About Wakugaijima

​Wakugaijima is a small, inhabited volcanic island about 20 kilometers / 12 miles off the eastern coast of Honshu, Japan. It is the largest island in the archipelago. The mainland isn’t visible, but on clear and still nights, the far-away lights of cities can be observed as a faint glow in the horizon. The kanji of the island's name mean waku 「枠」, framework/boundary; gai 「外」, beyond/outside; and shima 「島」, island, respectively.

In the minds of its inhabitants, the island is categorized into four parts, following inter-cardinal directions: Hokusei, Hokutou, Nantou, and Nansei. These four areas are easily memorable by unique landmarks and their location on the island. In addition to the main island, there are several other smaller islands in the archipelago. The most well-known of these islands is Shikisetsu Island, which has a popular ski area and other travel attractions.

As part of the school's long-reaching support, UA pays for the students’ transportation to and from the island, so students need not to worry as long as they can make it to the port in Tokyo, where the boat departs. The state-of-the-art ferry takes only approximately 45 minutes to complete an one-way trip, including time used for boarding. The modern train system built on Wakugaijima takes commuting students from Hokuya Town to U.A. High School in only ten minutes. Including walking, commuting students should get to school in about an hour from when the ferry departs Tokyo.

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Regions of Wakugaijima

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Map Description

The light gray region in the northeastern area of the island represents the urban area of Hokuya Town. The brown region close to the southeastern shore represents the village of Gyousen.  
 
The thick, purple line represents the railroad between U.A. High and the mountain area of northwestern Hokusei, through the urban northeastern region of Hokutou, the quieter southeastern region of Nantou, and ending in the rural southeastern region of Nansei. The thin purple line represents the major road that runs through Nantou, starting from the eastern-most edge of Gyousen village to the island's main shrine at the western edge of the region.
 
The yellow-green areas throughout the Nantou region are the most densely farmed areas of Wakugaijima. Darker green areas on the southern slopes of Waku-san depict densely forested areas, such as Hi no Mori. Blue areas depict water bodies, such as the surrounding ocean, Ekiteki Lake in Nantou, the river dividing Hokutou, and the larger river that splits up Nansei.

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Off the southeastern shore of the island is a series of islands, one of those being Shikisetsu Island, a popular travel destination with mountains and forests.

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The Major Regions

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• Hokusei is the mountainous northwestern part of the island. U.A. High’s campus and the now-dormant volcano, Waku-san, are located here.
   

• Hokutou is the northeastern part of the island. The town of Hokuya is situated here, built on the framework of the prior village of Hokuya, now called Former Hokuya / Moto Hokuya 「 元北夜 」.
   

• Nantou is the southeastern part of the island. While inhabited, the region is currently vastly underdeveloped in comparison to Hokutou and Hokuya Town. The main settlement of the area is the village of Gyousen. 
   

• Nansei is the relatively wilder southwest region of the island. Wakugaijima may be small, but its flora and fauna are diverse and flourishing, giving the island an ethereal feeling. From ancient forests to fields and tidal pools, everything is bustling with life in the untouched nature under the shadow of the looming mountain.

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Geography

The island of Wakugaijima is a high island, formed by ancient volcanic activity off the eastern coast of Honshu, Japan. Its highest mountain, Waku-san, is a dormant and wide stratovolcano. The peak reaches a height of 1627m / 5338 ft. It would be classified as extinct if not for the high geothermal activity detected in the southwestern part of the island. Thanks to this activity, residents of the island are able to enjoy active hot springs, known as Gyousen Springs.

 

Wakugaijima has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), the same as Tokyo, for example. The summers are warm, with temperatures peaking in August with an average high of 30°C / 68°F. The winters are colder, the coldest month being February and temperatures sometimes dipping below freezing from December to March.

 

Precipitation is fairly high year-round, raining less during the colder months. Though snow is rare in the winters on the main part of the island, the peaks of Waku-san become regularly snow-capped.

 

Where the slopes of Waku-san crashes into the ocean on the northwestern side of the island, there stands a number of tall and jagged island-like structures, like shards splitting from the island. Largely uninhabited, they are a home to a number of seasonally-migratory birds and is a popular destination for birdwatchers traveling to the island. On the southwestern side, there are a few islands just off the coast, but due to their size, they experience more extreme conditions than Wakagaijima itself.

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Wakugaijima's History

Wakugaijima was a vague mention in Japan's historical records for a long time, despite the fact that it had been occupied before the 1600s. Reliable historical records named the island in 1629, coinciding with Nikkou Castle's construction, though the name was alluded to in earlier inquiries by the regional daimyō, who coveted the island.

 

Nikkou Castle was built as an artistic retreat and a summer palace for this wealthy daimyō, whose legacy continues to live on in the well-preserved castle. The village of Gyousen sprung up around the castle as a bustling center of trade and culture. The older port town of Hokuya flourished for a time, growing from a small fishing village to a bigger community. 

 

It was around the same time that the Wakugaijima Shinmei Shrine was built, as a faction of priests and priests split away from the Ise Grand Shrine and declared the island as the proper new residence of the sun god, Amaterasu. It became a niche, hard-to-access shrine to conduct a pilgrimage to due to the remote location, although dedicated individuals wrote of their journeys to the island. Accounts are scattered and primarily collected in the island's central archives.

In the dry summer of 1718, extensive records note an unrest in the volcano, which culminated in a minor earthquake and the destruction of a town. However, none of these records seem to name the town in question. It is most likely from this event that the largest forest on the island was named Hi no Mori 「火の森」, known in English as the "Forest of Fire". It’s assumed that a small side vent must have opened during the unrest, and the minor lava flow was enough to cause the forest to destructively catch fire. The town was never rebuilt, though the forest has regrown since then.

After the end of the Edo Period, the island started to fall back into obscurity. Somehow, the island remained well-preserved and maintained throughout the past centuries. New services, such as a regional transportation system and updated buildings, were introduced, in spite of the low number of permanent residents, as if some greater plan wanted the island to survive and thrive in the future.

 

The once-dying island has now been granted a new life, in the form of one of the world’s top hero schools relocating to it. The hero school, U.A. High, is perched on the incline of the dormant volcano and was constructed without disturbing the beautiful natural life on Wakugaijima. The commerce the school has brought with it rejuvenated the island, ushering in an influx of people and culture. The new city of Hokuya is now largely populated by people who relocated there from different parts of Japan and the world; on the other hand, the people who have always lived on Wakugaijima primarily reside in the village of Gyousen.

 

The reception of the new UA High School campus has been mixed. Some residents wish the school had never arrived, while others feel honoured by the school's choice of location. And quite a few are simply grateful for the new positive changes that have come along, such as the state-of-the-art hospital that was built alongside the school. Understandably, many of those unhappy with the school harbour a grudge, because of how the old town of Hokuya was replaced by something newer, modern, and “shinier”. The near-complete razing of the old buildings was inevitable, given their disrepair, but some residents still feel wronged and believe that a piece of the island's history was forever lost.

 

It is in this whirlwind of changes that a new chapter of Wakugaijima begins! Residents and students alike will become witnesses to more changes and historic events. Go beyond the past, and write your own future!

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