is an inhabited

volcanic island Geologically, a volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term high island can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...

in the Izu archipelago in the

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a List of seas#Marginal seas by ocean, marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean east of the list of islands of the Philippines, Philippine Archipelago (hence the name) and the List of seas#Largest seas ...

, off the coast of

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, east of the

Izu Peninsula The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...

and southwest of Bōsō Peninsula. As with the other islands in the Izu Island group, Izu Ōshima forms part of the

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is a national park in Yamanashi, Shizuoka, and Kanagawa Prefectures, and western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It consists of Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, the Izu Peninsula, and the Izu Islands. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park covers . Rat ...

. Izu Ōshima, at is the largest and closest of Tokyo's outlying islands, which also include the

Ogasawara Islands The Bonin Islands, also known as the , is a Japanese archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands located around SSE of Tokyo and northwest of Guam. The group as a whole has a total area of but only two of the islands are permanen ...

Geography

The island is a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

with a

basaltic Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron ( mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% ...

composite cone, dating from the late

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

period, between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago. It rises from an ocean floor with a depth of between . The island has a roughly circular coastline of approximately in length. The highest elevation, , is an active volcano with a height of . The mountain has been recorded to have erupted numerous times through history and is mentioned as far back as

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

written records. Major eruptions occurred in 1965 and 1986, each forcing a temporary evacuation of the inhabitants. The last recorded eruption was in 1990.

Important Bird Area

The island has been recognised as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports populations of

Japanese wood pigeon The black wood pigeon or Japanese wood pigeon (''Columba janthina'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in East Asia along shorelines of the Pacific's Korea Strait, Philippine Sea and East China Sea. It is believed to be ...

s, Ijima's leaf-warblers,

Izu thrush The Izu thrush or Izu Islands thrush (''Turdus celaenops'') is a bird of the thrush family native to Japan. Behavior Feeding Izu thrushes eat small animals, such as earthworms and insects, and fruits, like cherries or mullberries. Breeding Th ...

es and

Pleske's grasshopper warbler Styan's grasshopper warbler (''Helopsaltes pleskei''), also known as Pleske's grasshopper warbler and Taczanowski's warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It breeds in eastern Siberia to Korea, Kyushu and Izu Isl ...

Climate

Izu Ōshima has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with warm summers and cool winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year, but is somewhat lower in winter than the rest of the year.

Administration

The island is administered by the Ōshima subprefecture of the Tokyo Metropolitan government. serves as the local government of the island. Ōshima Town consists of the six traditional hamlets of Okata (岡田), Motomachi (元町), Senzu (泉津), Nomashi (野増), Sashikiji (差木地) and Habuminato (波浮港), with Motomachi as the administrative center.

Access

Izu Ōshima is a popular site for tourists from both Tokyo and Shizuoka due to its close proximity to the mainland. There are a number of ferries which leave from Takeshiba Pier, near

Hamamatsuchō is a business and commercial district south of Shinbashi district in Minato, Tokyo, Minato ward in Tokyo, Japan. Hamamatsucho is located along the Tokyo Bay, with views of Odaiba and the Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo), Rainbow Bridge. Companies based i ...

, Tokyo to Motomachi Port. Ferries also leave from Atami in Shizuoka to Motomachi Port. Both lanes are operated by Tōkai Kisen There are several flights per day from Ōshima Airport to Chōfu Airport in Chōfu.

In popular culture

Mount Mihara and Izu Ōshima featured prominently in ''

The Return of Godzilla , is a 1984 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Koji Hashimoto, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 16th film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, the last film ...

'', as the location in which the JSDF successfully trapped

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

after luring him to the crater, whereupon charges were detonated, sending him falling into the magma-filled volcano. Mt. Mihara appeared again in the direct sequel, '' Godzilla vs. Biollante'', in which Godzilla was released when the volcano erupted. Mt. Mihara and Izu Ōshima were also featured in Koji Suzuki's ''Ring'' and its

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

as pivotal locations for the story. In the

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

franchise, Cinnabar Island is based on Izu Ōshima. In the anime ''

Vividred Operation is a Japanese anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Kazuhiro Takamura. The series aired in Japan between January and March 2013 and is licensed in North America by Aniplex of America. Two manga adaptations have b ...

'', Izu Ōshima is the home of several protagonists. The island has a peripheral role in '' The Dancing Girl of Izu'' by

Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and ...

subsequently adapted for film multiple times. ''Disturbance in the Wake'', a time travel novel by S.A. Ison, takes place on Oshima Island in the 14th century.S.A. Ison, (2020) ''Disturbance in the Wake''

Gallery

File:Izu-Oshima-IMG 4759.jpg, Mt. Mihara with azaleas in the foreground File:MiharaMountainTop.JPG, Summit crater File:Izu Oshima Volcano Museum.jpg, Izu Oshima Volcano Museum, Motomachi, Ōshima, Tokyo

Notes

References

* Hammer, Joshua. (2006)
''Yokohama Burning: The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II.''
New York:

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

. (cloth)

External links

Ōshima Town Official Website

– Japan Meteorological Agency * – Japan Meteorological Agency

– Geological Survey of Japan *
Tokyo Islands
– English Ship booking to Tokyo Islands(Izu Islands) and travel Information Page of Izu Oshima and other islands in Tokyo *

-- Official Tokyo Travel Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:Izu Oshima Izu Islands Islands of Tokyo Important Bird Areas of the Nanpo Islands Active volcanoes