Iwaishima

What it is

• A heart-shaped island with a circumference of twelve kilometers in Kaminoseki Town.
• An inhabited community of two hundred and sixty people mentioned in the Man'yoshu poetry collection.
• A center for local fishing and organic agriculture producing loquat tea.
• Home to Mount Nagami which reaches a height of over three hundred and fifty meters.

What to see

• Traditional stone-and-plaster walls called Neribei built to protect houses from strong winds.
• A stone mound known as Heike-zuka located on the island.
• Organic loquat orchards that produce high-sugar fruit and specialty tea.
• The local elementary school which reopened for students in 2021.

When to go

• The Kanmai festival takes place every four years during leap years.

Getting there

• A high-speed ferry connects the island to Murotsu Port.

Notes written by Japan Gems from facts in Japanese Wikipedia.