Ōshima (Tokyo)

Ōshima-machi 大 島 町
Geographical location in Japan
Region :	Kanto
Prefecture :	Tokyo
Coordinates :	34 ° 45 '  N , 139 ° 21'  E Coordinates: 34 ° 45 '0 "  N , 139 ° 21' 20"  E
Basic data
Surface:	91.06 km²
Residents :	7268 (October 1, 2019)
Population density :	80 inhabitants per km²
Community key :	13361-2
Symbols
Flag / coat of arms:
Tree :	camellia
Flower :	camellia
town hall
Address :	Ōshima Town Hall 1 - 1 - 13 , Motomachi Ōshima -machi Tōkyō  100-0101
Website URL:	www.town.oshima.tokyo.jp
Location of Ōshima in Tokyo prefecture

Ōshima ( Japanese 大 島 町 , - machi , dt. "Big island") is a small town in the Japanese prefecture of Tokyo . It includes the entire island of Izu--shima , the largest of the Izu islands . The municipality belongs administratively to the Ōshima sub-prefecture .

geography

Landsat image of Izu-Ōshima

Izu-Ōshima is located in the Pacific Ocean south of Sagami Bay and east of the Izu Peninsula . The highest point, the summit of the active stratovolcano Mihara , is 764 m above sea level.

The largest district Motomachi is located on the flatter northwest side of the island, another larger settlement, Habu, is located on Ryūōzaki ( 龍王 崎 , "Dragon King Cape ") on the southeast tip of the island.

history

Evidence of human settlement on Ōshima can be traced back to over 7,500 years ago. In the Japanese Middle Ages, the Izu Islands were formally integrated into the feudal structure of the main Japanese islands and belonged to the Izu Province .

In the Meiji period , the island received a modern infrastructure: a primary school opened in 1872, and a post office in 1875. In addition, scheduled ship connections with the mainland were established. In addition to the Izu Peninsula, which is geographically closer, trade relations with the more important ports of Tokyo and Yokohama intensified during this period. Since 1878 Ōshima belonged to Tokyo Prefecture. It was not until 1908 that modern local authorities were introduced on the Izu Islands, and six villages emerged in the area of ​​today's Ōshima. In 1933 these were connected by a first road for automobile traffic, especially for goods transport. A telephone line connected Ōshima with the main islands from 1934.

During the Pacific War , Ōshima served as a stopover for military supplies to the Ogasawara Islands . The Imperial Japanese Navy used Habu Harbor as a landing stage for a speedboat command . In 1944 around 10,000 troops were stationed in preparation for a possible battle for the main islands. In June 1945 a forced evacuation order was issued; however, the transport capacities were not sufficient for a complete evacuation. After the end of the war, Ōshima was temporarily subject to Allied sovereignty in 1946. In 1950 and 1951, a large eruption of the Mihara created a new crater ( 三原 新 山 ).

In 1955 the small town ( machi ) Ōshima was created through the merger of the villages ( mura ) Okada ( 岡田 村 , -mura ), Motomura ( 元 村 ), Senzu ( 泉 津 村 , -mura ), Nomashi ( 野 増 村 , -mura ), Sashikiji ( 差 木 地 村 , -mura ) and Habuminato ( 波 浮 港 村 , -mura ). A major fire destroyed around 1.6 hectares in Motomachi on the night of January 11th to 12th, 1965. 408 households were affected, the total damage amounted to over 2 billion yen . In 1986, during the largest eruption of the Mihara in over 200 years, the entire island had to be evacuated to Izu and Tokyo for a month.

In autumn 2013, Typhoon No. 26, internationally known as Typhoon Wipha , led to severe landslides, especially in Motomachi, which devastated numerous houses and killed 39 people in Ōshima (including four missing).

Demographics

The population of Ōshima has been declining for decades: from over 10,700 inhabitants in the early 1980s it fell to less than 9,000 in 2005. As of April 1, 2008, 2,668 of the 8,945 inhabitants were 65 years of age or older, 968 were under 15.

economy

In 2006 there were a total of 4,106 employees in 723 companies. Almost 700 of them worked in retail and over 500 each in the hotel and restaurant trade as well as in medicine and social services. The most important economic factor in Ōshima is tourism: In 2007 233,753 visitors came, the total overnight capacity was over 4,500.

traffic

The Seven Island jet boats connect Ōshima with Tokyo and the other Izu Islands

In the northwest of the island in 1964 opened is Oshima Airport , from where regular direct flights to Haneda , Chōfu and after Hachijojima run.

There are scheduled ferry connections to Tokyo, Yokohama, Atami and other Izu Islands from two ports, Motomachi Port in the west and Okata Port in the north of the island. At Ryūōzaki on the southeastern tip of the island is Habu Harbor, a former volcanic lake that was connected to the sea by a tsunami in Genroku 16 (1703) and was expanded into a port in the late Edo period and used by deep-sea fishing ships becomes. There are three other smaller fishing ports in the north, west and south of Ōshima.

Several bus lines, which are operated by the shipping company Tōkai Kisen KK, serve local passenger transport within Ōshima.

Attractions

Fudeshima ( 筆 島 "Brush Island") off the steep east coast of the island

The largest attraction in Ōshima is the Mihara crater, around which a panoramic path is laid out. The activity of the volcano also supplies several hot springs ( onsen ). In the southwest the layer structure of the volcano comes to the surface; the formation called "Baumkuchen" ( baumukūhen ) documents eruptions of the last 1.5 million years. A few small museums are located in Ōshima, including a volcano museum and a local museum ( kyōdo shirōkan ). Several shrines are located around the Mihara and document the centuries-old religious significance of the volcano.

From January to March in the "Prefecture Park Ōshima" (found toritsu Ōshima kōen ) the Camellia Festival ( tsubaki- matsuri ) held if there bloom around 5000 Kameliensträuche.

Habu port became famous across the country through the hit habu no minato (music: Nakayama Shimpei; text: Noguchi Ujō) published in 1923 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 大 島 小 史 昭和 60 年 か ら 昭和 64 年 ま で . In: Oshima Town. Retrieved July 26, 2016 (Japanese). 
2. ↑ Cabinet office , civil protection officer: 平 成 25 年 台風 第 26 号 に よ る 被害 状況 等 に つ い て
3. ^ First anniversary of fatal Izu-Oshima mudslides marked. In: The Japan Times . October 16, 2014, accessed November 12, 2014 . 
4. ↑ 町 勢 デ ー タ ： 人口 ・ 気 象 ・ 地勢 . In: Oshima Town. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016 ; Retrieved July 26, 2016 (Japanese). 
5. ↑ Department of Home Affairs and Communications : Establishment and Enterprise Census 2006
6. ↑ 町 勢 デ ー タ ： 観 光 ・ 産業 . In: Oshima Town. Archived from the original on July 26, 2016 ; Retrieved July 26, 2016 (Japanese). 

Web links

Commons : Ōshima  - collection of images, videos and audio files