is an island in the Amami Islands

Amami Islands

The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...

 of southwestern 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...

. Administatively it belongs to Kagoshima Prefecture

Kagoshima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...

. Three towns are located on the island: Tokunoshima

Tokunoshima, Kagoshima

left|thumb|Kametoku Port in the town. is a town in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan. It is located on the island of Tokunoshima.As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 12,656 and the density of 121 persons per km²...

, Isen

Isen, Kagoshima

is a town located in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 7,532 and the density of 120.13 persons per km². The total area is 62.70 km².-External links:* *...

, and Amagi

Amagi, Kagoshima

is a town located in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 7,192 and the density of 89.52 persons per km². The total area is 80.34 km².-External links:* in Japanese*...

. It is about halfway between Kagoshima on the southern end of Kyūshū

Kyushu

is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

 and Okinawa's main island.

It is home to a deadly snake known as the habu

Habu

' is a Japanese name used to refer to certain venomous snakes:Snakes:* The following species are found in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan:** Trimeresurus elegans, a.k.a. the Sakishima habu, found in the southern Ryukyu Islands...

 (which exists on several other islands), a rare and prehistoric black rabbit

Amami Rabbit

The Amami Rabbit , or , also known as the Ryukyu Rabbit, is a primitive dark-furred rabbit which is only found in Amami Ōshima and Toku-no-Shima, two small islands in between southern Kyūshū and Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan...

, and a unique form of bullfighting called Tōgyū

Togyu

also known as ushi-zumo or Bull sumo, is a spectator sport native to Ryukyu Islands of Japan, especially in the Okinawa Prefecture.It is also held in other regions of Japan, such as Iwate Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Ehime Prefecture and Kagoshima Prefecture.Although...

. There are several small ports on the island, and one small airport. Hiking is discouraged because of the snake, but the mountain trails are exotic and beautiful to those not from the islands. The beaches are also quite stunning, and there is a strange shore on the island's north in which the open sea crashes against massive flat stone slabs.

Tokunoshima Airport

Tokunoshima Airport

is an airport in Amagi, Ōshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan.Government of Japan is considering that this airport is used as a part of US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma's new address.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:...

serves the island.