| Ōshima Town 大島町 |
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| Location of Ōshima Town in Tokyo (Ōshima) | |||
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Ōshima Town
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Kantō | ||
| Prefecture | Tokyo (Ōshima) | ||
| District | None | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Shizuo Fujii | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 91.06 km2 (35.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (January 2008) | |||
| • Total | 8,553 | ||
| • Density | 93.9/km2 (243.2/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| City symbols | |||
| - Tree | Camellia | ||
| - Flower | Camellia | ||
| Phone number | 04992-2-1441 | ||
| Address | 1-1-14, Motomachi, Ōshima-machi, Tōkyō-to 100-0101 |
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| Website | Ōshima Town | ||
Izu Ōshima (伊豆大島 Izu-ōshima) 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. Ōshima Town (大島町 Ōshima-machi) serves as the local government of the island. The town (municipality) was formed in 1955 by the amalgamation of six separate villages (municipalities),[1] which were:
Moto, which had been called Motomura (village) until then, became seat of the local government for the whole island as Motomachi (town).
Izu Ōshima, at 91.06 km² is the largest and closest of Tokyo's outlying islands, which also include the Ogasawara Islands. Izu Ōshima forms part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Izu Ōshima is a stratovolcano.
Izu Ōshima is most famous for Mt. Mihara (764 meters), which last erupted in 1990. Izu Ōshima is also a popular site for tourists from both Tokyo and Shizuoka due to its close proximity to the mainland.
There are a number of ferries which leave from Takeshiba Sanbashi Pier, near Hamamatsuchō, Tokyo. Ferries also leave from Atami in Shizuoka.
There are several flights per day from Ōshima Airport to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) in Ōta, Hachijojima Airport in Hachijojima and Chōfu Airport in Chōfu (all four airports are in Tokyo).
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The epicenter of the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923 was deep beneath Izu Ōshima Island in Sagami Bay. It devastated Tokyo, the port city of Yokohama, surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka, and caused widespread damage throughout the Kantō region.[2]
The volcano featured prominently in The Return of Godzilla, as the location in which the Japanese government entombed Godzilla. Mt. Mihara appeared again in the direct sequel, Godzilla vs. Biollante, in which Godzilla was released when the volcano erupted. Mt. Mihara and Izu Ōshima were also featured in the book Ring and the movie Ringu as pivotal locations for the story. Outside of fictional realms, the island is known for its Camellia Festival, Hanabi Festival, five black sand beaches, and numerous onsen.
Ōshima Town operates public elementary and junior high schools.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education operates public high schools.
Ōshima High School is an agriculture school known for producing baseball players, and Ōshima South is a marine biology school. Ōshima High School is attended primarily by children native to the island. Ōshima International Maritime Academy draws students from mainland Tokyo and neighboring Izu in order to participate in its marine biology program.