Oki Islands

The Oki Islands (隠岐諸島, Oki shotō or 隠岐の島 Oki-no-shima) are an archipelago in Shimane, about 100 km off the coast of mainland Japan.

Understand

The Oki Islands have been settled since antiquity, but due to their remoteness are best known as a place of exile. In 1221, figurehead Emperor Go-Toba attempted to rebel against the ruling Kamakura shogunate, but was exiled here and died. In 1332, Emperor Go-Daigo also rebelled and was exiled here, but unlike his hapless predecessor, he managed not only to escape, but to overthrow the shogunate and wrest control of all Japan in the short-lived Kenmu Restoration.

There are around 180 islands, but only four these are inhabited: Dōgo, Nakanoshima, Nishinoshima and Chiburijima. The largest town is Okinoshima (隠岐の島町) on Dōgo, which has nearly 15,000 of the islands' 20,000 inhabitants. The islands are designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Tourist information site

The geopark association and other organizations have a Japanese-only guide site for the whole area.

Get in

  • 🌍 Oki Airport (OKI  IATA) (3 kilometers south of the center of Okinoshima, on Dōgo). Japan Airlines operated by Japan Air Commuter from Izumo and Osaka–Itami

Get around

See

  • Dangyo Falls (壇鏡の滝). Listed as one of Japan's top 100 waterfalls, Dangyo Falls drops 40 feet from above Dangyo Shrine.

Do

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