A new tour is inviting people who are considering a move to the Ogasawara Islands to experience daily island life before making the leap. Bricoleuse GK (Osaka; representative Natsuko Ishida) and the Ogasawara Village government are running the "Ogasawara Lifestyle and Work Experience Tour," a small-group program with a selection process, held over five nights and six days from Saturday, November 7 to Thursday, November 12, 2026 (tour sales and planning handled by National Land Co., Ltd.).
Rather than sightseeing, the tour is built around experiencing "everyday Ogasawara," meeting people who work and live on the islands so participants can picture what life after a move might actually look like. Because it is semi-custom, organizers ask participants in advance about the kind of work and interests they have, then arrange worksite visits and introductions to match.
Tour Overview
- Tour name: Ogasawara Lifestyle and Work Experience Tour (5 nights, 6 days)
- Dates: 11:00 AM, Saturday, November 7, 2026, departing Tokyo, through 3:00 PM, Thursday, November 12, 2026, returning to Tokyo (5 nights, 6 days)
- Location: Ogasawara Village, Tokyo (Chichijima and Hahajima)
- Fee: ¥69,000 per person (tax included)
- Main activities:
- Visits to workplaces in fields of interest (childcare, healthcare, the village office, and others, arranged around participants' preferences)
- Roundtable talks and relocation consultations with people who work and live on the islands
- Walks around Chichijima and Hahajima to see everyday island life, including local supermarkets, shops, and nature
- How to apply: Select "I want to apply" on the tour's SMOUT page at https://smout.jp/plans/30483
- Application deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
The tour is arranged by National Land Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Governor travel agency registration No. 2-2174). Although the listed deadline is September 30, selection proceeds as applications come in, so the tour may fill before that date.
Background and Purpose
For people who want to live in the Ogasawara Islands but hesitate because of how high the hurdle feels, this tour was designed to let them experience real work and daily life on the islands and weigh whether a move is realistic.
Located roughly 1,000 km south of central Tokyo and reachable by a ferry that takes about 24 hours and generally runs once a week, Ogasawara has long been a place where it's hard to see, from outside the islands, what jobs exist or what working conditions and arrangements look like. A quick weekend visit to scope things out isn't really possible, and finding housing that's ready to move into is difficult too, which makes searching for work on-site its own challenge.
The Ogasawara Village government and Bricoleuse GK set out to take a fresh look at these job-search challenges on the islands and begin working toward solutions, with this tour as part of that project. Alongside the experience tour, the two plan to roll out further initiatives through March 2027, including launching 「小笠原仕事図鑑」, a portal site addressing the islands' job-search challenges, and online and in-person events introducing people to the islands.
*The ¥69,000 tour fee covers round-trip fares on the Ogasawara Maru (2nd-class Japanese-style room) and the Hahajima Maru, and participation in the exchange gathering, among other items.
*Accommodation costs (worth approximately ¥30,000) are covered by the organizing office (Ogasawara Village and Bricoleuse GK).
*The fee may change in part due to fluctuations in the fuel surcharge. Meals on the islands are not included.
Comment from Tetsuya Matsuzaki, President of National Land Co., Ltd.
"To me, Ogasawara isn't just a sightseeing destination — it feels like a nostalgic hometown, almost like my own family home. What makes Ogasawara special isn't only its beautiful nature, but the richness of the mutual support and relationships that come with island life. Because people and resources are limited there, it's a place where you can put skills and experience you've built over your life to new use and discover a different side of yourself.
Hearing '24 hours by ship' might sound distant, but the ship itself is more like a moving hotel, with space to stretch out and relax. Once you've experienced that scale, distances around the world start to feel surprisingly small. Through this tour, I hope participants can picture what living in Ogasawara might actually look like."
Preview Online Event: "Getting to Know Life in Ogasawara"
For anyone considering the tour, or simply curious about work and life in Ogasawara, an online event will bring in guests who live on the islands.
- Date and time: 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Tuesday, September 15, 2026
- Format: Online (Zoom)
- Speakers: Three guests who work in or have ties to the Ogasawara Islands (Chichijima and Hahajima)
- Content: Candid talk about work and life on the islands, a Q&A session, and an introduction to the tour
- How to apply: Select "I want to apply" on the tour's SMOUT page and fill out the questionnaire, at https://smout.jp/plans/30483
