Miyakejima
Miyakejima (三宅島) is an
island in the
Izu group, southeast of
Honshu,
Japan, administered by the
Tokyo Metropolitan government, with an area of 55.50km². The island, 180km south of Tokyo, is located at 34.5N and 139.34E. As of January 1st, 2006, the population of the island is 2884. Like other islands in the Izu Island group, Miyakejima forms part of the
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
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Map of Islands |
Mt. Oyama
The island is a basalt stratovolcanic in origin, and the main
volcano, Mount Oyama, has erupted several times in recent history. A
lava flow in
1940 killed 11 people, and other eruptions occurred in
1962 and
1983. [
1] On
July 14,
2000, Mount Oyama began another series of eruptions, and by September, the island was completely evacuated. After a four-year period of volcanic emissions, residents were allowed to return permanently on
February 1,
2005.
Culture and tourism
Miyakejima is famous for its traditional
taiko performances, known as
kamitsuki kiyari taiko, as well as being home to the rare endemic
Izu Thrush (
akakokko). [
2] The island is home to an unusually rich flora and fauna with several rare species of birds and animals, although its natural habitats are constantly under threat from human and volcanic activity. Underwater, the island is valued by divers for its coral reefs and marine fauna (including the dolphin population outside nearby
Mikurajima).
The island was used as a penal colony during the
Edo Period.
Access
The island is accessible by over-night ferry, the Sarubia Maru, which is operated by
Tokai Kisen. The ferry departs from Takeshiba Sanbashi Pier, near Hammatsucho, Tokyo at 22:30 and arrives at Miyakejima at 5:00. There are also two helicopter flights operated by
Tokyo Island Shuttle which originate in
Aogashima and
Izu Oshima and fly to
Toshima, Miyakejima,
Mikurajima,
Hachijojima and Aogashima. In the past, there were flights from
Haneda Airport with an approximate flying time of 50 minutes. However, the area is a high volume area and flights have been suspended since before the July 14, 2000 eruption.
Jack Moyer
In years past, foreign visitors were often greeted by locals with the query: "Jack friend?" During the
Korean War, the U.S. airforce was using Onoharajima, a small rocky outcrop near Miyakejima, as a practice bombing range. U.S. serviceman Jack Moyer wrote a letter to an associate of President Truman to stop the bombing in order to save a rare seabird, the Japanese Murrelet, that breeds on Onoharajima (also known as Sanbodake). The bombing was stopped. Jack Moyer moved to the island and became a part of the island community for over 50 years. Moyer eventually attained his doctorate in marine ecology from the
University of Tokyo. In 1996, he was awarded the
Asahi Shimbun prize for his work on ocean ecology and the education of young children.
Jack Moyer was an ornithologist, marine biologist and naturalist who focused on the Izu islands and promoted the need for preservation of the islands' unique ecology. Having spent many years on Miyakejima he was aware of the changes that came with modernization. Construction of public roads and harbours claimed increasing amounts of previously untouched mountain forest areas of the islands, and increasing car traffic and sea pollution were important concerns of his as well.
Along with the other residents of the island, Moyer was forced to flee the island following the eruptions of Mount Oyama in 2000. Later, he was asked by the Tokyo Metropolitan government to survey the island. He concluded that the island's ecology was recovering. Dr. Moyer died in 2004.
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Izu Islands*
Devil's Sea*
2005 Asahi News article about Miyakejima and Jack Moyer*
1987 New York Times travel article about Miyake and J. Moyer*
J.Moyer's history
