is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

located in Miyazaki,

Miyazaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,073,054 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,735 km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders Ōita Prefecture to the north, Kuma ...

, Japan. The island has a surface area of and a height of . The island is part of the

Aoshima Shrine is a Shinto shrine located on Aoshima Island, Miyazaki prefecture, Japan. It is dedicated to Hikohohodemi, Toyotama-hime or Luxuriant-Jewel-Princess is a goddess in Japanese mythology in the episode of the "Luck of the Sea and the Luck of th ...

. Miyazaki′s Aoshima neigbbourhood consists of the island and the opposite coastal strip, where the

Aoshima Subtropical Botanical Garden The is a botanical garden located in the Aoshima neighborhood of the city of Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, near the island of Aoshima. The garden contains 400 species of subtropical plants. See also * List of botanical gardens in Jap ...

is located.

Access

The nearest railway station is

Aoshima Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Nichinan Line. Lines Aoshima Station is served by the 88.9 km Nichinan Line between and , and is ...

, on the

Nichinan Line The is a railway line in south-eastern Kyushu, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Minami-Miyazaki Station in Miyazaki, Miyazaki to Shibushi Station in Shibushi, Kagoshima. History The Miyazaki Prefectural G ...

operated by

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait ...

. The Ogre's Washboard is visible from the Nichinan Line, and the

Umisachi Yamasachi The (lit. Sea Fortune Mountain Fortune) is a two-car limited express train operated by JR Kyushu in Japan. Overview The train began operation on October 10, 2009, and is a 2-car limited express which runs to the resort town of Nichinan along the ...

will slow to allow passengers to take pictures and for an announcement on the feature to take place.

Flora

The island is covered with the world's northernmost self-reproducing population of the fan palm, ''

Livistona chinensis ''Livistona chinensis'', the Chinese fan palm or fountain palm, is a species of subtropical palm tree of east Asia. It is native to southern Japan, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, southeastern China and Hainan. In Japan, two notable populations occ ...

'' (

Arecaceae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

), and is one of two places in Japan with a virgin forest of this indigenous species. 14 February 2017. University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Retrieved 24 December 2021

Climate

Aoshima has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfa'') with hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is heavier in summer, especially the months of June and July. The average annual temperature in Aoshima is . The average annual rainfall is with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Aoshima was on 1 August 2013; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 27 February 1981.

References

External links

* The island is surrounded by unique rock formations referred to as the . Miyazaki (city) Islands of Miyazaki Prefecture {{Miyazaki-geo-stub