Hirado is a rather large island off the coast of Kyushu, near Sasebo. Given its sparse population, a hybrid of economies emerges with the unusually high percentage of land ownership by the acre here.

HIRADO, Japan -- A group of "hidden Christians" on Ikitsuki Island in Hirado where believers have practiced their faith for 466 years since 1558, has dissolved. The remote community, roughly 75 miles ...