
is a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
located in
Ōshima Subprefecture,
Tokyo Metropolis
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
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 ...
. , the village had an estimated
population
Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
of 1,841, and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
of 99 persons per km
2. Its total area is .
Geography
Kōzushima Village covers the islands of
Kōzu-shima, one of the northern islands 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 ...
, south of central Tokyo. Warmed by the
Kuroshio Current
The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...
, the town has a warmer and wetter climate than central Tokyo.
Neighboring municipalities
*Tokyo Metropolis
**
Niijima, Tokyo
is a village located in Ōshima Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 2,441, and a population density of 88.6 persons per km2. Its total area is .
Geography
The village of Niijima consists of th ...
**
Mikurajima, Tokyo
is a village located in Miyake Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 323, and a population density of 11.7 persons per km2. Its total area is .
Geography
Mikurajima Village covers the inhabited i ...
Climate
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kōzushima has declined in recent decades, since 1990.
History
Kōzushima Village was founded on October 1, 1923, when the Izu islands were administratively divided into villages and town.
Economy
The village economy is dominated by
commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...
and seasonal tourism. There is also some small-scale farming. In the middle of the 20th century, unsuccessful attempts were made to develop
silkworm
''Bombyx mori'', commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of ...
farming. Many tourists come for sports fishing and
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...
. Its white sandy beaches make it an excellent place to swim in summer, since it receives considerably fewer visitors than the other islands in the Izu chain. There are many hiking courses around Kōzu-shima's volcano, Tenjō-san, which dominates the center of the island. However, winter visits are discouraged, cancellation of flights and ferries due to inclement weather can strand visitors. The island is also noted for its local ''
Shōchū
is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots.
Typ ...
.''
Transportation
Kōzushima is accessible by ferry from mainland Tokyo,
Shimoda, Shizuoka
270px, Shimoda City Hall
is a city and port located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 19,670 in 10,436 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . In the 1850s, Japan was in p ...
, or other Izu Islands.
There are also daily flights from
Chōfu Airport, in western Tokyo to
Kozushima Airport.
Education
The village operates one public elementary and one public middle school.
* Kozushima Junior High School (神津島村立神津中学校)
* Kozushima Elementary School (神津島村立神津小学校)
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education (東京都教育委員会 ''Tōkyō-to Kyōiku Iinkai'') is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board directly manages most of the Public school (government funded), public secondary schoo ...
operates
the only high school in the village.
Gallery
Image:Kozushima_port20050920.jpg, Kōzushima port
Image:Tokoroten2.jpg, Tokoroten
is a gelatinous dish in Japanese cuisine, made from agarophyte seaweed. It was traditionally made by boiling ''tengusa'' (''Gelidium amansii'') and allowing the mixture to congeal into a jelly. The jelly is then pressed through an extruding de ...
, a local specialty
Image:TenjosanAeralphTyoJp1978-01.jpg, Tenjōsan, highest mountain
Image:Kozushima tenjosan.jpg, On the top of Tenjōsan
See also
*
Izu Islands
The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo Prefecture. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōsh ...
References
External links
Kōzushima Village Official Website
Villages of Tokyo
Populated coastal places in Japan
Izu Islands
{{Tokyo-geo-stub