Six months have passed since the mass evacuation of Miyake Island's 3,800 residents in September, and conditions on the volcanic island are deteriorating with each passing month.
The eruptions of Mount Oyama have rendered the small island 180 km south of Tokyo a no man's land, deserted except for a handful of workers who spend a few hours each day maintaining key facilities.
On a one-day inspection tour Saturday led by Miyake Mayor Ko Hasegawa and Tokyo Vice Gov. Yasushi Aoyama, the impact that Mother Nature and months of neglect have had on the island was clearly evident.