Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Henzajima is mostly covered with oil tanks.
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HENZAJIMA
平安座島
The channel that separates Henzajima (
平安 座島
; Henza-jima) from Miyagijima is quite
narrow, only 10-30 feet (3-10 meters) wide for most of its 1-mile (1.5-kilometer) length.
But for the channel, Henza and Miyagi would be one island. Henza is fairly square, perhaps
1-1.5 miles (1.5-2.5 kilometers) in any one direction. Its surface area is 2 square kilometers
(5 square kilometers). The island's only village, Yonashirohenza (
与那城平安座
; Yonashiro-
henza), is at its southern end. It's quite large, with about 1,800 residents. The village, which is
also called Henza Town, has a fairly large harbor for a village of its size. Other than the village
and the port, the other 90 percent of the island is an oil refinery and tank farm. Altogether,
there are about 70 great round oil tank behemoths occupying almost every square foot of the
island. It's impressive to see though not possible to visit. For security reasons, almost the en-
tire island is a restricted zone. Other than the village, the only public access is the road along
the island's east side leading north to Miyagijima. Thus, there is very little for the tourist on
Henza.
The Kaichu-doro Maritime Museum is located in the middle of the 2.75-mile (2.46-kilometer) span.
