Qualla: Nii-jima

Nii-jima: Introduction

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ka23 13, CC BY-SA 4.0. The stone that makes Nii-jima famous exists in only two places on Earth: here, and on the island of Lipari off the coast of Sicily. Koga stone, a pumice-derived rhyolite, gives Nii-jima its startling white sand beaches and pale volcanic cliffs, and its silica can be blown into transparent green glass. Every autumn, artists from around the world gather at the Niijima International Glass Art Festival to work with this material -- Dale Chihuly among them. It is a strange distinction for a volcanic speck in the Philippine Sea that technically belongs to Tokyo, administered by the same metropolitan government that runs Shibuya and Shinjuku. But Nii-jima has always existed in contradiction: a place of exile that became a surfer's paradise, a seismically restless island where people have lived since the Jomon period, a national park wilderness reachable by a 35-minute flight from Chofu Airport.

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Image: Ka23 13 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Nii-jima: Eight Domes of Rhyolite

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Data: Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) Snip: っ at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. Nii-jima is unusual among the Izu Islands for its elongated shape, stretching roughly north to south with a land area of 23.87 square kilometers. The island is built from eight rhyolitic lava domes arranged in two clusters at its northern and southern ends, connected by a low, fl...

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Image: Data: Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) Snip: っ at Japanese Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

Nii-jima: The Exiles' White Sand

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit No machine-readable author provided. MikeDockery assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0. Nii-jima has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have recovered Jomon-period stone and ceramic utensils across the island. But its most haunting chapter began during the Edo period, when the Tokugawa Shogunate designated the island as a place of exile for crimi...

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Image: No machine-readable author provided. MikeDockery assumed (based on copyright claims). | CC BY-SA 3.0

Nii-jima: Glass, Stone, and Moyai

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit DDD_DDD (talk) (Uploads), Public domain. The Niijima International Glass Art Festival has run every autumn since 1988, drawing leading glass artists to workshops and demonstrations at the Niijima Glass Art Center. The adjacent museum houses works by past participants including Dale Chihuly, William Morris, and Lucio Bub...

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Image: DDD_DDD (talk) (Uploads) | Public domain

Nii-jima: Whales at the Port, Kusaya on the Grill

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit EBLNA, CC BY-SA 4.0. Despite its proximity to Honshu, Nii-jima's small population has left its waters remarkably rich. Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins inhabit the nearshore waters. Sea turtles nest on the beaches. Sperm whales and humpback whales pass through on migrations between feeding grounds an...

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Image: EBLNA | CC BY-SA 4.0

Nii-jima: Greek Ruins at Sunset

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit No machine-readable author provided. DDD DDD~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain. Yunohama Onsen may be the most improbable hot spring in Japan. Built in the style of pseudo-Greek ruins on Yunohama Beach, the large outdoor bath accommodates up to 100 bathers and draws its water from the ocean below. The panoramic view faces west, straight into the Pacific suns...

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Image: No machine-readable author provided. DDD DDD~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). | Public domain