Kami-shima

What it is

• A small island with a circumference of 3.9 kilometers located at the entrance of Ise Bay.
• The setting for the famous novel The Sound of Waves by author Yukio Mishima.
• A designated Lover's Sanctuary belonging to Toba City in Mie Prefecture.
• Home to Yatsushiro Shrine which enshrines the deity Hachidai Ryuo.

What to see

• A historic lighthouse selected as one of Japan's Top 50 Lighthouses.
• Over 100 treasures from the Kofun to Muromachi periods housed at the shrine.
• Unique karst topography featuring limestone formations on the southern part of the island.
• Migratory chestnut tiger butterflies and grey-faced buzzards passing through the area.

When to go

• The Geta Festival which is a designated prefectural intangible folk cultural property.

Getting there

• Regular boat services reach the island from Toba Port and Irago Port.

Notes written by Japan Gems from facts in Japanese Wikipedia.