Amakusa ( 天草 ) , which means "Heaven's Grass," is a series of islands off the west coast of Kyushu , the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan.
27-538: The largest island of the Amakusa group is Shimoshima , which is 26.5 miles long and 13.5 miles at its widest (42.6 km × 21.7 km). It is situated at 32°20'N, 130°E, separated from the rest of Kumamoto Prefecture by the Yatsushiro Sea . While lacking high mountains with only four peaks surpassing 1,500 feet (460 m), the island terrain is ruggedly hilly. To cope with the lack of flat arable land, farming
54-435: A GDP equivalent to that of Iran, the 26th largest country in the world, it is the fourth largest economic zone after the three major metropolitan areas of Tokyo , Osaka , and Nagoya . Kyūshū's economy has a well-balanced industrial structure, ranging from primary industries such as agriculture, to secondary industries such as manufacturing, and tertiary industries such as retail, services, and tourism. Agricultural output in
81-528: A land area of 36,782 square kilometres (14,202 sq mi) and a population of 14,311,224 in 2018. In the 8th-century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region. The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mount Aso at 1,591 metres (5,220 ft), is on Kyūshū. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs . The most famous of these are in Beppu , on
108-406: Is 1791 meters (5876 feet) on Mount Kujū . The name Kyūshū comes from the nine ancient provinces of Saikaidō situated on the island: Chikuzen , Chikugo , Hizen , Higo , Buzen , Bungo , Hyūga , Osumi , and Satsuma . Today's Kyūshū Region ( 九州地方 , Kyūshū-chihō ) is a politically defined region that consists of the seven prefectures on the island of Kyūshū (which also includes
135-416: Is administered as part of Amakusa city, with 67 km patch on north-west coast belonging to the town of Reihoku . The island's highest peak is Mount Tenjiku 538.4 m (1,766 ft). Shimoshima is connected to Kamishima island , and through it to Kyushu mainland, by Amakusa-seto Oohashi [ ja ] bridge (completed in 1966) and pedestrian bridge over 70-meter wide tidal channel . It
162-559: Is also connected by Ushibukahaiyao Bridge to the Gezu Island on the southern tip. The national roads serving the island are the Route 266 , Route 324 and Route 389 . The Amakusa Airfield on the north of the island provide a scheduled services to the Itami Airport , Fukuoka Airport and Kumamoto Airport since opening in 2000. The public transportation inside the island is provided by
189-532: Is carried out on a terrace system of cultivation . Amakusa, along with the neighboring Shimabara Peninsula , became the site of the Shimabara rebellion in the 17th century, led by Christians . Following the rebellion, Kakure Kirishitan , the Christians who had survived, continued to practice their faith in secret, despite severe persecution. Amakusa produces a little coal and pottery stone, both being used by
216-621: Is in operation since September 2022. Kyūshū is also known for its scenic train services, such as the Limited Express Yufuin no Mori and Limited Express Kawasemi Yamasemi. The Kanmon Bridge and Kanmon Roadway Tunnel also connect the island with Honshu, allowing for vehicular transport between the two. The Kyūshū Expressway spans the length of the island, linking the Higashikyushu Expressway and Ibusuki Skyline, connecting major cities such as Fukuoka and Kumamoto along
243-534: Is operated by Yasuda Sangyo Kisen Co. Ltd. Two ferries from Shinwa and Ushibuka, in the south of Shimoshima , connect Amakusa to Nagashima in Kagoshima Prefecture. Shimoshima Island, Amakusa Shimoshima ( 下島 , Shimoshima ) is the largest island in the Amakusa archipelago. Its coasts are washed by Ariake Sea , Amakusa-nada sea , East China Sea and Yatsushiro Sea . Most of Shimoshima Island
270-642: Is widely produced. Besides the volcanic area of the south, there are significant mud hot springs in the northern part of the island, around Beppu . The springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile microorganisms , which are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments. There are two World Natural Heritage sites in Kyushu: Yakushima (registered in 1993) and Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (registered in 2021). Kyūshū's economy accounts for about 10% of Japan's total, and with
297-619: The potters of Hirado ware and Satsuma ware . Many kilns remain on the islands today, and pottery and pottery stone are still exported. Amakusa pottery has been recognised by the government. The retail company Muji brought out its own line of Hakuji home ware, which is produced out of ground translucent Amakusa stones kneaded into clay, using traditional techniques. Hidenoshin Koyama, who built Thomas Blake Glover 's House in Glover Garden , came from this island. Kenta and Ko-shin, two of
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#1732851656487324-610: The Ryukyuan lands ( Okinawa and Kagoshima ) and throughout the Kyūshū region. In addition, the other prefectures in Kyūshū also have exceptionally high TFRs compared to the rest of Japan. The Ryukyuans are an indigenous minority group in Japan. Parts of Kyūshū have a subtropical climate , particularly Miyazaki Prefecture and Kagoshima Prefecture . Major agricultural products are rice , tea , tobacco , sweet potatoes , and soy ; also, silk
351-543: The east shore, and around Mt. Aso in central Kyūshū. The island is separated from Honshu by the Kanmon Straits . Being the nearest island to the Asian continent , historically it is the gateway to Japan. The total area is 36,782.37 km (14,201.75 sq mi) which makes it the 37th largest island in the world. It's slightly larger than Taiwan island 35,808 km (13,826 sq mi). The highest elevation
378-517: The eastern seaboard shows a general decline in population . Politically, Kyūshū is described as a stronghold of the Liberal Democratic Party . Per Japanese census data, the Kyūshū region's population with Ryukyu Islands ( Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures) has experienced a large population decline since around 2000. However, the population decline in total is mild because of the relatively high birth rate of Ryukyuans both within
405-422: The entire Kyūshū region through the creation of innovation in industry and the promotion of new entrepreneurship and start-ups. Kyūshū is a region with strong economic ties to Asia. For example, Asia accounted for 420 (77.9%) of the 539 overseas expansion cases of Kyūshū-Yamaguchi companies from 2010 to 2019, and Asia accounted for 61.1% of Kyūshū-Yamaguchi's total exports in 2019, 7.4 percentage points higher than
432-574: The extensive bus network with the hub in Hondo Bus Center near the bridge to the mainland. At least five ferry lines also connect the Shimoshima island to other islands in Kagoshima , Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectures. Shimoshima Island is located in the humid subtropical climate zone ( Köppen Cfa ), with four distinct seasons. During the winter, the higher elevations see some snowfall, but
459-418: The former Tsushima and Iki as part of Nagasaki), plus Okinawa Prefecture to the south: Kyūshū has 10.3 percent of the population of Japan. Most of Kyūshū's population is concentrated along the northwest, in the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu , with population corridors stretching southwest into Sasebo and Nagasaki and south into Kumamoto and Kagoshima . Except for Oita and Miyazaki ,
486-489: The lower, populated areas seldom do. Spring in Shimoshima Island starts off mild, but ends up being hot and humid. The summer tends to be Shimoshima's wettest season, with the tsuyu ( 梅雨 , tsuyu , "plum rain") — the rainy season — occurring between early June (average:Jun.7) to late July (average:Jul.21). The island's weather is affected by the nearby Liman current [ ja ] while being shielded from
513-779: The mainland by the Five Bridges of Amakusa and by ferry from Hondo and Matsushima . There are also ferries between the islands and the neighboring prefectures of Kagoshima Prefecture and Nagasaki Prefecture . The ferry from Oniike on the north Shimoshima to Kuchinotsu , at the southern tip of the Shimabara Peninsula , is run by the Shimabara Railway and operates hourly each day. The ferry boat from Tomioka Port in Reihoku , sailing north to Mogi in Nagasaki Prefecture,
540-504: The most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu ( Nansei ) Islands ). In the past, it has been known as Kyūkoku ( 九国 , "Nine Countries") , Chinzei ( 鎮西 , "West of the Pacified Area") and Tsukushi-no-shima ( 筑紫島 , "Island of Tsukushi") . The historical regional name Saikaidō ( 西海道 , lit. West Sea Circuit ) referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands. Kyushu has
567-408: The nation as a whole. As the logistics node between Japan and Asia, the ports of Hakata and Kitakyushu handle a large number of international containers. In addition, the number of cruise ship calls in 2019 was 772, with Kyūshū accounting for 26.9% of the nation's total. Kyūshū is noted for various types of porcelain , including Arita, Imari, Satsuma, and Karatsu. Heavy industry is concentrated in
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#1732851656487594-544: The newer Shin-Kanmon Tunnel carrying the San'yō Shinkansen . Railways on the island are operated by the Kyūshū Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company , as well as a variety of smaller companies such as Amagi Railway and Nishitetsu Railway . Kyūshū Shinkansen trains operate between major cities on the island, such as Fukuoka and Kagoshima , with an additional route between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki which
621-623: The north around Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, and Oita and includes chemicals, automobiles, semiconductors, metal processing, shipbuilding, etc. The island of Tanegashima hosts the Tanegashima Space Center , which is the largest rocket-launch complex in Japan. Kyūshū is linked to the larger island of Honshu by the Kanmon Railway Tunnel , which carries the non- Shinkansen trains of the Kyūshū Railway Company , and
648-576: The region amounts to 1.8 trillion yen (20% share of the national total), and the region is a major domestic production center for the automobile and semiconductor industries. Kyūshū also has a thriving healthcare industry, including medical and nursing care, and numerous research and manufacturing facilities in the fields of hydrogen , solar power , and other renewable energies. Furthermore, Fukuoka City , Kitakyushu City and Okinawa Prefecture have been designated as National Strategic Special Zones , which are expected to have an economic ripple effect on
675-456: The three members of Wanima come from the island of Amakusa. At present, the islands are organized as Amakusa District , Amakusa City , and Kami-amakusa City , all of which are under the administration of Kumamoto Prefecture . 32°24′N 130°07′E / 32.400°N 130.117°E / 32.400; 130.117 The islands are served by Amakusa Airfield , located on the north end of Shimoshima . The islands are connected to
702-494: The warm Kuroshio Current by a part of the Kyushu island, resulting in wetter and colder climate than should be expected at lower 30's latitudes. This Kumamoto Prefecture location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kyushu Kyūshū ( 九州 , Kyūshū , pronounced [kʲɯꜜːɕɯː] , lit. 'Nine Provinces ') is the third-largest island of Japan 's four main islands and
729-899: The way. There are also many quiet country roads, including popular tourist routes such as the Nichinan coast road and the Aso Panorama Line in Kumamoto Prefecture . Bus services are available and cover 2,400 routes within Kyūshū's cities, connecting many other destinations. Several passenger and car ferry services connect both northern and southern Kyūshū with main port cities on the main island of Honshu (Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo) and Shikoku . Major universities and colleges in Kyūshū: World Heritage Sites in Kyūshū Historically some Kyushu-based sports team has competed in
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