Tokushima: Drone photo of island reveals ‘heart’ of the sea

By Masahiro Tatsumi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:40 JST, September 10, 2022

NARUTO, Tokushima — What looks like a peninsula on the Tokushima side of the Naruto Strait is actually islands together in the petite Uchino Sea. And in that sea is a tiny island shaped like a heart.

Kagami Island in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, is an uninhabited island with a circumference of about 100 meters. The general public is not allowed to set foot on the island, although a Shinto ritual is held once a year there to pray for safety at sea and a good catch of fish.

Last June, local photographer Naoki Ogawa took aerial photos of the island with a drone and posted them on video-sharing sites. This led to the island being nicknamed “Heart Island” based on the shape of the islet.

Yomomi Observatory on the Naruto Skyline road attracts many tourists on holidays and offers a beautiful sunset view. However, from the observatory, one can only look down at the island from an angle and the shape can’t be seen. The Naruto city government has installed an information sign at the observatory with a QR code. Scanning it with a smartphone, you can watch aerial videos taken by Ogawa.

Ogawa and his team held a tour of Heart Island by boat last November. They are planning to use the island to attract more tourists.