6 Islands in Iwate worth your time

A coastal pine grove and memorial site featuring a single tree that survived the 2011 tsunami disaster.

What it is

• A coastal pine grove and nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty in Iwate Prefecture.
• A site originally planted in 1667 by merchant Kanno Mokusunosuke along Hirota Bay.
• Part of the Sanriku Fukko National Park dedicated to recovery and remembrance.
• A reforestation project where volunteers have planted forty thousand new pine seedlings.

What to see

• The Miracle Lone Pine preserved with a metal core after the 2011 tsunami.
• The Iwate TSUNAMI Memorial Museum located within the surrounding park grounds.
• A Pacific coast beach that reopened for swimming in July 2021.
• Thousands of young pine trees growing to replace the seventy thousand lost trees.

When to go

• Summer months for swimming at the beach starting in July.
• Daylight hours to view the memorial tree and visit the museum.

Getting there

• A ten-minute walk from the Miracle Lone Pine Station.

Read more about Takata Matsubara

An uninhabited national natural monument and bird sanctuary in Iwate, famously serving as the model for Hyokkori Hyotanjima.

What it is

• An uninhabited island measuring four kilometers in circumference within Sanriku Fukko National Park.
• A national natural monument and wildlife protection area designated in 1935.
• The primary breeding ground for Streaked Shearwaters and various birds of prey.
• The physical model for the famous Japanese show Hyokkori Hyotanjima.

What to see

• Dense forests consisting primarily of Machilus thunbergii trees.
• Large populations of Streaked Shearwaters and Steller's sea eagles.
• The distinctive shape of the island from the Hakozaki Peninsula.
• A strictly protected twenty-five hectare special conservation zone.

When to go

• Landing on the island is strictly prohibited to protect the wildlife habitat.

Read more about Sangan Island

An uninhabited island in Yamada Bay featuring a public swimming beach and historical ties to a 17th-century Dutch ship.

What it is

• An uninhabited island officially named Oshima located within Sanriku Fukko National Park.
• Renamed Orandajima in 1964 to commemorate the arrival of a Dutch ship in 1643.
• A sister site to the city of Zeist in the Netherlands.
• A destination for swimming that reopened to the general public in 2021.

What to see

• A public swimming beach located on the island coast.
• Walking paths and a pier that were repaired after the 2011 earthquake.
• Views of the surrounding Yamada Bay from the island shores.

When to go

• Visit during the summer months when the ferry service is operational.

Getting there

• Take a ferry from Yamada Town which connects to the island during summer.

Read more about Orandajima

An uninhabited island and National Natural Monument known for its battleship shape and as a major breeding ground for storm petrels.

What it is

• The largest uninhabited island in Miyako City with a circumference of 1.8 kilometers.
• A National Natural Monument designated in 1935 and a National Wildlife Protection Area.
• Japan's largest and northernmost breeding ground for Swinhoe's storm petrels.
• An island nicknamed Gunkanjima because its silhouette resembles a battleship.

What to see

• Sheer cliffs ranging from 30 to 40 meters in height.
• Geological strata dating back to the Cretaceous period where sixty species were first discovered.
• Views of the island's unique shape from the deck of a sightseeing boat.
• The protected natural habitat viewed from the water as landing is strictly prohibited.

Read more about Hideshima islet

A protected granite island and national natural monument serving as a major breeding ground for thousands of black-tailed gulls.

What it is

• An uninhabited granite island located one kilometer off the Hirota Peninsula
• A national natural monument designated in 1934 for its ecological importance
• A prefectural wildlife protection area and designated special protection zone
• A 22.4 hectare site dedicated to protecting migratory bird breeding grounds

What to see

• Thousands of black-tailed gulls that breed across the island
• Black-crowned night herons nesting within the protected area
• The Rikuzen Tsubakishima Lighthouse standing on the island terrain
• Sparse herbaceous vegetation growing across the granite landscape

Read more about Tsubakishima

A gourd-shaped island in Otsuchi Bay featuring a lighthouse and shrine, famous as the model for a popular puppet show.

What it is

• A gourd-shaped island in Otsuchi Bay consisting of two connected hills.
• The inspiration and model for the television show Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima.
• A registered monument owned by the town of Otsuchi since August 2013.
• A site featuring a shrine dedicated to the eight-armed deity Benzaiten.

What to see

• The Otsuchi Port Lighthouse designed to resemble a sun and an hourglass.
• Benten Shrine located on the larger hill of the island.
• A 340-meter breakwater that connects the island directly to the mainland.
• A statue of Benzaiten with eight arms housed within the shrine.

Read more about Hōraijima