Kuroshima Island

Kuroshima is a small island about four kilometers off the shore of Fukue Island in Nagasaki Prefecture. Made of basaltic lava and volcanic ash, the layered geology is immediately visible at the harbor, where two distinct ash strata, black below and dark brown above, are exposed in an open cliff face. A sea arch visible across a small bay to the east may be the remnant of an ancient lava tube. A number of houses still stand just beyond the harbor, quiet reminders of the larger community that once lived here. With a current population of one, the island has an atmospheric, end-of-the-road quality that makes it memorable.