http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aogashima,_Tokyo Aogashima, Tokyo From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Aogashima ???? — Village — Flag Location of Aogashima in Tokyo Aogashima, Tokyo is located in Japan Aogashima Coordinates: 32°27'48?N 139°45'59?ECoordinates: 32°27'48?N 139°45'59?E Country Japan Region Kanto Prefecture Tokyo District Hachijo Subprefecture Area • Total 5.98 km2 (2.31 sq mi) Population (March 2011) • Total 206 • Density 34.3/km2 (89/sq mi) Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) City Symbols - Tree Persea - Flower Lilium - Bird Japanese Wood Pigeon Phone number 04996-9-0111 Address Aogashima-mura, Mubanchi 100-1701 Website Aogashima Village Aogashima (???? Aogashima-mura ?) is a village located in Hachijo Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan. Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Neighboring municipalities 2 History 3 Economy 4 Transportation 5 Education 6 Gallery 7 External links Geography Aogashima Village covers the island of Aogashima, the southernmost and most isolated populated island in the Izu archipelago in the Philippine Sea, 358.4 kilometres (222.7 mi) south of central Tokyo, and 71.4 kilometres (44.4 mi) south of Hachijojima, its nearest populated neighbor. Aogashima is the least populous municipality in the whole of Japan. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current, the town has a warmer and wetter climate than central Tokyo. Neighboring municipalities Hachijo, Tokyo Ogasawara, Tokyo History It is uncertain when human settlement first began on Aogashima, but the island was known to be inhabited in the early Edo period(1603-1867) and is mentioned in historical records kept by the Tokugawa shogunate in Hachijojima. During a major volcanic eruption in 1785, a large number of islanders perished, and the remainder were evacuated to Hachijojima. A 1835 census reported 241 inhabitants (133 men, 108 women), mostly engaged in fishing. On April 1, 1940, the island came under the administrative jurisdiction of Hachijo Subprefecture. The population is centered on two hamlets; Yasundogo (????) in the east and Nishigo (???) in the west. Economy Fishing and subsistence agriculture are the mainstays of the economy of Aogashima, with a small number of tourists and sports fishermen providing seasonal income. Transportation Due to its lack of natural harbors and strong currents, Aogashima has always been difficult to access. The wharf at the island’s only port, Sanbo, can handle small ships of up to 500 tons, and is unusable during times of high waves and inclement weather. Toho Air also provides chartered helicopter service to the island from Hachijojima. Education Because Aogashima has a small population, there is one school that is available to elementary and junior high school students. Aogashima Elementary-Junior High School (?????????????) serves student populations. =============== http://www.tofugu.com/2011/12/07/japans-hidden-tropical-island-aogashima/ Japan’s Hidden Tropical Island: Aogashima Written by Hashi We usually think of Japan as four five major islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Cat Island) and the smattering of small islands of Okinawa. But in reality, Japan is tons of different islands of all sizes. Case in point, I recently saw the picture above and was astounded to learn that it’s part of Japan. Say hello to the Japanese island of Aogashima. Aogashima (“blue island”) is Jurassic Park the setting for “Battle Royale” a tropical, volcanic island in the Phillipine Sea. Despite being over 200 miles away from the country’s capital, Aogashima is governed by Tokyo. In fact, a whole stretch of tropical and sometimes uninhabited islands called the Izu Islands are technically part of Tokyo. Volcanic islands? Not typically what comes to mind when you think of Tokyo. No matter where you go in Japan, there are always karaoke and perverted beer posters. As you might imagine, Aogashima isn’t the most crowded place in the world. As of this year, only about 200 people live on Aogashima. The island only has one post office and one school. There are two ways on and off the island: by helicopter or by boat. There’s only one, small harbor where the boats go in an out of, and it seems to be a little unreliable. Because Aogashima is so remote and isolated, it can sometimes be hard to get a boat to or from the island safely. Fortunately, there’s a live video feed of the harbor that’s available on the island 24/7 (Jurassic-Park-style) so you can keep an eye on how bad the weather is without having to actually be at the harbor. These creatures require our absence to survive, not our help. And if we could only step aside and trust in nature, life will find a way. Bearing in mind how isolated Aogashima is, there’s not a whole lot to do on the island. The biggest attraction is Aogashima’s double volcano (all the way across the sky!). The island itself is a giant volcanic crater, and within that crater there’s another, smaller volcano. You can camp by the volcano or go to the volcanic hot springs on the island, but that’s pretty much it. With so few attractions and such a tiny population, its nightlife might pale a little in comparison to Tokyo’s. The food’s probably not that great. There aren’t as many temples as in Kyoto. And you know what? Their internet probably sucks too. But that’s not why you go to Aogashima. Even though I’ve never been personally, Aogashima seems like a great place to go to simply get away from it all. How often do you get the chance to visit such an beautiful, isolated place? It’s also amazing to think about what it must be like to grow up and live in a place like Aogashima. I grew up in the suburbs of a pretty populated area, so the thought of living in a place so far removed from others is hard to imagine. Check out Flickr user izuyan’s set of jaw-dropping pictures from Aogashima here. (Do yourself a favor and watch the slideshow in fullscreen: the pictures are gorgeous.) And if you’re thinking about taking it one step further and actually visiting Aogashima, check out this write-up on Seek Japan or visit the island’s official site (JP). =============================== http://www.topstravel.net/unusual-place-to-live-aogashima/ Unusual place to live, Aogashima Posted by admin on Nov 11, 2011 in Adventure Travel | 41 comments Aogashima is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tokyo. It is the southernmost and most isolated inhabited island of the Izu archipelago. Aogashima Village covers the island of Aogashima, this is the least populous municipality in the whole of Japan. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current, the town has a warmer and wetter climate than central Tokyo. photos source It is uncertain when human settlement first began on Aogashima, but the island was known to be inhabited in the early Edo period. The last known volcanic eruption of Aogashima in the late 18th century killed many villagers and forced the entire population to evacuate from the island. It took them almost fifty years to return to the island. Aogashima is a complex Quaternary volcanic island 3.5 km in length with a maximum width of 2.5 km, formed by the overlapping remnants of at least four submarine calderas. The island is surrounded by very steep rugged cliffs of layered volcanic deposits. A composite volcano, Aogashima consists of the rims of the inner and outer craters. Otonbu, the peak of the rim of the outer crater at a height of 432 meters above sea level, is also the highest spot in the island. It commands a panoramic view of the entire volcano in the Pacific Ocean. Fishing and subsidence agriculture are the mainstays of the economy of Aogashima, with small number of tourists and sports fishermen providing seasonal income. Aogashima is a subtropic paradise with a mild, humid climate under the influence of the Kuroshio warm current, and home for many different wild birds. Due to its lack of natural harbors and strong currents, Aogashima has always been difficult of access. The wharf at the island’s only port, Sanbo, can handle small ships of up to 500 tons, and is unusable during time of high waves and inclement weather. Because Aogashima has a small population, there is one school that is available to elementary and the junior high school students. There are many volcanic blowholes in the island. Villagers make salt by heating seawater from the Kuroshio current using steam from such blowholes. This calcium-rich salt is a popular souvenir. ================ http://www.tokyo-islands.com/v3/e_contents/aogashima/top.html (island map) http://staff.aist.go.jp/a-takada/aog-e.html(history of the volcano)