Remote Island Elementary School Chapter 03: Gooseneck Barnacles, You've Got to Be Kidding!

Life on the island was a series of surprises. The very first welcome party featured something unexpected: 'Gooseneck barnacles'.

The phrase that instinctively screamed in my mind was—'You've got to be kidding!'. This marked the beginning of days filled with culture shock.

This is a struggle diary of a teacher assigned to a remote island. I am sharing a story that began over 20 years ago, in March 2002 (Heisei 14).

※Some place names and proper nouns in the text have been fictionalized.

1. The Chapter Where the Teacher Becomes a Topic at the Welcome/Farewell Party

After spending my first night at the island dormitory, I returned to the mainland on the 7:00 AM boat.
That evening, the PTA welcome and farewell party for my previous school was scheduled.

Having worked at that school for nine years, the memories were endless.
The night before, I lay in bed thinking about what words I should use to express my gratitude.
I decided that talking about the softball tournament where I sweated alongside the PTA members was the most appropriate, and I poured my feelings of appreciation into that.
I specifically mentioned how happy I was to interact with the fathers, whom I rarely had the chance to talk to otherwise.
Thanks to that, I was able to finish my speech successfully.

The new teachers assigned to the school also attended the party.
Most of them were acquaintances or teachers I had worked with in the past.
Among them was a teacher who was my colleague when I first arrived at my previous school, and four people, including that teacher, mentioned me in their speeches, saying things like 'The enthusiastic teacher...' or 'The enthusiastic teacher's...'.
I realized once again the weight of those nine years.

2. Traveling to the Island the Day Before, My Debut as Head of Academic Affairs

Finally, my life at the new workplace, a school on a remote island, began.
I took the 5:00 PM boat on Sunday and traveled to the island the day before.
I was assigned to be the head of academic affairs for the first time, and my tension was high.
My dinner that night was a bento box my wife had packed for me.

The next day, after the inauguration ceremony in the gymnasium, the opening ceremony followed.
I was the one in charge of the proceedings.
I managed to finish the ceremony, and in the classroom, I conducted self-introductions and distributed textbooks.
The afternoon was spent preparing for the entrance ceremony the next day.
Between the new environment and the busyness, I was exhausted from the very first day.
Moreover, I was also in charge of conducting the entrance ceremony the following day.

3. Encountering One New Student and a 'Seafood Delicacy'

The next day's entrance ceremony ended without incident.
There was one new student.
This was a first for me, but the total number of students in the school was nine.
Having had experience working at small schools with slightly more students, that point was not particularly surprising.

That night, a welcome party hosted by the PTA was held.
It was the first opportunity for us, who had newly arrived at the nursery, elementary, and junior high schools, to talk leisurely with the local people.

When the party was in full swing, a local resident presented a plate, saying, 'I brought something rare.'
The words I heard were 'Turtle's feet.'
At that moment, I instinctively shouted in my mind, 'You've got to be kidding!'
(Well, to be precise, I didn't actually shout it. I wasn't watching the morning drama 'Anpan' at the time either. I just wanted to use the phrase.)

I was surprised, wondering if it was really a turtle's foot, but when I looked closely, what was served on the plate were 'gooseneck barnacles' clinging tightly to the rocks on the shore.
When I cracked the shell and put the meat inside into my mouth, the scent of the tide spread, and the texture was like boiled squid.
I was moved by the unexpected deliciousness. This bite was the culture shock I experienced again after coming to the island.

4. Three Boats a Day, Zero Traffic Lights! A Storm of Culture Shock

The thing that surprised me most about life on the island was that there were only three boats a day.
Especially in winter, the last boat was at 2:00 PM, and if you missed it, you were stranded on the island for the night.

The roads were narrow, there were almost no cars running, and since there were no traffic lights, there were naturally no traffic accidents.
There was no hospital, and I remember that a doctor only came to the clinic once a week.
The fishery cooperative's purchasing department, which supported our daily lives, also closed after 5:00 PM.
It closed in accordance with the arrival time of the ferry.
Things that were taken for granted in the city were not taken for granted here... life in such an environment had begun.

From the 2002 school year, the five-day school week began, and Friday became the final day of work.
However, due to the boat schedule for leaving the island, the earliest I could return home was the 7:00 AM boat on Saturday.
Conversely, for work on Monday, I had to travel to the island the day before on the 5:00 PM boat on Sunday.
In other words, the time I could spend at home was from 9:00 AM on Saturday until around 3:00 PM on Sunday.
It was only about a day and a half. During that short time, I prepared a week's worth of food.

Even so, the first week of April passed by in a blur of tension and busyness, and on Friday, there was an introduction ceremony for newly transferred teachers at the municipal board of education.
Since the board of education is on the mainland, I took the midday boat across and was able to go straight home.
Not yet accustomed to life on the island, being able to go home on Friday brought me a sense of relief.

Looking back, the scarcity of boat services, the roads without traffic lights, the single shop that closed early, and the gooseneck barnacles.
Each one was a culture shock. That is precisely why, when I got home, I couldn't help but tell my family and friends, 'Listen to this, on the island...'
And so, days filled with surprises began.

▶ [Remote Island Elementary School Chapter 04continues to]

[The 'Behind the Scenes of the Spin-off Wagashi Project Magazine' (*Currently being updated)]