The Future Images of Contemporary Oki Islands Youth

This paper – at the intersection of island studies, youth research, and the anthropology of the future – examines the future perspectives of young Oki Islanders. When we investigate future images, we also explore present-day action. What do young people expect, what do they aspire to, what do they dream? In metropolitan post-growth Japan, the “crisis of youth” and the “lost generation” of the “lost decade” have become common expressions signaling challenges facing contemporary Japan. What will happen in the future? This paper is based on semi-structured interviews and surveys conducted among senior high school students in Ama-chō (Oki Islands) in 2015. The paper argues that the islands’ insularity contributes to a better understanding of the dialectical local/global interplay influencing young people’s everyday life practices and education and career preferences.