Kitagi Island
Kitagi Island is the largest island in the Kasaoka Islands archipelago, located in the Seto Inland Sea approximately 26 kilometers from Kasaoka Port in Okayama Prefecture. With a population of around 960 residents, this island has earned recognition as a historic center of stone production and was designated a Japan Heritage Site in 2019 under the title "Stone Islands."
The island's history revolves around Kitagi Granite, one of the three most prestigious stone types from the Seto Inland Sea region alongside Aji Stone and Oshima Stone. During the early Edo period, large quantities of Kitagi stone were transported to build the stone walls of Osaka Castle. Following the Meiji era, industrial-scale quarrying expanded, and the stone was used in landmark structures including the Bank of Japan headquarters, the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi department store, Meiji Shrine's Jingu Bridge, and the torii gate at Yasukuni Shrine.
Visitors can tour active quarries from the Ishikiri no Tani Observation Deck, positioned at 60 meters height and offering views of ongoing stone extraction (admission fee applies). The dramatic landscape features exposed mountain faces in the Toyoura and Kanafuro districts, remnants of centuries of quarrying.
At Toyoura Port, K's LABO houses a stone museum and café with views across the harbor, providing context on the island's granite legacy through exhibits and local cuisine. Contemporary stone artworks are scattered across the island, including the Möbius Strip monument at Toyoura Port and the naturally formed "Kitagi Guilin," where rainwater has created a landscape resembling China's Guilin region among quarry ruins.
Transportation to Kitagi Island operates from two departure points in Kasaoka City. Ferries from Fushigoe Port carry vehicles and passengers to Toyoura Port and Kanafuro Port on the island's west side. Passenger vessels from Sumiyoshi Port serve Kitagi Port (Oura Port) and Kusunoki Port on the east side. Travel time is approximately one hour by ferry. No transportation connects the east and west ports, so passengers must carefully select the correct vessel for their intended destination.
