is a small sacred island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in Miyagi Prefecture

Miyagi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...

 in north-eastern Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is considered one of the Three Holiest Places of the Tōhoku region

Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....

, along with Dewa Sanzan and Osorezan. It lies in the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

 off the Oshika Peninsula

Oshika Peninsula

The Oshika Peninsula is a peninsula which projects southeast into the Pacific Ocean from the coast of Miyagi Prefecture in northeast Honshu, the main island of Japan....

.

There is a Shinto shrine in the island, called Koganeyama Shrine which is devoted to the gods of wealth, Ebisu

Ebisu (mythology)

Ebisu , also transliterated Yebisu or called Hiruko or Kotoshiro-nushi-no-kami , is the Japanese god of fishermen, luck, and workingmen, as well as the guardian of the health of small children...

 and Daikoku. Women were previously not allowed on the island. It is traditionally said that if you pay a visit to this shrine once a year for three consecutive years, you will have no financial difficulties for the rest of your life.

Kinkasan is 9.5 square kilometre in area, and its highest point is the pyramid-shaped Mount Kinka, which stands at 445 m (1,460 ft). It has a human population of a few dozen, mostly people connected with the shrine or the handful of shops around the harbour, and is home to a number of deer and Japanese Macaque

Japanese Macaque

The Japanese macaque , historically known as saru , but now known as Nihonzaru to distinguish it from other primates, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan....

 (monkeys).

The island is largely unspoiled, and has a number of scenic hiking routes. Access to the island is by ferry, departing from Ayukawa Harbor (in Ishinomaki

Ishinomaki, Miyagi

is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2010, the city had an estimated population of 164,294 and a population density of 295.83 persons per km²...

) or Onagawa

Onagawa, Miyagi

is a town located in Oshika District, Miyagi, Japan. The town was formed in 1926. The town takes pride in the fact that it still has beaches with "squeaking sand", which has apparently become rare in Japan due to human induced environmental changes. Onagawa is a port town, and right at the...

. Ayukawa Harbor is connected by a local bus line from JR

East Japan Railway Company

is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....

 Ishinomaki Station

Ishinomaki Station

is a JR East railway station located in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan. The station and surrounding streets known as Manga Road are adorned with statues of characters created by Shotaro Ishinomori...

, and Onagawa Harbor is located near JR Onagawa Station

Onagawa Station

is a JR East railway station located in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:The station is served by the Ishinomaki Line. The operation of the line and the station has been suspended since the tsunami on March 11, 2011 that destructed the railway track and the facilities of Onagawa...

 through Ishinomaki Station.

Kinkasan was hit by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...

, the island being one of the closest pieces of land to the epicenter at approximately 68 km (42.3 mi) away; only one or two minor islands are slightly closer.

External links

• WikiTravel:Kinkasan