Q. What are the favorite sightseeing spots?
A. There are many places to visit in Naru. Egami Church is famous because of its historical value and the cute design. Miyanohama is the beach where we can enjoy swimming in summer and the beach is made of a lot of small rocks, not sand! You should also see Senjyojiki. It is beautiful spot, especially in sunset. Sometimes people go fishing at Senjyojiki.

Q. How can I get there?
A.  We can get there using cars. You can use a rental car, but you need to book in advance. You can also use the bus. There are two buses running in the island. You can go everywhere with them. It isn’t expensive. There are some sightseeing tours too.  

Q. Tell me more about Egami Church.
A. Egami Church was built in 1918 by hidden Christians. In 1797, some Christians escaped to Naru and started new lives there. They raised the money by fisheries and built this church. The church is made of wood and the windows are stained glass. Nowadays, many churches are built with reinforced concrete but Egami Church is still made of wood only. The church is designated as an important national cultural property.

Q. What should I do in Naru?
A. “I just arrived in Naru! What should I do? Oh my god, I have no idea.” For those who thinking this, I recommend some interesting places. I recommend Sankyoudai Koubou (Three Brother’s Atelier). You can buy handmade goods which represent Naru and you can also create some wooden accessories. But, their main job is carpentry. If you want to visit it, you should call and make a reservation.

Q. What other places do you recommend?
A.   I recommend “Atelier Iwamura”. There are several nice goods made from wood. There are cups and plates which are suitable for serving food. Please visit it.

Q. Why is the island called Naru?
A. There is a story that a long time ago, there was a beautiful woman called Konohanano Sakuyahime.
She got married to a sacred man. One day she told him that she had become pregnant with their child. He doubted her because she had gotten pregnant so quickly.
So, she had a grudge him and went to die in the sea. The place where she died was called Narukamibana. The name has changed to Narushima (“Naru Island”).

Q. How many schools were there in Naru Island?
A. There used to be five schools in Naru Island. They were Naru elementary school, Funamawari elementary school, Egami elementary school, Naru junior high school, and Naru high school. Funamawari elementary school and Egami elementary school closed. But they are used when some events are held.
They play various roles to make the island more popular.

Q. How many people are there in Naru Island?
A. There are about 2,300 people in Naru island. The population now is much smaller than it has been in the past.

Q. What are the favorite sports in Naru?
A. There are some popular sports in Naru. Playing gateball is extremely popular among senior citizens. We often see them playing gateball in the park. Everyone who is playing gateball looks like they are having fun.

Q. Are there any other famous sports?
A. There is tug of war. It is famous among a wide range of people. A tug of war tournament is held in Naru once a year. Many people participate in this event year after year. Also, we have held a tug of war tournament of the National Athletic Meet once in 2014.

Q. Can I join the sports?
A. Yes, you can. We enjoy playing them. You can communicate with us through sports. The tug of war tournament is held in the beginning of May every year. Shall we pull the rope together in the tournament? Let’s enjoy sports together!

Q. What is the difference between Minsyuku and Minpaku?
A. Minsyuku serves dishes to guests. You can stay with other person. As for Minpaku, in addition to Minsyuku’s service, they offer some fun experiences.

Q. What kind of experiences can we have in Minpaku?
A. You can carve into a tree and make a craft product. The host family can also take you to the local shops. They also go fishing with you.

Q. How to stay?
A. Everyone needs a reservation, if they want to stay at Minpaku in Naru. But don't worry! It is easy to make a reservation. All you have to do is just call. There are many Minpaku, Minsyuku and Ryokan in Naru island. When you arrive at the Naru ferry terminal, the host family will wait for you there.

Q. What kind of old stories are there in Naru?
A. There are some old stories in Naru. For example, “Yoshi to Toku” (Yoshi and Toku are girls’ names and “Gotaro” (Gotaro means “kappa”) and so on.

Q. What is the old story "Yoshi to Toku" about?
A. A long time ago, there were a mother and two daughters in the Funamawari area. One girl was called “Yoshi”, and the other girl was called “Toku”. One day, the mother went shellfish gathering with her two daughters. When the mother focused on getting shellfish, the two daughters were walked away from their mother. After that, when the mother finished gathering shellfish, the two daughters were swallowed by a wave. The mother looked for them everywhere. And she went to the seashore every day. But she couldn’t find them. She didn’t give up on finding them. She kept on crying out and calling “Yoshi!” “Toku!”. Time had passed, and the mother got old and died. However, a bird was crying out “Yoshi! Toku!” and it must be the mother.

Q. Do you have Yuru-Chara in Naru?
A. Yes, we do. It is “Unio” (“A sea urchin man”). He goes around Naru every day and sometimes he goes outside Naru so that he can advertise a lot of sightseeing spots. Unio became friends with “Tsubakineko” (“Camellia Cat”), which is a Yuru-Chara in Goto. One day, Unio and Tsubakineko rented a bicycle at Naru Rent A Car and went to Egami Church and Senjyojiki. They uploaded it on Facebook. They are so cute!

Q. Tell us more about Unio. How was he made?
A. Unio was created by Naru High School students a few years ago. The students at that time wanted to make a Yuru-Chara for Naru. So they decided to make it as a school project. In the project, some Yuru-Charas were born such as “Chimaki-no-suke” and “Kahimaru-kun”. Of course, Unio was there.
After the students graduated from Naru High School, a woman, who worked for Naru City Hall, tried making Unio’s costume to surprise the students who had made Unio. When the students came back to Naru for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony two years after they graduated, they met Unio. Some were happy to meet Unio, others were surprised because they didn’t expect it.The woman hopes that all people in Naru love Unio and that we can make him popular together.

The excursion in Naru takes place in April. Naru's excursion is different from those in other schools because elementary students, junior high students, and high school students are in the same excursion. Students play some games, have lunch, free time, and then clean up garbage. One of the game is called “Janken-Resshya.” “Janken” means rock, paper and scissors. “Resshya” means train. In this game, the loser follows the winner to make a long column like a train. The excursion is very very interesting, but after the sports activities the students are very very tired. This is a very unique excursion!

The sports day takes place at the school ground in September. The red team and the blue team compete with each other. Naru’s competition is different from those of other schools, because the elementary students, junior high students, and senior high school students play together. We have relays, dancing, ball-throwing and tug-of-war. Moreover, teachers get dressed by with makeup. We want everyone to watch Naru-Damashi. Naru-Damashi is a dance performance. It is the main event. We can also eat special lunch box on that day. Sports day is very hard and fun. We love sports day!

The Karuta competition is on October 20^th.
Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4 play a junior version of Karuta and grades 5 and 6, the junior high school students, and senior high school students play Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.
The card-game is played at the junior high school gym. Hyakunin Isshu is a traditional Japanese card game. Somebody reads the first half aloud. Students have to listen and find the second half. The purpose is to spend a lot of time experiencing Japanese tradition and to promote friendship.
This game has a tournament system. The final game is watched by everyone on a screen. We think it’s exciting!