Oki Islands (隠岐諸島 Oki-shotō, or 隠岐群島 Oki-guntō) are a group of islands in the southwestern part of the Sea of Japan and belong to Japan.
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Geography
The Oki Islands are situated between 40 to 80 kilometer north off the coast of Honshū.
The islands are of vulcanic origin and have a total area of 346,1 km2. The group consists of 16 islands and the highest elevation is Mount Damanji-San at about 608 meters (1) on Dōgo.
The largest and inhabited islands are:
- Dōgo (島後), main island, about 243 km2, northeast off the subgroup of the so called Dōuzen Islands (2)(島前) with
- Chiburi-shima (知夫里島), about 14 km2
- Nakano-shima (中ノ島), about 33 km2
- Nishino-shima (西ノ島), about 56 km2
The population is about 24.500 inhabitants spread over the 4 administrative areas of:
- Okinoshima-chō (Okinoshima-town), includes all of Dōgo Island and close by islets as Okina-shima, Obana-shima, Tsuname-shima, Shijiki-jima and Ombe-shima, population about 17.000, Japan considers the disputed Liancourt Rocks to be a part of Okinoshima.
- Chibu-mura (Chibu-village), includes all of Chiburi-shima and close by islets as Okaga-shima, Shimazu-jima, Asa-shima and Kami-shima, population about 800.
- Ama-chō (Ama-town), includes all of Nakano-shima and close by islets as Omori-jima and Matsu-shima, population about 2.600.
- Nishinoshima-chō (Nishinoshima-town), includes all of Nishino-shima and close by islets as Hoshikami-jima, Futamata-jima and O-kazuro-shima, population about 3.900 (3).
The islands make up the "Oki-shichō" (Oki District) and are part of the Shimane Prefecture. The island group is also part of the "Daisen Oki Kokuritsu Kōen" (Daisen-Oki National Park) (4).
The airport Oki Kūkō (Oki Airport, airport code "OKI") lies on the southeastern part of Dōgo (5) and provides air service to Osaka International Airport ("Itami", "ITM") and Izumo Airport ("IZO")., the islands can also be reached by ferries from harbours like Sakaiminato, Shichirui and Kaga on the mainland (6).
Weather
- Summers in Oki, Jun-Aug, average around 30 degrees celsius plus humidity. There usually is a strong sea breeze. The sea waves during the summer rarely exceed 2 meters.
- Autumn in Oki, Sept-Nov, is temperate. It begins to rain more often & the waves begin to grow. The Rainbow (fast ferry) stops operating in November.
- Winters in Oki, from Dec to the end of February, are relatively mild. Temperatures rarely drop below freezing. Also, due to the warming influence of the sea, Oki does not get much snow. What snow there is does not lie for long because the ground is not cold enough. The ferry is more likely to be canceled due to high waves, but it is still possible to leave the island.
- Spring in Oki, Mar-May, is generally regarded as the best season for many reasons. There are many opportunities for viewing cherry blossoms on Oki during the Spring. The Rainbow starts running in March.
History
It is uncertain as to when the islands were discovered, they are however already mentioned in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki (7).
Already under the Nara period the islands were used as an exile for persons from the mainland (8).
From the Kamakura period the islands were administrated as "Oki no kuni" (Oki Province) and primarily governed by the shugo (governor) from Izumo Province.
In 1198 Emperor Go-Toba (tennō) was sent to exile to Dōgo where he stayed until his death in 1239. Between 1331 and 1333 tennō Go-Daigo was exiled to Nishino-shima (9).
From the Muromachi period the islands were ruled successively by the Sasaki clan, the Yamana clan and the Kyogoku clan until the Amago clan to the Sengoku period.
Under the Edo period the Tokugawa family took control over the islands and they were put under the direct control of the Shogun through a governor. Later they became part of the Matsue Domain. During that time the islands were a stopover point for trading boats travelling to and from Asia (10).
After the Meiji Restoration which introduced a succession of reforms to restructure the Japanese state, the islands first became part of the Tottori Prefecture in 1871 and were transferred to the Shimane Prefecture in 1881 (11).
On October 1, 2004, the town of Saigō and the villages of Fuse, Goka and Tsuma were administratively merged into the town of Okinoshima even though the townships still exist as separate towns.
Sightseeing
Places to visit
Oki is very beautiful all year round. It's quite mountainous, has crystal clear water, and lots of wildlife.
In Nishinoshima you can visit the highest sea cliffs in all of Japan.
In Dōgō there are many shrines, the three most well-known are Tamawakasu (Saigo), Mizuwakasu (Goka), and Kokobunji (burned down in 2007) (Saigo). There is also a branch of Izumo Taisha in Saigo.
Natural monuments on Dōgō include Joudo ga Ura (beach), Candle Rock (a rock in the sea which at sunset looks like a giant candle), Kaburasugi (600 year old tree), Chichisugi (about 800 year old tree), and Dangyōtaki (two waterfalls which are part of a shrine).
Festivals/Cultural Activities
- There are many cultural dances on Ama & Dōgō.
- There is bullfighting on Dōgō. Bullfighting season begins in April and ends in September.
- There is sumo throughout the year on both Dōgō and Douzen. At the end of May there is a Oki Islands (Dōgō and Douzen) Sumo tournament held on Dōgō.
- There are four main festivals on Dōgō. The first is Tamawakasu Festival (June 5) in Saigo, which has horseback archery and the running of the horses. The second is the Mizuwakasu Festival which occurs in both Spring and Autumn. The Spring festival, May 3, features horseback archery and Mika-san Odori (priestess dances), and only happens once every two years. The Autumn festival happens every year on November 3 and features sumo. The third festival takes place in Nakamura on October 19 every two years. The key feature of this festival is bringing together the sun god and the moon god through dance. There is also horseback archery. The fourth festival is at Kokubunji on April 21. It takes place every year. It features a dance that has Thai and Chinese influences as well as other cultural influences making it unique in Japan.
External links
- The Oki Islands
- Map of the Oki Islands
- View of the Oki Islands
- Japan National Tourist Organization site
- The National Park
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Coordinates: 36°09′17″N 133°09′09″E / 36.15472°N 133.1525°E
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