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The Izu Islands are a chain of volcanic islands scattered over several hundred kilometers south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean. All the islands lie within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
Each of the islands has its unique character: Oshima is noted for its active volcano Mt. Mihara and camellias, Hachijojima for its former penal colony, Mikurajima for dolphin watching, Niijima for its numerous beaches, Shikinejima for its hot springs, Kozujima for its white sandy shores, and Miyakejima for the 2001 volcanic eruption. Islands of Tokyo which includes Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands administratively are all part of Tokyo. |
Izu Islands
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The largest and closest, Izu Oshima is about 108 kilometers away from Tokyo and 25 kilometers southeast of Izu Peninsula.
Flights from Tokyo take 30 minutes, while regular ferries take 6–8 hours and jetfoils make the route in about 2 hours. It takes about one hour to circle the Island by car. Izu Oshima is a popular tourist destination, especially for those in Tokyo area seeking a quick getaway. You can enjoy hiking, cycling, hot springs, and seafood in a recreational setting. |
Izu Oshima Island
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Visit the Oshima Tourism Association where you can get maps and pamphlets to take with you. They also will look after your luggage if you request.
There are several restaurants nearby in Motomachi area, among which some require prior reservation. While expensive, renting a car for a couple hours or a day is the best way to see the island. Rental bicycles are also available near Motomachi Port. With a circumference of about 50 kilometers, you cannot easily explored the Island by bicycle entirely, though. |
Izu Oshima - Motomachi Port
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Oshima Buses operate between the main ferry ports in Okata and Motomachi and connect to the arrival and departure of the fast ferries.
Upon arrival of the ferry a bus departs for Gojinka Skyline, which also stops at the Oshima Onsen hotel. This Onsen is open to day visits. From Gojinka Skyline it's a 40 minutes's walk to the caldera. |
Izu Oshima - Bike Lane
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Izu Oshima is famous for the 758 meter high Mt. Mihara, an active volcano that its last major eruption was in 1986.
Surrounded by a vast desert of lava, one can travel up to the rim and peer down into the brightly colored couple-hundred meter drop. At the summit, the trail circles the caldera which measures 300 meters in diameter and 200 meters in depth, providing a breathtaking scenery. It is best to go on a clear day, as clouds can obscure your vision tremendously and make getting lost quite easy. |
Izu Oshima - Mt. Mihara
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Izu-Oshima Museum of Volcanoes was established in 1990, after the 1986 eruption of Mt. Mihara.
The first floor of this large museum features the complete history of the last eruption and provides just enough English explanation to be able to follow the main thread. The second floor is reserved for more general information about volcanoes with less English explanation, but many photographs from volcanoes worldwide. Admission is 500 yen. |
Izu-Oshima Museum of Volcanoes
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A stretch of about 700 meters of cliffs that are the cross section of a volcanic stratum are visible along the inner side of the loop road at the southwestern side of the island.
If you are taking a bus from Motomachi Port, as you drive down the road, the moment the scenery opens up a giant baumkuchen appears before your eyes. Discovered by road construction crews in the 1950s, over 90 different layers of stratum are clearly visible. The island's geological history is made obvious when one looks upon the layers of ash, interspersed by fault lines. |
Izu Oshima - Volcanic Stratum
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Habu Minato is a harbor that was carved out in the 1700's by a great tsunami. Inside is a traditional Japanese fishing village that never quite managed to catch up to modern times.
You can watch fishermen dragging in their latest catch here. You can also sample some of the finest sushi in Japan at the sushi restaurant. There’s also a popular croquette shop. There are several overlooks that provide stunning panoramic views of the harbor along the main road. |
Izu Oshima - Habu Port
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At the Southeastern coast drive a little further down from Habu Port on the Oshima loop road and you’ll see Fudeshima Island sticking out of the ocean. It was named after the fact that it appears like the tip of a paintbrush.
Oshima is also famous for Camellias and the best place to view camellia is Oshima Park which showcases thousands of camellia plants of around 450 varieties. That means this garden has become one of the largest camellia gardens in the world. The park is an excellent place to take a stroll or jog, especially from early February to late March when the camellia flowers are blooming. Camellia oil pressed from seeds has been traditionally used in Japan for hair care. Nowadays Camelia oil is used in popular hair and skin products that have become famous nationwide under the Oshima Tsubaki brand. |
Fudeshima Island
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AccessTransportation between the islands, by cargo-passengers boats, jetfoils, and aircraft, is supported by harbors on all inhabited islands and five airports (small islands can be reached by Helicopter).
By Jetfoils - Tokai Kisen operates a number of high speed boats called "jetfoils" which leave from Tokyo’s Takeshiba Sanbashi Ferry Terminal. The trip takes about two hours. Jetfoils also leave from Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture and take you to Oshima in about one hour. |
Jetfoils
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By Regular Ferry - Alternatively, one may take the overnight ferry operated by Tokai Kisen.
These do not operate every night. The ferries in direction of Oshima run overnight, while the return journey is during the daytime. The ship takes approximately 8 hours during the winter, and 6 during the summer. All of the ships arrive in either Okata Port or Motomachi Port, depending on the weather and ocean conditions. |
Azeria Maru Shikinejima
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By Air - New Central Airservice operates three daily flights in each direction between Tokyo's Chofu Airport and Oshima Airport "takes about 30 minutes".
To get to Chofu Airport, take the Keio Line from Shinjuku Station to Chofu Station "takes 15 minutes" and take a bus to the airport "takes about 15 minutes". All Nippon Airways "ANA" flies from Haneda Airport to Oshima in 35 minutes. The Izu Oshima airport is close to Motomachi Port. |
Izu Oshima Airport
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Izu Oshima Island - Izu Islands, Oshima Sub-prefecture, Tokyo
