The town of Ama is known for its springy, small grain rice. From this spot, you can see the only rice field that exists within the islands of Dōzen.

It was precisely because of their ability to grow rice that Ama was chosen as a place of exile for the Japanese nobility of old. Why was this? Emperor Go-Toba was defeated in battle and exiled to this island, but, despite this, he was still equivalent to a god in the eyes of the Japanese people. There was no way they could send him off into isolation to starve to death. So in the end, they sent him to the Oki Islands--located in the auspicious north-west direction with a bountiful harvest of rice paddies and abundant marine life.

If you decide to climb up Mt. Atodo you’ll probably see many cows along the way. These healthy cows feed on the wild grasses on the mountain which have absorbed the salty breeze off the ocean, and the cows have built up their muscles climbing the steep incline of the lava-covered mountain peaks. These premium-grade Oki Cows are raised on the “Shiokaze Farm '' and grow up eating the mineral-rich Iwagaki Oysters--another factor in the high quality of their meat.