| Himeshima | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Seal Type: | Emblem |
| Pushpin Map: | Japan |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan |
| Coordinates: | 33.7244°N 131.6453°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Japan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kyushu |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ōita Prefecture |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Higashikunisaki |
| Extinct Title: | Now part of |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 6.98 |
| Population Total: | 1,930 |
| Population As Of: | March 1, 2017 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | JST |
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address |
is a village located in Higashikunisaki District, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. The name Himeshima literally means "Princess Island."
The village is on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea and is sometimes referred to as Hime Island in English. The island of Himeshima is just off the Kunisaki Peninsula on the island of Kyūshū.
The island consists of four volcanically-formed islets which are now connected by sandbars to form Himeshima Island. Signs of the volcanic activity which formed the now-connected islets 300,000 years ago can be found throughout the island.[1]
The tallest mountain on the island is Mount Yahazu (矢筈岳, Yahazu-dake). It is a volcano that was active 90,000 years ago. It is sometimes referred to as "Himeshima Fuji" due to its importance to the people of the island and its distinctive lava domes.[2]
Himeshima is accessible by ferry from Imi Port (伊美港) in Kunisaki and has 12 regularly scheduled round-trip departures per day. It is about a 20 minute ride one way.[3]
There is a village bus which travels around the island six times per day.
Bicycles and ultra-compact electric cars are available to rent on the island.[4]
As of 2022, the village has an estimated population of 1,642. The total area is 6.98 km2. There are 833 households and 98 businesses employing 389 people. [5]
The main occupations are fishing and shrimp farming. The kuruma prawn (車海老, kurumaebi) and hijiki are local specialities on the island.[6] [7]
Tourism is another major industry with nearly 40,000 people visiting the island every year.[7]
Himeshima has launched a website to promote itself as "IT Island" in order to attract IT companies and personnel to the island.[7]
Every summer around Obon, there is type of bon odori (盆踊り) called "fox dance" (キツネ踊り, kitsune odori) featuring dancers, particularly young children, dressed as foxes.[8] [6]
In October of every year, there is a "Kuruma Prawn Festival" (車えび祭) for visitors to enjoy the local specialty. Visitors can also enjoy the popular kitsune odori at this event as well.[6]
Every year, chestnut tiger butterflies can be seen on the island from mid-May to mid-June as well as in mid-October as they stop in Himeshima during their long migrations. The butterflies, called Asagimadara (アサギマダラ) in Japanese, draw many visitors to the island.[1]
On Himeshima, there are seven popular sightseeing locations, all with legends surrounding them, which are referred to as the "Seven Wonders of Himeshima" (姫島七不思議, himeshima nana fushigi). They are as follows:
There are currently two schools on the island, Himeshima Elementary School (姫島村立姫島小学校) and Himeshima Junior High School (姫島村立姫島中学校).[11] [12]
In the 2017 Japanese general election, 77.51% of Himeshima's proportional ballots were cast for either one of the two parties in the conservative ruling coalition (the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito) or one of the two minor LDP-allied conservative parties (Party for Japanese Kokoro and New Party Daichi), making it the most conservative municipality in the country in this election under that definition (excluding Kuroshima Island's 82.76% conservative voting result, as this island is technically a part of Matsuura, Nagasaki and not its own municipality).[13]