Ikitsuki Island

Ikitsuki ( 生月町 Ikitsuki-chō ) was a town on the island of the same name located in Kitamatsuura District , Nagasaki Prefecture , Japan . As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 7,392 and a density of 445.84 persons per km². The total area was 16.58 km². On October 1, 2005, Ikitsuki, along with the town of Tabira and the village of Ōshima (all from Kitamatsuura District ), was merged into the expanded city of Hirado . Ikitsuki is known historically for two primary reasons: a legacy of whaling and hidden Christians . Near the south end of the island is a museum with exhibits on both these aspects of Ikitsuki's history. 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 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. The scenery is stunning in Ikitsuki, and has attracted a great number of domestic tourists since road access was available through bridges connecting Hirado Island with the mainland and Ikitsuki Island to Hirado. The dialect of Ikitsuki can be difficult to understand, even for Japanese people who live in nearby towns. However, this is more true among the older people, and "standard" Japanese is spoken in educational and governmental settings.