Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
point is Mt Mitake (
御岳
; Mitaké; also pronounced On-také) at 2,621 feet (799 meters) above
sea level.
The only inhabitable portion of the island is the extreme southern tip. Altogether it covers
about a third of a square mile (1 square kilometer). It's the only section that's level enough for
habitation. The rest of Suwanosejima (
諏訪之瀬島
; Suwanosé-jima) is too steep. On the east
side of this small tip is the modest port. It has no facilites and is merely a dock.
The crater of Suwanosejima's Mt Mitaké.
Suwanosejima's volcano erupted a moment before this photo was taken.
From the dock, a road leads up a slight hill and crosses over a plateau about three-quar-
ters of a mile (1 kilometer) to the west side of the island, where the village lies. There are
three
minshuku
here. About 1,640 feet (500 meters) to the south of the town is an airstrip.
Suwanose is the only Tokara Island to have an airstrip although there are no flights! It was
built some years ago when Yamaha Resorts was contemplating building a luxury resort on
the island. Presumably, it might be used to airlift the residents in the event of a major erup-
tion by Mitake. To the north of the village, a road runs about three-quarters of a mile towards
the center of the island and the volcano. There are no other roads on the island. From the
end of the road, a paved path leads another three- quarters of a mile towards the summit.
Given Mitake's almost constant activity, great consideration should be given to the thought
of climbing this volcano.
Mitake is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan—and the world. Essentially, apart
from the settlement at the southernmost tip of Suwanosejima, the entire island is a volcano,
