"Hatsushima" the island closest to Tokyo

The island closest to Tokyo

Hatsushima

Hatsushima is an island in Sagami Bay in the eastern part of the Izu Peninsula.

It is the only inhabited island in Shizuoka Prefecture and is known as the closest island to the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Unlike the Izu Islands, which are all volcanic islands, Hatsushima is said to be an island of marine terraces (topography created by uplift and seawater erosion) that appeared above the sea due to the rise of the ocean floor.

According to geological research, the area around the first terrace (the highest point on the island: about 50m above sea level) where Hatsushima Lighthouse currently stands appeared on the sea about 20,000 years ago.