The most densely populated fishing village in Japan Part ２: Walk around the island village Hotojima (Ohita Prefecture)
An island in the Bungo Channel, 14km from Tsukumi Port. The steep slopes approach the coast, with the 179m high Tomiyama peaking, and cliffs on the north and southeast sides, with almost no flat land. The island's name is said to be inherited from the name "Kaifu-gun Homon-go" in the encyclopedia "Wamyo Ruijusho" from the Shohei era (931-938). During the Edo period, the Saeki clan's Kanba and Tomi-bansho were located here. The deep-sea tuna fishing, which began around 1890, now has an annual haul of 10 billion yen, making it a major tuna base. It is designated as Nippō Kaigan Quasi-National Park, and is dotted with beautiful sandy beaches and oddly shaped rocks. (From "Shimadas Guide to Japanese Islands")
There is only one settlement, and it is a typical form of a so-called "densely populated fishing village" that is densely packed on steep slopes. However, what is even more unique is that there are many multi-story buildings made of reinforced concrete (RC). The area prospered from deep-sea fishing, and so many people lived on limited land, leading to the trend towards multi-storey buildings, and it seems that the wealth gained from industry led to the selection of expensive reinforced concrete construction. The area was at its most prosperous in the 1960s, so the style is similar to that of urban buildings from the same period, and the relationship with the outlying islands creates an interesting balance. In any case, I don't know of any other islands with such a high density of flat-roofed multi-storey buildings other than Hashima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture (commonly known as Gunkanjima, built on a coal mine) and Hotojima. A must-see village! I hope you will experience this fantastic village space.
Database 保戸島
http://www.shurakumachinami.natsu.gs/03datebase-page/oita_data/hotojima/hotojima_file.html
集落町並みWalker
http://www.shurakumachinami.natsu.gs/hyoshi/index.htm