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Ogasawara NP, Tokyo
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Kopepe was a real person, not just a beach name: records trace him to Nonouti in the Gilbert Islands, now part of Kiribati. Japanese records spell his name Kopiibee; he became a Japanese citizen in 1882.
Green turtles come ashore at Kopepe in summer to nest. A clutch is about 100 eggs, buried in a nest roughly 60 cm deep; after hatching, the tiny turtles may spend another 4–7 days beneath the sand before emerging.
With few homes nearby, Kopepe is a lovely place to see the stars. That darkness also matters to nesting turtles: bright lights or nearby people can disturb a female and send her back to sea without laying eggs.
Toward neighboring Kominato, Kopepe’s reef gives way to another underwater surprise: pillow lava. These rounded rock forms began as hot lava erupting beneath the sea and chilling in seawater; the pillows at Kominato are andesite.
Kopepe’s reef is part of Japan’s long-term coral monitoring: the national survey lists a 50 × 50 m study area here, at 1–3 m depth. In 2024, coral cover at the site was measured at 20%.
