Ichiko Aoba’s journey stretches on like an endless horizon. From her Hong Kong performance in February 2025 she swept across Europe from Barcelona in March to Glasgow in April then traversed North America from Honolulu to Mexico City before gracing the legendary Glastonbury Festival in June. In the latter half of the year she will return to Japan for a long-awaited tour carrying her guitar from stage to stage city to city without pause
Her new album, Luminescent Creatures, released in February ahead of her largest ever world tour, captures the essence of her recent pilgrimages to Hateruma Island in the Yaeyama archipelago of Okinawa. It carries a fresh wind distinct from her previous breakthrough, Adan no Kaze (2020)
Rooted in the local yet reaching for the global, Ichiko Aoba listens closely to the world around her. What stories did she gather from Hateruma and how does she transform them for the world stage? In the midst of her relentless travels, how does she safeguard her own space? When we met again after several months she spoke with the same calm unhurried grace that has always defined her.
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Born in 1990, Ichiko Aoba is a celebrated musician and the founder of her independent label hermine. Since her debut in 2010, she has released eight original albums, earning acclaim in Japan and internationally for her delicate classical guitar arrangements, ethereal vocals, and poetic sensibilities. She began performing extensively overseas in 2021, appearing at a variety of international music festivals. In 2025, she marked the 15th anniversary of her debut with the release of her first new album in four years, Luminescent Creatures, and followed it with her first essay collection, Hoshisa-tachi, in May.
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Why Ichiko Aoba Keeps Returning to Hateruma Island at Japan’s Southern Edge
Ichiko, you’ve been visiting Hateruma Island regularly since 2020, haven’t you?
Aoba: Yes, that’s right. My first trip was in the middle of summer, so I think it was August 2020. At the time, I was traveling around various islands in Okinawa and Amami while working on Adan no Kaze, and Hateruma was one of those islands.
What made you keep going back to Hateruma instead of the other islands?
Aoba： From the very first visit, I felt that it was different from the other islands. On places like Kudaka, Taketomi, or the Amami islands, it felt like I was just “allowed to visit for a while.” But Hateruma gave me a sense of “coming home.” I could feel a kind of pull from the island itself, and right from the start I knew it wasn’t a place you just visit for tourism or research and then leave.
What kind of island is Hateruma?
Aoba: It’s a small island with a population of about 450, and you can circle it in 20 to 30 minutes by car. Since it’s a coral island, the soil drains well, and freshwater is supplied to each household by desalinating seawater. There are no buildings taller than two stories, so aside from the community center and the school, everything is low and flat, the island itself feels very flat. There are no large rivers, just small streams trickling through the forests.
Without rivers, farming must be challenging. It seems like a pretty harsh living environment. Do you think this has influenced the mindset or spirit of the islanders?
Aoba： I think it definitely has. People on Hateruma are very tough, and being so far from a larger island, you really need to be resilient to get by. Even if supply ships are delayed or there’s a power outage from a typhoon, many people find clever ways to manage and get through those situations.
So the harsh environment strengthens their survival instincts?
Aoba: Exactly. Watching the way they walk or speak, you can see that they have both strength and flexibility.
