is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located on

Okinoerabujima , also known as Okinoerabu, is one of the Satsunan Islands, classed with the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. The island, 93.63 km² in area, has a population of approximately 14,000 persons. Administratively it is divided into th ...

, in Ōshima District,

Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. As of June 2013, the town has an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 6,506 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 122 persons per km² (320 people/sq mi). The total area is 53.29 km² (20.6 sq mi).

Geography

China is located on the southern end of Okinoerabujima. The town's Yakomo Beach is about five minutes from the harbor by bus.

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

describes it as one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. Other natural seaside attractions include Ushishi Beach (ウシシ海岸) and Tamina Cape (田皆岬). Another tourist attraction in the town is the 3,500-meter (11483 ft; 2.2 mi) long Shōryū Caves (昇竜洞). They were discovered in 1963 and partially opened to the public that same year.

Climate

The climate is classified as

humid subtropical 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 very warm summers and mild winters. Precipitation is high throughout the year, but is highest in the months of May, June and September. The area is subject to frequent typhoons.

Surrounding municipalities

* Wadomari

History

China Village was founded in 1888. As with all of Okinoerabujima, the village came under the administration of the United States from 1 July 1946 to 25 December 1953. It was promoted from village to town status in 1946.

Economy

Sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

, sweet potato, and peanut farming are popular.

Floriculture Floriculture, or flower farming, is a branch of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development of new varieties by plant breeding is ...

is also practiced. A total of 1,958

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s (4,838 acres; 7.6 sq mi) of land are under cultivation in the town. However, due to the lack of local jobs, there has been an outflow of residents.

Transportation

China is located on Kagoshima Prefectural Route 84. The only airport serving the area, the

Okinoerabu Airport is located on the island of Okinoerabujima in the town of Wadomari, Kagoshima, Wadomari, Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Ōshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. History Okinoerabu Airport was opened on 1 May 1969 with a 1200-meter runway, a ...

, is about 80 minutes away in neighboring Wadomari. There also is a ferry to the prefectural capital

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

from China Port. It takes between 17 and 18 hours.

Education

Primary and junior high school education in China is controlled by the five members of the Education Committee, whose members serve four year terms. The town has five kindergartens, five primary schools, two middle schools, and one senior high school. The high school, , controlled by Kagoshima Prefecture, was formed in 1949 through the merger of China High School and Wadomari High School. It initially had separate campuses in China and Wadomari. There is also a municipal library.

Public facilities

There are two medical clinics, four dental clinics, and one hospital in the town. There are also two nursing homes. The Ōyama

Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

base is located about 10 minutes from the center of town by bus, near the Ōyama Camping Grounds.

Culture

China has a distinctive form of

lion dance F Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New ...

, believed to have been transmitted from

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

in the 18th century. Another local traditional dance is the , consisting of a snake puppet suspended in mid-air from a frame and manipulated by strings. It is performed to a ''

taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...

'' drum and ''

sanshin The is an Okinawan and Amami Islands musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings. Origins Its close resemblance in both appearance a ...

'' (

n three-stringed banjo) accompaniment. Popular local dishes include the traditional ''tofu-misozuke'', prepared by drying

tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super firm ...

in the sun and then adding

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus '' Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spre ...

. A more recent innovation adds

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including ''gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), sprin ...

to the dish.

Notes

External links

*
Official website
in Japanese {{Authority control Towns in Kagoshima Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan