Himeshima, Ōita
Himeshima
Cơ đảo thôn | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Himeshima Island | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Himeshima inŌita Prefecture | |
  Himeshima Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:33°43′28″N131°38′43″E/ 33.72444°N 131.64528°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kyushu |
| Prefecture | Ōita Prefecture |
| District | Higashikunisaki |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.98 km2(2.69 sq mi) |
| Population (March 1, 2017) | |
| • Total | 1,930 |
| • Density | 280/km2(720/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00(JST) |
| Website | www |
Himeshima(Cơ đảo thôn,Himeshima-mura)is avillagelocated inHigashikunisaki District,Ōita Prefecture,Japan.The nameHimeshimaliterally means "Princess Island."
Geography
[edit]The village is on a small island in theSeto Inland Seaand is sometimes referred to asHime Islandin English. The island of Himeshima is just off theKunisaki Peninsulaon the island ofKyūshū.[1]
The island consists of four volcanically-formedisletswhich are now connected bysandbarsto form Himeshima Island. Signs of the volcanic activity which formed the now-connected islets 300,000 years ago can be found throughout the island.[2]
The tallest mountain on the island is Mount Yahazu ( thỉ quát nhạc,Yahazu-dake). It is avolcanothat was active 90,000 years ago. It is sometimes referred to as "HimeshimaFuji"due to its importance to the people of the island and its distinctivelava domes.[3]
Transportation
[edit]With the mainland
[edit]Himeshima is accessible by ferry from Imi Port (Y mỹ cảng) inKunisakiand has 12 regularly scheduled round-trip departures per day. It is about a 20 minute ride one way.[4]
On the island
[edit]There is a village bus which travels around the island six times per day.
Bicycles and ultra-compact electric cars are available to rent on the island.[5]
Population
[edit]As of 2022, the village has an estimatedpopulationof 1,642. The total area is 6.98 km2.There are 833 households and 98 businesses employing 389 people.[6]
Economy
[edit]The main occupations are fishing and shrimp farming. The kuruma prawn (Xa hải lão,kurumaebi) andhijikiarelocal specialitieson the island.[7][8]
Tourism is another major industry with nearly 40,000 people visiting the island every year.[8]
Himeshima has launched a website to promote itself as "ITIsland "in order to attract IT companies and personnel to the island.[8]
Festivals and events
[edit]Every summer aroundObon,there is type ofbon odori(Bồn dũng り) called "fox dance" (キツネ dũng り,kitsuneodori) featuring dancers, particularly young children, dressed asfoxes.[1][7]
In October of every year, there is a "Kuruma Prawn Festival" ( xa えび tế ) for visitors to enjoy the local specialty. Visitors can also enjoy the popularkitsune odoriat this event as well.[7]
Every year,chestnut tiger butterfliescan be seen on the island from mid-May to mid-June as well as in mid-October as they stop in Himeshima during their longmigrations.The butterflies, calledAsagimadara(アサギマダラ) in Japanese, draw many visitors to the island.[2]
The "Seven Wonders of Himeshima"
[edit]On Himeshima, there are seven popular sightseeing locations, all with legends surrounding them, which are referred to as the "Seven Wonders of Himeshima" (Cơ đảo thất bất tư nghị,himeshima nana fushigi).[9][10]They are as follows:
- Amida Oysters:in a cave under the island's lighthouse, there areoysterswhich are said to never come into contact with seawater. It is believed that eating them will cause stomachaches.[9][10]
- Hyoshimizu:iron rich and naturally carbonatedonsenwith water relatively cool in temperature. A local legend says that a princess who wanted to rinse her mouth after applyingohagurocaused the water to start flowing.[9][10]
Source of Hyoshimizu onsen - The Inverted Willow:awillow treethat is believed to have sprouted after a princess placed hertoothpickinto the ground upside-down.[9][10]
- The Ohaguro Stone:a stone which is believed to bear marks from when the princess applied herohaguro.[9][10]
- Sennin-do:a smallBuddhisthall surrounded by anobsidianrock formation of volcanic origin. Local legends say that 1,000 people hid here on New Year's Eve to avoid paying taxes to a local lord (Senninliterally means "1,000 people" ).[9][10]
Sennin-do - Ukisu:atoriion a small piece of land in the ocean which is said to enshrine akamiof fishing. It is believed that thetoriinever becomes submerged by the sea.[9][10]
- Ukita:a rice field in which asnakeis said to have been buried. According to the legend, the rice fields began to shake due to the snake's anger.[9][10]
Education
[edit]There are currently two schools on the island, Himeshima Elementary School ( cơ đảo thôn lập cơ đảo tiểu học giáo ) and Himeshima Junior High School ( cơ đảo thôn lập cơ đảo trung học giáo ).[11][12]
Politics
[edit]In the2017 Japanese general election,77.51% of Himeshima'sproportionalballots were cast for either one of the two parties in the conservative ruling coalition (theLiberal Democratic PartyandKomeito) or one of the two minor LDP-allied conservative parties (Party for Japanese KokoroandNew Party Daichi), making it the most conservative municipality in the country in this election under that definition (excluding Kuroshima Island's 82.76% conservative voting result, as this island is technically a part ofMatsuura, Nagasakiand not its own municipality).[13]
Famous people
[edit]- Eiichi Nishimura- Politician and minister
References
[edit]- ^abMartin Fackler (April 21, 2009)."A Workers' Paradise Found Off Japan's Coast".New York Times.
- ^ab"Himeshima Geopark"Retrieved 7 June 2024
- ^"Thỉ quát nhạc ( やはずだけ )"Visit Oita. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^"Himeshima Access"Retrieved 6 June 2024
- ^"Himeshima Rental Car"Retrieved 6 June 2024
- ^"Cơ đảo thôn について: Thống kế tình báo"Retrieved 6 June 2024
- ^abc"Himeshima Festivals"Retrieved 7 June 2024/
- ^abc"Cơ đảo を tri る”Retrieved 6 June 2024
- ^abcdefgh"Charming Himeshima | Oita’s Bucolic “Island of Princesses”Retrieved June 6 2024
- ^abcdefgh"Cơ đảo thất bất tư nghị"Himeshima Official Site. Retrieved 6 June 2024.]
- ^"Cơ đảo thôn lập cơ đảo trung học giáo".Retrieved17 June2024.
- ^"Cơ đảo thôn lập cơ đảo tiểu học giáo".Retrieved17 June2024.
- ^"Bình thành 29 niên 10 nguyệt 22 nhật chấp hành chúng nghị viện nghị viên tổng tuyển cử thị khu đinh thôn biệt đắc phiếu sổ".Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
External links
[edit]
Media related toHimeshima, Ōitaat Wikimedia Commons- Himeshima official website(in Japanese)
- Himeshima, Ōita- General information about Himeshima(in English)
- Himeshima Cuisine- Information about Himeshima cuisine(in Japanese)
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