is a village

Villages of Japan

A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....

 located in Miyake Subprefecture

Miyake Subprefecture

is a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The organization belongs to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau Of General Affairs.It includes the following villages on the Izu Islands:*Miyake *Mikurajima...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, 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 has a population (as of 2011) of only 271 people.

Geography

Mikurajima Village covers the inhabited island of Mikurajima

Mikurajima

is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tōkyō Metropolis and located approximately south of Tokyo and south-southeast of Miyakejima. It is one of the Izu Seven Islands group of the seven northern islands of the Izu archipelago....

, one of the northern islands in the Izu archipelago

Izu Islands

The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōshima....

 in the Philippine Sea

Philippine Sea

The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...

, 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) south of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 and 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) south-southeast of Miyakejima

Miyakejima

is an island in the Izu group, southeast of Honshū, Japan, administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan government, with an area of 55.50 km². The island, 180 km south of Tokyo, is located at 34.5N and 139.34E. As of January 1, 2006, the population of the island is 2884...

, and the uninhabited islet of Inambajima

Inambajima

is a volcanic, deserted island located in the Philippine Sea approximately south of Tokyo and southwest of Mikurajima, in the center of the Izu archipelago, Japan.-Geography:...

. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current

Kuroshio Current

The Kuroshio is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre...

, the village has a warmer and wetter climate than central Tokyo.

History

Mikurajima Village was founded on October 1, 1923, when the Izu islands were administratively divided into villages and town.

Economy

The village economy is dominated by seasonal tourism supplemented by forestry and commercial fishing. There is also some small-scale farming. Tourists come for sports fishing and scuba diving. Due to its difficulty of access, it receives considerably fewer visitors than the other islands in the Izu chain. Due to the low population and limited number of visitors, the natural habitat remains relatively untainted. Electric power on to the village is provided by a small hydroelectric power plant.

Transportation

Mikurajima has no major harbor. Apart from the dolphin tours, access to the island is limited to the Tōkai Kisen ferry that sails from Miyakejima and helicopter to Hachijōjima

Hachijojima

is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tōkyō and located approximately south of the Special Wards of Tōkyō. It is the southernmost and most isolated of the Izu Seven Islands group of the seven northern islands of the Izu archipelago...

, Izu Ōshima

Izu Oshima

is a volcanic island in the Izu Islands and administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan government, Japan, lies about 100 km south of Tokyo, 22 km east of the Izu Peninsula and 36 km southwest of Bōsō Peninsula. serves as the local government of the island...

 and Miyakejima

Miyakejima

is an island in the Izu group, southeast of Honshū, Japan, administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan government, with an area of 55.50 km². The island, 180 km south of Tokyo, is located at 34.5N and 139.34E. As of January 1, 2006, the population of the island is 2884...

.

External links

• Village home page (Japanese)