is a village

Villages of Japan

A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....

 located in Ōshima Subprefecture

Oshima Subprefecture (Tokyo)

is a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The organization belong to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau Of General Affairs.It includes the following towns and villages on the Izu Islands:*Ōshima *Toshima...

, 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...

.

Geography

Kōzushima Village covers the islands of Kōzushima

Kozushima

is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tōkyō and located approximately northwest of the Miyakejima and southwest of the Niijima. It is one of the Izu Seven Islands group of the seven northern islands of the Izu archipelago....

, one of the northern 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...

, 178 kilometres (110.6 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.

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

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 often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...

 and seasonal tourism. There is also some small-scale farming. In the middle of the 20th century, unsuccessful attempts were made to develop silkworm farming. Many tourists come for sports fishing and scuba diving

Scuba diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

. 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

Shochu

is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from barley, sweet potatoes, or rice, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as brown sugar, buckwheat or chestnut. Typically shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume...

.

Transportation

Kōzushima is accessible by ferry from mainland Tokyo, Shimoda, Shizuoka

Shimoda, Shizuoka

is a city and port in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 25,054 and a population density of 242 persons per square kilometer...

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

Chofu Airport

is an airport located northwest Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, west of central Tokyo. It is administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The airport's main commercial activity is New Central Airlines commuter flights to the islands south of Tokyo....

, in western Tokyo to Kozushima Airport

Kōzushima Airport

is a regional airport serving Kōzushima in the northern Izu Islands, Tokyo, Japan. Operated by the Tokyo government, it is located south of the Kōzushima village office. It began operations in July 1992....

.

Education

The village operates its public elementary and junior high schools. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education

Tokyo 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 Kōzu High School http://www.kouzu-h.metro.tokyo.jp/.

External links

• Kōzushima Village (Japanese)