014The Ogasawara Islands have never been connected to any continent, and are home to so many endemic species found nowhere else in the world that they are sometimes called a “laboratory of evolution.” Chichijima has a subtropical marine climate, with an average temperature of 23.0°C and an average humidity of 77%. The color of the oceans here is known as “Bonin Blue,” a reference to an older name for the islands (the “Bonin Islands,” from Japanese bunin, “uninhabited”). In former centuries, the islands’ population was a mixture of Europeans, Americans, and people from many Pacific isles, resulting in a unique “Ogasawara Creole” that blended elements from many other tongues. The “South Sea dance” that arrived in the islands when the South Sea trade was at its height has been designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Tokyo. Recognized by UNESCO: June 2011Area: 7,900 ha Characteristics: Ogasawara includes more than thirty oceanic islands of various sizes. The two largest islands are Chichijima, a thousand kilometers south of Tokyo, and Hahajima, fifty kilometers further south still. Because they have never been connected to any continent via land bridge, the islands make up a unique ecosystem.Around half the species of flora naturally occurring on the islands are endemic, and Ogasawara is also home to many endemic species of fauna that have been designated natural monuments. Whales and dolphins swim in the seas nearby, and some 200 species of reef-building coral can be found in the warm waters, with an average temperature of 23.0°C. The islands are also a well-known nesting ground for green sea turtles.The only way to reach Ogasawara is on the Ogasawara Maru, a ship that makes the 24-hour trip from Tokyo about once a week. Tourism is one of the island’s basic industries. The islanders are highly welcoming to visitors, and when the Ogasawara Maru leaves Chichijima Island, such a large crowd gathers at the docks to wave farewell that it seems as if the whole island is there. NatureCultureFlora and FaunaLiving Ogasawara Islands
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