Okinoshima, Shimane
Encyclopedia
is a town
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located on Dōgo
Dogo, Shimane
Dōgo is the largest of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan, north of the Shimane peninsula . The largest city is Okinoshima.-By airplane:Japan Airlines offers two flights per day from Itami Airport, located in Osaka....

, one of the Oki Islands
Oki Islands
are a group of islands in the southwestern part of the Sea of Japan and belong to Japan.-Geography:The Oki Islands are situated between 40 to 80 kilometers north of the coast of Honshū.The islands are of volcanic origin and have a total area of 346,1 km2...

, in Shimane
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...

, 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...

.

Japan considers the disputed Liancourt Rocks
Liancourt Rocks
The Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto in Korean or in Japanese, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan . Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea...

 to be a part of Okinoshima.

As of January 2008, the town has an estimated population of 16,214. The total area is 242.97 km².

Oki Airport
Oki Airport
is an airport on Dōgo, one of the Oki Islands in the Shimane Prefecture of Japan. It is located in Okinoshima, the most populous town on these islands....

 (OKI), a Class III facility with a 1991 m runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

, is located within the town. It provides air service to Osaka International Airport
Osaka International Airport
or Osaka-Itami International Airport is the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is classified as a first class airport....

 ("Itami") and Izumo Airport
Izumo Airport
is an airport in the Hikawa area of Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, about 20–30 minutes by car from central Izumo or Matsue city centre.This airport is also known as Izumo En-Musubi Airport「出雲縁結び空港」; meaning Izumo Airport of Romantic Fate....

.

The town is now co-extensive with the whole island of Dogo (including small offshore islets).

Okinoshima was formed from the merger of the town of Saigō
Saigo, Shimane
was a town located on the island of Dōgo in Oki District, Shimane, Japan.On October 1, 2004, Saigō was merged the villages of Fuse, Goka and Tsuma, all from Oki District, to form the new town of Okinoshima....

, and the villages of Fuse
Fuse, Shimane
was a village located in Oki District, Shimane, Japan.On October 1, 2004 Fuse was merged the town of Saigō, and the villages of Goka and Tsuma, all from Oki District, to form the new town of Okinoshima....

, Goka
Goka, Shimane
was a village located in Oki District, Shimane, Japan.On October 1, 2004 Goka was merged the town of Saigō, and the villages of Fuse and Tsuma, all from Oki District, to form the new town of Okinoshima....

 and Tsuma
Tsuma, Shimane
was a village located in Oki District, Shimane, Japan.On October 1, 2004 Saigō was merged the town of Saigō, and the villages of Fuse and Goka, all from Oki District, to form the new town of Okinoshima....

 on October 1, 2004, all from Oki District.

A set of two station bell
Station bell
Under the Japanese ritsuryō system, were bells of red copper issued by the central government or by local provincial government offices to travelling officials or messengers known as . Functioning as a proof of identity, they allowed them to procure horses and labour at post stations...

s designated as Important Cultural Property of Japan is located at the Oki family treasure hall (億岐家宝物館 Oki-ke Hōmotsu-kan?) in Okinoshima.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK