is an inhabited

volcanic island Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term 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, off the coast of

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island se ...

, Japan, east of the Izu Peninsula and southwest of

Bōsō Peninsula The is a peninsula that encompasses the entirety of Chiba Prefecture on Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula covers ...

. 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 , are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan and northwest of Guam. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic readi ...

Geography

The island is a stratovolcano 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% of a ...

composite cone, dating from the late

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

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 CE 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 c ...

written records. Major eruptions occurred in 1965 and 1986, each forcing the temporary evacuation of the inhabitants. The last recorded eruption was in 1990. The epicenter of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, which devastated Tokyo and the surrounding region, was deep beneath Izu Ōshima Island.

Important Bird Area

The island has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of

Japanese wood pigeon The Japanese wood pigeon (''Columba janthina'') is a species of columbid bird. It is found in East Asia along shorelines of the Pacific's Korea Strait, Philippine Sea and East China Sea. They are believed to be the largest representative of the ...

Ijima's leaf-warbler Ijima's leaf warbler (''Phylloscopus ijimae'') (also known as Izu leaf warbler, Ijima's willow warbler or Ijima's warbler) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. The species is native to Japan, where it has been designate ...

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 ...

Climate

Izu Ōshima has a humid subtropical climate (

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 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, Nomashi, Sashikiji and Habuminato (波浮港), with Motomachi as the administrative center.

Access

Izu Ōshima is a popular site for touristsTokyo Island
"Oshima island"
/ref> from both Tokyo and Shizuoka due to its close proximity to the mainland. There are a number of ferries which leave from Takeshiba Sanbashi ''Pier'', near

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

, Tokyo to Motomachi Port. Ferries also leave from

Atami is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 36,865 in 21,593 households and a population density of 600 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Atami is located in the far ea ...

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

to Motomachi Port. Both lanes are operated by

Tōkai Kisen Tōkai Kisen () is a shipping company headquartered in 1-16-1, Kaigan, Minato, Tokyo, Japan (〒105-6891 東京都港区海岸一丁目16番1号). Its main business is freight and passenger transportation between the main island of Honshu and the ...

There are several flights per day from

Ōshima Airport , also known as , is an airport located on the island of Izu Ōshima, Tokyo, Japan . History Ōshima Airport was built in June 1964, with a runway. The runway was lengthened to its present length in October 2002 to permit operations by jet-po ...

Chōfu Airport is an airport located northwest of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, west of central Tokyo. It is administered by the Bureau of Port and Harbor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The airport's main commercial activity is New Central Airservice commute ...

Chōfu is a city in the western side of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 238,087, and a population density of 11,000 per km². the total area of the city is . Geography Chōfu is approximately in the south-center of ...

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. The film features the fictional monster character Godzilla. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is ...

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

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...

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 is a 1989 Japanese ''kaiju'' film written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori, with special effects by Koichi Kawakita. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 17th film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, the sec ...

'', 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 as pivotal locations for the story. In the Pokémon 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 be ...

, Izu Ōshima is the home of several protagonists.

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 () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

. (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 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Izu Oshima Izu Islands Islands of Tokyo Important Bird Areas of the Nanpo Islands Active volcanoes