Love at first sight on the island! How to enjoy Megijima after moving here. Islander Interviews – Ideal for Your Trip Home

Having extra space in your travel schedule will enrich the time you spend on the island.

Reimi Mekada moved to Megijima in 2019. The guesthouse and cafe she runs right on the beach attracts many guests from Japan and abroad.
She says, "Many of our guests come to our guesthouse for the purpose of relaxing. Some come in the off-season, in winter, because they want to relax, and others come to spend time at Megijima after visiting NaoshimaTeshima to see the art. I think this is exactly the right way to spend time in Megijima.
Mekada himself likes to spend time relaxing and enjoying the island's natural beauty.
I really like the view from the beach in front of me. You can see Yashima Island in Takamatsu across the ocean, and the shape of the island reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite foreign novels. I fell in love with this view at first sight and decided to move here."

The longer you stay, the more you can see the beauty of the island. The scenery and atmosphere are completely different depending on the season and time of day. The night view is also very beautiful. When the moon is big and beautiful, there is a path of light on the sea. The color of the moon can be whitish or orange, and the stars are beautiful on days when the moon is not visible. When you are on the island, just taking one step outside at night makes you feel that you are in a very beautiful place and makes you happy.
When you visit an island as a tourist, you may not be able to relax because you are worried about the return boat time. That is why Mekada says it is important not to overload your daily schedule, but to make time to do nothing at all.
If you have time to spare, you can spend time relaxing by the sea and chatting with people you happen to meet. Some of our guests say, "I came here the first time during the Setogei year and ended up just looking at the art, so I came here the second time during a non-Setogei year to enjoy Megijima more slowly. Art is the trigger, and art attracts a lot of people," says one visitor. If you find an island that you like while looking around at the art on the islands, I suggest that you take the time to visit the island next time.

I think that after visiting an island several times and becoming friends with the local grandfathers and grandmothers, you will feel much closer to that island. When you become friends with the people who live there and want to go back to meet them, the island is already special. I have had this experience when I visited other islands. I visited the homes of people I met by chance and asked to see their diaries. You can't just go sightseeing; it's a memory you'll never forget.
Some of the artworks in the Setouchi Triennale were created together with the islanders, and some of the works in the 2025 Megijima were made from materials brought by the islanders from their homes.
People go to see the works because they are curious to see how their own donations are used in the artworks. People go to see the works because they are curious to see how their own materials are being used, and they talk to visitors from outside the island, saying, 'That's something I brought. I hope people will enjoy this kind of interaction that is created by chance.