is an island located in the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...

of Japan, north of the city of

Takamatsu file:Takamatsu City Hall.jpg, 270px, Takamatsu City Hall file:Takamatsu city center area Aerial photograph.2007.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Takamatsu city center file:Takamatsu200910cut.JPG, 270px, View from Yashima to Takashima port is a capital ...

, and is part of

Kagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Pr ...

. It has an area of 2.66 km², a coastline of 8.9 km, and a population of about 200. Megijima is a popular destination in summer on account of its public beach and close proximity to Takamatsu City (approx. 4 km). Additionally, with over 2000 cherry blossom trees, Megijima also sees an influx of visitors during the springtime when people congregate for cherry blossom viewing. The island has been linked to the mythical island Onigashima ("island of

ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

s"), visited by the folktale character

Momotarō is a Folk hero, popular hero of Japanese folklore. His name is often translated as ''Peach Boy'', but is directly translated as ''Peach + Tarō (given name), Tarō'', a common Japanese given name. ''Momotarō'' is also the title of various books, ...

. The caves at the top of Washigamine Summit, as the home of the ogres from that story, are a popular tourist spot. There is an observation platform at the peak of Washigamine Summit where one can get a 360 degree view of the Seto Inland Sea. Megijima is also one of the host sites of the

Setouchi Triennale The Setouchi International Art Triennale is a contemporary art festival held every three years on several islands in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan and the coastal cities of Takamatsu and Tamano. The festival was inaugurated in 2010 with the aim of ...

. During the festival period, many temporary and permanent art exhibitions are installed across the island. Some of the sights on the island such as the cave and beach are also featured in the Key visual novel ''

Summer Pockets ''Summer Pockets'' is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key (company), Key, a brand of Visual Arts (company), Visual Arts. It was released on June 29, 2018 for Microsoft Windows, Windows and is rated for all ages. ''Summer Pockets'' is Ke ...

''.

References

External links

Tourist informationDescription on the Setouchi International Art Festival web site
Oni Islands of Kagawa Prefecture {{Kagawa-geo-stub

See also

References

External links