Busan, South Korean, lies just 50 km away, and high school students here are learning the Korean language and culture in hopes of deepening exchanges with their close neighbor.
At every turn in Tsushima -- which is actually two islands, Kamishima and Shimoshima -- are signs written in the Korean alphabet Hangul as well as in Japanese. Radios are often heard playing South Korean programs.
Last year, more than 42,000 South Korean tourists came by ferry from Busan to this part of Nagasaki Prefecture. The number has been increasing every year.