Hachijo, Tokyo
Encyclopedia
is a town
located in Hachijō Subprefecture
, Tokyo
, Japan
. Electric power for the town is provided by a geothermal power
station and by a wind farm
.
and Hachijōkojima
, two of the islands in the Izu archipelago
in the Philippine Sea
, 228 kilometres (141.7 mi) south of central Tokyo. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current
, the town has a warmer and wetter climate than central Tokyo. All of the town's residents live on the island of Hachijōjima.
, Hachijōjima was known as a place of exile for convicts
. This practice ended in the Meiji period
, and the island residents developed an economy based on fishing, sericulture
, and agriculture. Hachijō Subprefecture was organized on April 1, 1908, and included the villages of Mitsune, Nakanogo, Kashitate, Sueyoshi and Ōkago. The villages of Toruchi and Utsuki on Hachijōkojima were organized on May 3, 1947. The five villages of Hachijōjima merged on October 1, 1954 to fom the village of Hachijō. On April 1, 1955, the two villages of Hachijōkojima also merged with the village of Hachijō, which was promoted to town status. However, in March 1966, the residents of Hachijōkojima voted to abandon their island, citing the inaccessibility of basic public services and economic difficulties, and Hachijōkojima became a deserted island from June 1969.
operates Hachijo High School http://www.hachijo-h.metro.tokyo.jp/.
takes 45 minutes from Tōkyō International Airport
(Haneda).
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 in Hachijō Subprefecture
Hachijo Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The organization belongs to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau Of General Affairs.It includes the following towns and villages on the Izu Islands:*Hachijō...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, 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...
. Electric power for the town is provided by a geothermal power
Geothermal power
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...
station and by a wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
.
Geography
Hachijō covers the islands of HachijōjimaHachijojima
is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tōkyō and located approximately south of the Special Wards of Tōkyō. It is the southernmost and most isolated of the Izu Seven Islands group of the seven northern islands of the Izu archipelago...
and Hachijōkojima
Hachijokojima
is a small volcanic deserted island in the Philippine Sea approximately south of Tokyo and west of Hachijōjima, in the northern Izu archipelago, Japan. Administratively the island is within Hachijō, Tokyo, Japan.-Geography:...
, two of the islands in the Izu archipelago
Izu Islands
The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōshima....
in the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...
, 228 kilometres (141.7 mi) south of central Tokyo. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current
Kuroshio Current
The Kuroshio is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre...
, the town has a warmer and wetter climate than central Tokyo. All of the town's residents live on the island of Hachijōjima.
History
During the Edo periodEdo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Hachijōjima was known as a place of exile for convicts
Criminal punishment in Edo-period Japan
During the Edo period, Japan used various punishments against criminals. These can be categorized as follows:* Death penalty* Incarceration and Exile* Penal labor* Confiscation of property* Corporal punishment- Death penalty :...
. This practice ended in the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, and the island residents developed an economy based on fishing, sericulture
Sericulture
Sericulture, or silk farming, is the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk.Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, Bombyx mori is the most widely used and intensively studied. According to Confucian texts, the discovery of silk production by B...
, and agriculture. Hachijō Subprefecture was organized on April 1, 1908, and included the villages of Mitsune, Nakanogo, Kashitate, Sueyoshi and Ōkago. The villages of Toruchi and Utsuki on Hachijōkojima were organized on May 3, 1947. The five villages of Hachijōjima merged on October 1, 1954 to fom the village of Hachijō. On April 1, 1955, the two villages of Hachijōkojima also merged with the village of Hachijō, which was promoted to town status. However, in March 1966, the residents of Hachijōkojima voted to abandon their island, citing the inaccessibility of basic public services and economic difficulties, and Hachijōkojima became a deserted island from June 1969.
Education
The town operates its own public elementary and junior high schools. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of EducationTokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board manages the individual school systems within the metropolis. The board also directly manages all of the public high schools in Tokyo...
operates Hachijo High School http://www.hachijo-h.metro.tokyo.jp/.
Transportation
Hachijōjima is accessible both by aircraft and by ferry. A pedestrian ferry leaves Tōkyō once every day at 10 p.m., and arrives at Hachijōjima at 9:00 a.m. the following day. Air travel to Hachijojima AirportHachijojima Airport
is a regional airport serving Hachijōjima in the southern Izu Islands, Tokyo, Japan.-History:An air field was established on the island of Hachijōjima in 1926 by the Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1954, it was turned over to civilian control and managed by the local authorities on the island...
takes 45 minutes from Tōkyō International Airport
Tokyo International Airport
, commonly known as , is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, south of Tokyo Station....
(Haneda).
See also
- Runin: BanishedRunin: Banishedis a 2004 Japanese film directed by Eiji Okuda. The film is set in 1838, and follows the fate of various people exiled to remote Hachijo Island in the Pacific Ocean. The main character is Toyogiku, a courtesan exiled a number of years ago for arson, who longs to return to the mainland. The exiles...
, a 2004 film about convicts exiled to Hachijōjima, and their attempts to escape. - Battle Royale (film)Battle Royale (film)is a 2000 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku based on the novel of the same name. It was written by Kenta Fukasaku and stars Takeshi Kitano. The film aroused international controversy.A sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, followed...
, a controversial 2000 film filmed on the neighbouring, uninhabited, Hachijō Kojima, although not set on the island.
External links
- Hachijo Town
- Hachijojima Tourism Site from Tokyo Metropolitan Government with information on the island's sights.
- Hachijo.info Guide for travelers
- Hachijojima volcano
- The Anchor Pub The website for this Australian-run bar has information on tours, transport and accommodation.
- Kihachijo Fabrics Information on this local craft
- Encarta: Map of Hachijō-jima