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Daisen-Oki NP, Shimane
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Chibu’s tanuki (raccoon dogs) reportedly began with 2 animals gifted to the village head in 1941. Kept in a cage, the pair escaped and bred; now they sometimes slip past the cattle on Akahage’s slopes.
From this 325-meter summit, all 4 inhabited Oki islands can fit in one view. Three form parts of the rim of the roughly 6-million-year-old Dōzen Caldera, whose sunken center is now sea.
Akahage’s wild-radish bloom inspires an island festival: on April 25, 2026, Chibu held its Nodaikon Festival at Kurii Port, with food stalls, singing, a curry-eating race and mochi tossed to the crowd.
In spring, pale-purple hamadaikon (wild radish) flowers carpet Akahage’s open slopes. Chibu Village notes that the plant’s stems, leaves and flowers can be eaten, but have a sharp, peppery bite.
The stone walls called myōgaki divided makihata, a four-stage rotation of cattle grazing, beans, millet and barley on Chibu’s scarce, thin soil. Some old boundaries still separate cattle pasture today.
On Akahage’s descent, a small shrine called Ōyama-san faces Mount Daisen across the sea. A local guide links it to Chibu’s cattle trade: islanders sent cattle to Daisen’s market and sought protection for their livestock.
A natural spring near Akahage’s summit makes something unexpected possible: cattle can graze on the mountain year-round. Water emerging high on the slopes helped make this exposed pasture practical.
