Masaki Island

What it is

• A small island in Ago Bay first settled by four farmers around 1532.
• A center for pearl cultivation and sardine fishing since the late nineteenth century.
• A remote community that reached its peak population of over six hundred people in 1955.
• Home to Amanomanai Shrine which enshrines seven deities including Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

What to see

• Active pearl cultivation rafts floating in the surrounding waters of the bay.
• Amanomanai Shrine where local deities are enshrined for the island community.
• The former site of Wagu Elementary School Masaki Branch which closed in 2006.
• A members-only sushi restaurant called Sushi Yutaka Zen located on the island.

Getting there

• A regular ferry service connects the island to Kashikojima and Wagu.

Notes written by Japan Gems from facts in Japanese Wikipedia.