Since the 1980s, Japan has launched message-bearing coconuts into the ocean, hoping they'll reach distant shores. Travelers to Ishigaki or the Atsumi Peninsula can learn about this unique tradition and even participate by sending their own message in a coconut.

For nearly four decades, Ishigaki in Okinawa and the Atsumi Peninsula in Aichi have shared a connection through the 'Love Coconut Message' project. Coconuts with engraved messages are released off Ishigaki's coast, carried north by the Kuroshio Current towards the Atsumi Peninsula, roughly 1,600 kilometers away. This tradition, inspired by a 1936 song, sees participants become 'coconut members,' imbuing their coconuts with thoughts of love and hope.

While only a small fraction of the 3,800+ coconuts released have ever been found, the project continues to capture imaginations. When a coconut is discovered, finders and senders are sometimes invited to meet at Cape Irago. In 2025, six coconuts were recovered, though none reached the Atsumi Peninsula itself.

Applications to become a 'coconut member' open later this year through the Atsumi Peninsula Tourism Bureau, costing 3,000 yen (US$19.56) per coconut. Keep an eye out along Japan's coasts—you might just find a love coconut riding the waves!