Ikitsuki, Nagasaki
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Ikitsuki (生月町; -chou) is a town on an island of the same name located in Kitamatsūra District, Nagasaki, Japan.
As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 7,392 and a density of 445.84 persons per km². The total area is 16.58 km².
Ikitsuki is known historically for two primary reasons: 1) a legacy of whaling and 2) hidden Christians. Near the south end of the island is a fairly well-run museum which talks about both these aspects.
Nearly all the people of Ikitsuki live on the east side of the island. The west side faces out into the open ocean (sea) and is very, very windy. In addition, much of the west side of the island is cliff-face, with only a few spots which are flat enough even for terraced farming.
Ikitsuki's economy is still mainly supported by the fishing industry. Squid (ika) is a specialty, as is flying fish (ago). A bridge connects Ikitsuki to Hirado. One local resident has claimed that the bridge is the most expensive in the world, coming in at 450 yen one way for a yellow plate car (small) and 600 yen for a white plate (large). That's approximately $4.50/$6.00 in U.S. dollars. Hirado is connected to Kyushu by a separate bridge. It only costs 100 yen each way. It takes about 30 minutes to drive from Ikitsuki to Hirado.
There are two elementary schools on Ikitsuki - Ikutsuki Elementary School (生月小学校) and Yamada Elemenary School (山田小学校). There is one junior high - Ikutsuki Middle School (生月中学校). There is no high school - the kids have to go off the island. Many go to high schools in the surrounding communities (Hirado, Tabira, Shikamachi), while a few venture all the way to Sasebo and Nagasaki.
The scenery is stunning in Ikitsuki. The fish is very, very delicious. The people are nice, but the dialect of Ikitsuki can be difficult to understand, even for Japanese people who live in nearby towns. This is more true among the older people.