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 ...
in the
Seto Inland Sea, part of the municipality of
Kasaoka
is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1952. The municipal district also includes 31 outlying islands including seven inhabited islands in the Kasaoka Islands group.
As of February 28, 2017, the city h ...
,
Okayama Prefecture,
Japan. The island has an area of and is one of the seven inhabited islands of the
Kasaoka Islands group. The island's main commercial activity is fishing.
The island has come to international prominence due to its location as a film set and as the subject of a graphic narrative "Manabe Shima, Island Japan" by illustrator Florent Chavouet first published in France in 2010.
Geography
The island is by boat from the main Japanese island of Honshū. The island has few roads, but in the face of rural depopulation and
downward demographic trends, has managed to retain both its elementary and junior high school. The island features sandy beaches and a mild year round climate.
Kasaoka
is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1952. The municipal district also includes 31 outlying islands including seven inhabited islands in the Kasaoka Islands group.
As of February 28, 2017, the city h ...
is the closest ferry port.
In 2016, key locations on the island were documented on
Google Street View
Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since expan ...
with a backpack mounted camera.
Culture
Manabeshima was the setting for the 1984 film
MacArthur's Children
is a 1984 Japanese film. Describing the impact of the United States' occupation of Japan from the perspective of the inhabitants of a small, rural island community, the film featured the big screen debut of actor Ken Watanabe.
The film was sel ...
, describing the impact of the United States'
occupation of Japan from the perspective of the inhabitants of a small island community. The film featured the feature film debut of actor
Ken Watanabe
is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nomi ...
starring alongside
Masako Natsume
was a Japanese actress from Tokyo. Widely popular in Japan, she gained worldwide recognition for her portrayal of Tripitaka in the TV series ''Monkey,'' which is now considered a cult classic.
Biography
Masako was born Masako Odate in Shibuy ...
and
Shima Iwashita
is a Japanese actress who has appeared in about 100 films and many TV productions. She is married to film director Masahiro Shinoda, in whose films she has frequently appeared. She won the award for best actress at the 2nd Hochi Film Award for ...
.
In 2010, French cartoonist Florent Chavouet, published a travel book entitled « Manabe Shima » dedicated to the island and its inhabitants.
See also
*
Shiraishi Island, a larger inhabited island in the
Kasaoka Islands group.
References
{{Authority control
Islands of Okayama Prefecture
Kasaoka, Okayama
Islands of the Seto Inland Sea