In our minds, islands should be counter worlds, autarchies unsullied by continental concerns. We should arrive spellbound, leave anointed by their beauty.
Wherever in the world you might be, it is virtually impossible to set foot on an island without experiencing the sensation that you have been there before. This recognition comes, perhaps, from their link to the idea of Creation. Indeed, without wishing to sound philosophically pagan, the outer isles of Okinawa's Yaeyama chain are the closest most travelers in Japan are likely to get to an experience of return and renewal.
The residential structure of one such island, Kohama, has its main settlement right at the center — a sensible precaution in a region vulnerable to tsunami. A more predictable threat is that from the many typhoons that tear through every year. But Kohama's residents know just what to expect, and in recent years the more affluent among them have invested in generators to cope with the occasional power outage.