is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

located in Ōshima Subprefecture,

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. , the village had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 1,841, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of 99 persons per km². Its total area is .

Geography

Kōzushima Village covers the islands of

Kōzu-shima is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Izu Shotō'',"''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 412. The island is administered by Tōkyō and is located approximately northwest of the Miyake-jima and s ...

, one of the northern islands in the Izu archipelago in the

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. I ...

, south of central Tokyo. Warmed by the

Kuroshio Current The , also known as the Black or or the is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...

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

Neighboring municipalities

*Tokyo Metropolis **

Niijima, Tokyo is a village located in Ōshima Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 2,697, and a population density of 97.9 persons per km². Its total area is . Geography The village of Niijima consists o ...

Mikurajima, Tokyo is a village located in Miyake Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 328, and a population density of 16 persons per km². Its total area is . Geography Mikurajima Village covers the inhabite ...

Climate

History

Kōzushima 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

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must oft ...

and seasonal tourism. There is also some small-scale farming. In the middle of the 20th century, unsuccessful attempts were made to develop

silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically ...

farming. Many tourists come for sports fishing and

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

. Its white sandy beaches make it an excellent place to swim in summer, since it receives considerably fewer visitors than the other islands in the Izu chain. There are many hiking courses around its volcano, Tenjō-san, which dominates the center of the island. However, winter visits are discouraged, cancellation of flights and ferries due to inclement weather can strand visitors. The island is also noted for its local ''

Shōchū is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots. ...

.''

Transportation

Kōzushima is accessible by ferry from mainland Tokyo,

Shimoda, Shizuoka 270px, Shimoda City Hall is a city and port located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 21,402 in 10,787 households, and a population density of 200 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . In the 1 ...

, or other Izu Islands. There are also daily flights from

Chōfu Airport is an airport located northwest of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, west of central Tokyo. It is administered by the Bureau of Port and Harbor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The airport's main commercial activity is New Central Airservice commute ...

, in western Tokyo to Kozushima Airport.

Education

The village operates one public elementary and one public middle school. * Kozushima Junior High School (神津島村立神津中学校) * Kozushima Elementary School (神津島村立神津小学校)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education (東京都教育委員会 ''Tōkyō-to Kyōiku Iinkai'') is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board directly manages all of the public high schools in all 23 special wards, the Wester ...

operates

the only high school in the village.

Gallery

Image:Kozushima_port20050920.jpg, Kōzushima port Image:Tokoroten2.jpg,

Tokoroten is a dish in Japanese cuisine made from agarophytes. Tokoroten has been eaten by the Japanese for over a thousand years. Tokoroten is thought to have been introduced to Japan from China during the Nara period. Tokoroten was traditionally made by ...

, a local specialty Image:TenjosanAeralphTyoJp1978-01.jpg, Tenjōsan, highest mountain Image:Kozushima tenjosan.jpg, On the top of Tenjōsan

References

External links

Kōzushima Village Official Website
Villages of Tokyo Populated coastal places in Japan Izu Islands {{Tokyo-geo-stub