Ikuchijima

Ikuchijima
Native name:
生口島 Ikuchijima
Aerial photo of Ikuchijima in 1947
Ikuchijima is located in Japan
Ikuchijima
Ikuchijima
Location in Japan
Ikuchijima is located in Hiroshima Prefecture
Ikuchijima
Ikuchijima
Ikuchijima (Hiroshima Prefecture)
Geography
LocationSeto Inland Sea
Coordinates34°17′15.2″N 133°6′28.6″E / 34.287556°N 133.107944°E / 34.287556; 133.107944
ArchipelagoGeiyo Islands
Area31.21 km2 (12.05 sq mi)
Length8.8 km (5.47 mi)
Width4.9 km (3.04 mi)
Coastline24 km (14.9 mi)
Highest elevation472.3 m (1549.5 ft)
Highest pointMount Kanno
Administration
Japan
PrefectureHiroshima Prefecture
CityOnomichi
Demographics
Population11000[1] (2006)
Pop. density352/km2 (912/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsJapanese

Ikuchijima (生口島) is one of the Geiyo Islands in the Seto Inland Sea, belonging to Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. Ikuchijima is administered as part of Onomichi city. There are bridges connecting Ikuchijima to the mainland (Honshū) via Innoshima and to Shikoku via Ōmishima Island. The highest peak of this 31.21 km2 island is Mount Kanno at 472.3 m (1,550 ft).

The Wajinden (c. 290) notes that slaves (生口) were kept in the area and the island's name may come from this. In The Inland Sea, Donald Richie describes the island as “a smaller Sardinia, a greener Corsica”. The main crop on Ikuchijima today is citrus, and the island is now known as "lemon island of Japan".[2]

History

[edit]
  • April 1, 1889, Ikuchijima was formally demarcated into Nishiikuchi-gun, Kitaikuchi-gun, Myōga-gun and Minamiikuchi-gun
  • April 1, 1937, Nishiikuchi-gun merged into Setoda.
  • April 1, 1944, Kitaikuchi-gun and Myōga-gun merged into Setoda.
  • April 1, 1955, Minamiikuchi-gun merged into Setoda.
  • July 27, 1970, Bridge connection to Takane Island opened.
  • December 8, 1991, Bridge connection to Innoshima and Ōmishima.
  • January 10, 2006, Setoda, along with the city of Innoshima, was merged into the expanded city of Onomichi

Attractions

[edit]
  • Kōsan-ji temple
  • Outdoor island-wide monument park
  • Hiking and cycling routes
  • Sunset-view beach hotels
  • Lemon orchards - Ikuchijima is known as "Lemon Island" in Japan.

Climate

[edit]
Climate data for Ikuchi-jima (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1979−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.4
(61.5)
20.4
(68.7)
22.2
(72.0)
27.5
(81.5)
32.0
(89.6)
34.2
(93.6)
36.0
(96.8)
37.5
(99.5)
36.0
(96.8)
33.0
(91.4)
23.9
(75.0)
20.9
(69.6)
37.5
(99.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.5
(49.1)
9.9
(49.8)
13.0
(55.4)
18.1
(64.6)
22.9
(73.2)
26.0
(78.8)
30.0
(86.0)
31.9
(89.4)
28.3
(82.9)
22.8
(73.0)
17.2
(63.0)
11.9
(53.4)
20.1
(68.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.7
(42.3)
5.8
(42.4)
8.6
(47.5)
13.4
(56.1)
18.1
(64.6)
21.8
(71.2)
25.9
(78.6)
27.5
(81.5)
24.1
(75.4)
18.6
(65.5)
12.9
(55.2)
8.0
(46.4)
15.9
(60.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.6
(34.9)
1.3
(34.3)
3.8
(38.8)
8.5
(47.3)
13.4
(56.1)
18.2
(64.8)
22.5
(72.5)
24.0
(75.2)
20.6
(69.1)
14.6
(58.3)
8.7
(47.7)
3.8
(38.8)
11.8
(53.2)
Record low °C (°F) −4.7
(23.5)
−6.3
(20.7)
−4.0
(24.8)
−1.2
(29.8)
3.4
(38.1)
9.8
(49.6)
15.6
(60.1)
17.4
(63.3)
11.4
(52.5)
4.7
(40.5)
−0.6
(30.9)
−3.0
(26.6)
−6.3
(20.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 39.5
(1.56)
49.7
(1.96)
84.4
(3.32)
88.9
(3.50)
108.3
(4.26)
172.3
(6.78)
177.6
(6.99)
89.5
(3.52)
126.8
(4.99)
95.9
(3.78)
59.2
(2.33)
46.2
(1.82)
1,138.4
(44.82)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.3 6.9 9.2 9.1 8.5 10.8 9.1 6.2 8.5 7.0 6.2 6.3 93.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 141.9 140.1 177.0 192.1 206.5 149.7 189.9 220.7 163.7 169.8 146.2 140.8 2,047.1
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4]

See also

[edit]
  • This article incorporates material from Japanese Wikipedia page 生口島, accessed 11 June 2018

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 生口島 - Ikuchijima Island
  2. ^ https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/travel/japans-lemon-island-ikuchijima-is-reinventing-itself-with-community-based-tourism
  3. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  4. ^ 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved March 2, 2022.