Ogasawara Islands

From Freepedia

The Ogasawara Islands (小笠原諸島) are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical islands some 1000 km directly south of central Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are a part of Tokyo. The islands are also known as the Bonin Islands, and the southernmost (uninhabited) group is known as the Volcano Islands. Still 700 km further south is Okino Torishima, and 1 900 km further east is Minami Torishima. These two remote islands are not geographically, but administratively part of Ogasawara. The total area of the islands is 84 km².

The Ogasawara Islands consists of four subgroups, including the Volcano Islands, which are listed along with their main islands:

Mukojima Group (聟島列島 Mukojima Rettō)
- Mukojima (聟島, literally: Bridegroom Island)
- Yomejima (嫁島, literally: Bride Island)
- Kitanojima (北ノ島, literally: Northern Island)
Chichijima Group (父島列島 Chichijima Rettō)
- Chichijima (父島, literally: Father Island),
- Anijima (兄島, literally: Elder Brother Island)
- Otōtojima (弟島, literally: Younger Brother Island)
Hahajima Group (母島列島 Hahajima Rettō)
- Hahajima (母島, literally: Mother Island)
- Anejima (姉島, literally: Elder Sister Island)
- Imōtojima (妹島, literally: Younger Sister Island)
Volcano Group (火山列島 Kazan Rettō)
- Kita Iōjima (北硫黄島 Kitaiōjima, literally: North Sulphur Island)
- Iōjima (硫黄島 Iōjima, literally: Sulphur Island)
- Minami Iōjima (南硫黄島 Minamiiōjima, literally: South Sulphur Island)
Single Isolated Island, west of Hahajima Group and North of Volcano Group:
- Nishino shima (西之島, literally: Western Island, also: Rosario Island)
Isolated Remote Islands, not geographically but administratively part of Ogaswara Islands
- Okino Torishima (沖ノ鳥島, literally: Remote Bird Island)
- Minami Torishima (南鳥島, literally: Southern Bird Island)

1 Transportation
- 1.1 Ogasawara Airport construction problem
2 Geology
3 History
4 Ogasawara subtropical moist forests
5 External links

Transportation

from the main Japanese islands to Father Island -

The Bamboo Lawn Pier (?) has a weekly flight to Father Island, while the liner "Umbrella Straw Circle " takes a 25 hour trip via Ogasawara Marine Transportation.

The worldwide first TSL, the "SUPER LINER OGASAWARA" (to be commissioned in 2006), with a maximum speed of 70 km/h, 14,500 tons of gross tonnage, was expected to shorten the voyage to Ogasawara to about 17 with up to 740 folks aboard, after the spring. However, the Ogasawara Marine Transport which holds some form of Tokyo-related financial assistance for an estimated annual deficit of up to 10 hundred million Yen, announced the cancellation of the TSL's development in August 2005.

The Tsukishima pier (?) has small plane flights, perhaps twice a month or once every two months, to Father Island and/or Mother Island; tramps might pick up to up to 9 passengers.

Furthermore, to Mother Island, the liner "Stripe Circle" has to cross from Father Island. Thus, because a trip from the main Japanese islands to the Ogasawara Islands is very difficult, when people get severely ill or otherwise have an emergency situation, word of the emergency is conveyed to the Sulphur Island Maritime Self Defense Force post, and they send a helicopter to the islands; also, an emergency can be handled in the main Japanese islands by the airplanes of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, or the Maritime Self Defense Force's base in Iwakuni base conveys evacuacees/ sick people to the main islands by seaplane.

In earlier days, emergency service was generally late, and people say that, because nighttime illumination wasn't installed in the Ogasawara heliport, when one became ill in the night, one often couldn't get help quickly enough to survive, but emergency transportation can now easily be done at night.

The Ogasawara village barracks bus is operated on the island, and one should use the silver pass/ the bus uses the silver pass. There is also a sight-seeing taxi service, a rental car company, a レンタバイク and a レンタサイクル , as well as other amenities. Bringing one's own automobile onto the island is a difficult task.

Ogasawara Airport construction problem

Currently, the Maritime Self Defense Force seaplane of Iwakuni base, US-1A, which only flies when it is allowed to come to the Ogasawara Islands, and that service's intended purpose is limited to VIP transportation, such as ferrying the Mayor/Governor of Tokyo.

The Ogasawaras have no airport. However, there has been some talk of building such an airport; some people have proposed a construction plan of the 800m designating a Father Island state promontory area as the construction site. However, because there are numerous valuable or rare or endangered plant species in the vicinity of the airport construction site, forming an unique ecosystem, this raises the issue of nature conservation. Thus, the goal of completing airport construction is not in sight. Due to construction delays that stem from environmental issue, transportation continues to be by the large-sized helicopter to the Self Defense Force Sulphur Island base(?), as well as by private boat seaplane from the Haneda airport. Similarly, methods such as sea mail from Sulphur Island are being examined, but the realization of such goals is being prevented by the incompleteness of the airport construction process.

Also, the long-time inhabitant falls in love with the packed nature of the lands; although airport construction is eagerly desired, natural Ogasawara and what seems to the newcomer to be an unexplored region have drawn a preservation movement to block airport construction. The airport issue is still quite controversial in the Ogasawaras.

The only inhabited islands are Chichi-jima (父島) and Haha-jima (母島). Sugar cane, pineapples and bananas are grown on the islands. From the forests, valuable woods from sugi, beech, box, rosewood and sandalwood trees were once exported. Access to these islands is possible only via a single weekly overnight ferry from Tokyo, although there are plans to open an airport. Tourists are attracted to the islands by scuba diving and whale watching.

The island of Iō-jima (硫黄島), better known in English as Iwo Jima, is a part of the Volcano Islands. It is occupied by a Japanese military base and access to the island requires special permission.

Geology

The Ogasawara islands are a part of an island arc known as the fore arc. They lie above a subduction zone between the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Plate. The Pacific Plate is subducting under the Philippine Plate, which creates an oceanic trench to the east of the islands. The crust of the Bonin islands were formed by volcanic activity when subuduction began about 45-50 million years ago, and are composed mostly of an andesitic volcanic rock called Boninite, which is rich in magnesium oxide, chromium, and silicon dioxide. The Bonin Islands may represent the exposed parts of an ophiolite that has not yet been emplaced on oceanic crust. The rocks of the Volcano Islands are much younger; Iwo Jima is a dormant volcano characerized by rapid uplift and several hot springs. The Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the fiercest battles of World War II, was fought here in 1945.

Most of the islands have steep shorelines, often with sea cliffs ranging from 50 to 100 meters in height. Several of the islands are fringed with coral reefs.

History

The first recorded settlement of the islands was an American colony founded in 1830, and the descendents of these settlers live on the island today. Japan has ruled the islands since 1875.

Ogasawara subtropical moist forests

The Ogasawara Islands form a distinct subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion, with a high degree of biodiversity and endemism. The islands are home to about 500 plant species, of which 43% are endemic. The forests are of three main types:

Type I: Elaeocarpus-Ardisia mesic forest is found in the moist lowland areas with deep soils. The forests have a closed canopy with a height of about 15 meters, dominated by Ardisia sieboldii. Elaeocarpus photiniaefolius, Pisonia umbellifera, and Pouteria obovata are other important canopy species. These forests were almost completely destroyed by clearing for agriculture before 1945.

Type II: Distylium-Raphiolepis-Schima dry forest is found in drier lowland and upland sites with shallower soils. It is also a closed-canopy forest, with a 4 to 8 meter canopy comprised mostly of Distylium lepidotum, Rhaphiolepis integerrima, Schima mertensiana, Pouteria obovata, and Syzygium buxifolium. The Type II forests can be further subdivided into:

- Type IIa: Distylium-Schima dry forest occurs in cloudy upland areas with fine-textured soils. These forests contain many rare and endemic species, with Pandanus boninensis and Syzygium buxifolium as the predominant trees.

- Type IIb: Raphiolepsis-Livistona dry forest is found in upland areas with few clouds and rocky soils. Rhaphiolepis integerrima is the dominant tree species, along with the fan palm Livistona chinensis var. bonensis, Pandanus boninensis and Ochrosia nakaiana.

Type III: Distylium-Pouteria scrub forest is found on windy and dry mountain ridges and exposed sea cliffs. These forests have the highest species diversity on the islands. Distylium lepidotum and Pouteria obovata are the dominant species, growing from 0.5 to 1.5 meters tall. Other common shrubs are Myrsine okabeana, Symplocos kawakamii, and Pittosporum parvifolium.

Two bird species are endemic to the islands, the Japanese Woodpigeon (Columba janthina) and the Vulnerable Bonin Honeyeater (Apalopteron familiare).