The Oshima Peninsula (渡島半島 ''Oshima-hantō'') is the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

ernmost part of Hokkaidō, the northernmost of the

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 ...

ese

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 ...

s. Where the peninsula starts is open to interpretation. A more generous interpretation is to draw a line southeast from Ishikari Bay across the Ishikari Plain to

Yūfutsu District, Hokkaido is a district divided between Iburi and Kamikawa Subprefectures in Hokkaido, Japan. Towns and villages Iburi Subprefecture * Abira (merger of Hayakita and Oiwake) *Atsuma * Mukawa Kamikawa Subprefecture *Shimukappu History *1869 - With the ...

. A narrower interpretation is to draw a line connecting Suttsu on the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

and Oshamambe on

Uchiura Bay The or is a bay southeast of the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. It has also been known as Iburi Bay and Volcano Bay. History The shoreline of Uchiura Bay was first settled by the Jōmon people as early as 4000 BC. Trade settlements have ...

. This narrow interpretation encompasses the subprefectures of Oshima and Hiyama. At its southern end it forks into the southwest-pointing Matsumae Peninsula and the southeast-pointing Kameda Peninsula. These two peninsulas face

Tsugaru Tsugaru (津軽) may refer to: * Tsugaru, Aomori, a city of Aomori Prefecture, Japan * Tsugaru Peninsula * Tsugaru Strait, between Honshū and Hokkaidō ** Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry, a ferry crossing this strait * Tsugaru-jamisen, a traditional style of ...

and Shimokita Peninsulas of Honshū across the

Tsugaru Strait The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles (1 ...

. The Ōnuma Quasi-National Park is located on the peninsula. The terrain of the peninsula is mountainous, with settlements mostly located in flat, lowland areas. Oshima Peninsula is home to several active

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

es such as

Mount E is an active stratovolcano of the Kameda peninsula, which is itself part of the larger Oshima Peninsula. It is in the rural, eastern region of Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan. Mount E is part of Esan Prefectural Natural Park. Geology Mount E consis ...

and

Hokkaido Koma-ga-take , also , , or just is a andesitic stratovolcano on the border between Mori, Shikabe, and Nanae, all within the Oshima Subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in ...

. The area also contains several onsen hot springs. The peninsula is home to two cities:

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

and the smaller adjacent Hokuto, as well as numerous small fishing and agricultural towns.

Matsumae Castle is a castle located in Matsumae in Hokkaidō, Japan, and is the northernmost castle in Japan. The only traditional style Edo period castle in Hokkaidō, it was the chief residence of the '' han'' (estate) of the Matsumae clan. History First buil ...

, the northernmost castle in Japan and only castle on the island of Hokkaido, is located on the Oshima peninsula. The climate is

humid continental A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(''Dfa''/''Dfb'') except along the coast of the Matsumae Peninsula where it is

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

(''Cfb'',) The hardiness zone is high for an east-coast Northern Hemisphere location at such a latitude and ranges up to 8b on the Matsumae

References

Peninsulas of Japan Landforms of Hokkaido {{Hokkaido-geo-stub