An English guide to Japan's inhabited remote islands — the islands beyond the four main islands, reached by ferry and local plane. Every island has its own page: population, area, a photograph, and the full text of its encyclopedia article.
151 inhabited islands · 9 regions · from Rishiri in the far north to Yonaguni in the far south
Scroll inside the frame to browse all 151 islands — everything below the list stays within easy reach.
| # | Island | Population | Prefecture |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iejima 伊江島 | 4,037,177 | Okinawa |
| 2 | Awaji Island 淡路島 | 157,000 | Hyogo |
| 3 | Amami Ōshima 奄美大島 | 66,000 | Kagoshima |
| 4 | Sado Island 佐渡島 | 51,492 | Niigata |
| 5 | Miyako Island 宮古島 | 47,825 | Okinawa |
| 6 | Ishigaki Island 石垣島 | 47,666 | Okinawa |
| 7 | Tanegashima 種子島 | 36,000 | Kagoshima |
| 8 | Tsushima Island 対馬 | 31,457 | Nagasaki |
| 9 | Iki Island 壱岐島 | 28,941 | Nagasaki |
| 10 | Mukaishima 向島 | 21,939 | Hiroshima |
Beyond the four main islands, Japan is a country of ferry ports, night boats and island time. How remote-island trips work — the boats, the seasons, the weather gamble — and how to plan your first island hop.
For 35 years the official answer was 6,852. Then Japan recounted its islands on digital maps — and found 14,125. What changed, how many of those islands anyone actually lives on, and how this guide chose its 120.
