AURA POETRY — ISLAND INDEX

Islands in Kansai

An index of 12 islands across Kansai, arranged by archipelago. Choose a name to open its page.

Ieshima Islands · 4

  • Nishijima 6.49 km² The boat from Himeji port crosses the Harima Sea slowly, threading past Bōze Island before easing into a narrow channel barely wider than a few minutes of water.
  • Ieshima 5.38 km² The white walls of Himeji-jō rise above the rooftops from almost any open street, a constant orientation point for anyone walking the grid of the old castle town.
  • Tangashima 4.51 km²
  • Bozeshima 1.91 km² The boats from Himeji port arrive at Naza, and from there the lanes narrow almost immediately.

Shima Islands · 6

  • Toshijima 6.92 km² The ferry timetable at Toba Port lists routes to Toshijima, Kamishima, Sugashima, and Sakatejima — four inhabited islands reached by the municipal boats and the Ise Bay ferry.
  • Sugashima 4.39 km² The municipal ferry from Toba's Sata-hama pier crosses to Sakate port in under a quarter hour, and the small boat fills with islanders carrying groceries more often than visitors with cameras.
  • Sakatejima 0.71 km²
  • Kamishima 0.68 km² The ferry from Toba's Sata-hama terminal takes under an hour, and by the time the boat angles toward the small harbor, the island has already declared its shape: a hill, a cluster of houses pressed close to the water, almost no flat ground.
  • Watakano-shima 0.63 km² The crossing takes only a few minutes.
  • Mazakijima 0.4 km² The boat from Kashikojima crosses a sheltered stretch of Ago Bay, and within minutes the rafts of pearl cultivation come into view.

Other Islands · 2

  • Okishima 176.52 km² 滋賀県 The boat from Horikiri-shinkō takes only a few minutes, but in that crossing something shifts.
  • Nushima 2.66 km² 兵庫県 The ferry from Tsuchio Port takes only the briefest crossing of the Kii Channel, yet by the time the boat eases into the harbor, the register has shifted.