Aoshima (青島) is an island located in Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The island has a surface area of 4.4 ha and a height of 6 m. The island is part of the Aoshima Shrine. Miyazaki′s Aoshima neigbbourhood consists of the island and the opposite coastal strip, where the Aoshima Subtropical Botanical Garden is located.

Geologic

The island is surrounded by unique rock formations referred to as the Ogre's Washboard (鬼の洗濯板).

Flora

The island is covered with the world's northernmost self-reproducing population of the fan palm, Livistona chinensis (Arecaceae), and is one of two places in Japan with a virgin forest of this indigenous species.

Climate

Aoshima has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is heavier in summer, especially the months of June and July. The average annual temperature in Aoshima is 17.6 C. The average annual rainfall is 2857.4 mm with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.0 C, and lowest in January, at around 8.1 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Aoshima was 37.8 C on 1 August 2013; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -4.8 C on 27 February 1981.

Access

The nearest railway station is Aoshima Station, on the Nichinan Line operated by JR Kyushu. The Ogre's Washboard is visible from the Nichinan Line, and the Umisachi Yamasachi will slow to allow passengers to take pictures and for an announcement on the feature to take place.