Oki Islands

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 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.

Getting there

1 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 (updated May 2019)

See

Dangyo Falls. Listed as one of Japan's top 100 waterfalls, Dangyo Falls drops 40 feet from above Dangyo Shrine. (updated May 2023)

Go next

Matsue Higashiizumo Izumo Hikawa Yasuda Sakaiminato Yonago Osaka