツアーを届けることが可能となり、大津島の魅力を継続的に発信していきます。

ツアーの詳細・ご予約はこちら

Bookings are now open for a new immersive tour program on Ozushima Island, Yamaguchi, with a special offering scheduled for late February 2026.

Ozushima is home to the Kaiten Memorial Museum, located near the site of a former World War II base for Kaiten, human torpedoes deployed in the final stages of the war. While Hiroshima is widely known for the atomic bombing, this island preserves a lesser known facet of wartime history that unfolded beyond the city center.

The tour begins at the Kaiten Memorial Museum and continues into the island’s landscape and remaining historical sites, offering participants an opportunity to understand wartime history through both documentation and place.

At the Kaiten Memorial Museum, participants encounter
• A full-scale replica of a Kaiten torpedo
• Personal letters and writings left by young pilots
• Archives documenting how the operation was planned and carried out

The late February program features a special guided experience led by the program’s proposer, Futaba Shiigi, a local high-school student, as well as an opportunity to engage with a renowned spatial designer, Shogo Matsuta, whose work explores how the rich nature and culture of the island can be preserved.
This tour is designed to encourage thoughtful engagement with history and is not intended to glorify war.

Location: Ozushima, Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Dates: Late February 2026
Click here for details and reservations

　まちおこし舎etwas（代表・貞広貴志）は2026年1月5日、山口県周南市在住の高校生が発案した、同市大津島でのインバウンド向け体験ツアー商品を発売しました。25年9月の事業開始以来、企画・主催者として販売する初めての商品となります。

　“Kaiten: Unknown WWII Story on Ozushima near Hiroshima/ Discover War Legacy & Modern Island Life” と銘打ったツアーは、戦争の歴史を伝える人間魚雷「回天」の記念館と訓練基地跡などを、英語による歴史的な解説を加えて案内する内容です。もともと、周南市から広島市の高校に通う椎木双葉さんが、「広島の原爆記念館には多くの外国人が来ているのに、なぜ地元の回天記念館はほとんど知られていないのだろう」という問題意識を持ち、広島からの周遊プランを提案したものです。

　この提案は広く報道されて社会の関心を呼び、etwasだけでなく山口県内でまちづくりや旅行関連業に携わる複数の事業者が賛同・協力し、今回、初の商品化にこぎつけました。

　今回のツアーは、徳山駅発着の体験プログラムとして26年2月下旬の限定実施、椎木さん自身が案内役を務める予定です。椎木さんに加え、大津島に移住して島の自然と文化を次世代につなぐ活動を展開している空間デザイナーで、株式会社JIBI代表の松田翔剛さんの活動にふれる機会も設定しています。これを通じて、「過去と未来」「原爆と人間魚雷」という異なる視点を提示し、大津島と戦争への理解を深めてもらうことを目的としています。また、ツアーを事業ベースに乗せることで、継続的に外国人旅行者が訪れる環境を創ることを目指しています。

　体験ツアーは、オンライン旅行会社BeyondのプラットフォームOrigami Conciergeに開設された商品ページ（https://origamiconcierge.jp/experience/9fffe3eb-7c86-4a83-b8cf-0a8855214e3d）で販売しています。