Aogashima Island is located 222 miles south of central Tokyo in the Philippine Sea. The entire island is just 3.5 kilometres long and 2.5 kilometres wide. About 200 people (mostly Japanese) live on the island. The entire island is formed out of a volcano’s crater. In the 18th century the volcano erupted and killed many villagers. This forced people to stay off the island for almost 50 years.
Oddly – this beautiful island doesn’t attract that many tourists. To get to the island you need to take a boat or a plane from Tokyo to Hachijojima (the nearest populated island) and then take a boat or helicopter to Aogashima. There are places you can stay on the island, like the Minshuku Aji Sai that is recommended by people who have visited the island before. There are a few choices of where to stay. They all provide meals with your stay.
Aogasahima is a terrific place to escape from the world and to just relax and rethink life. Since the island is so small you can take many walks around and you probably won’t get lost. There are well marked and easy to follow hiking trails around the volcano areas. There is also a volcano powered sauna for your enjoyment. There is a little shop that sells locally manufactured salts close to the sauna. Getting down to the ocean for a swim is difficult because the town sits on steep cliffs but you can have a splash near the harbour and watch some dolphins. Aogasahima also makes great shochu, a Japanese distilled beverage, that is a must to taste if you visit the island.
The beautiful scenery and quaint surroundings will have you relaxed and ready to face life again once you return home.
Call the village office for more information on where to stay: 04996-9-0111