Izu Shichito Islands / Ogasawara Islands

Top Things to do

• Akasaki Boardwalk

  4.5

  75 Reviews

  Tokyo Kozushima Mura Kobe Yama 1

  A 15-minute drive from Kozushima Port. This wooden walkway is located a short distance west along the road from the island's northernmost tip. Along its 500-meter-long length, you can take in views not only of the area's deep-blue sea but also the Izu Islands and other islands, and even Mt. Fuji. A shop (only open in the summer) is located nearby and there are steps along the walkway which extend down to the sea, making it possible to use the inlet along which the walkway is built for swimming. There's also a diving platform! The walkway is also a popular destination to take photos of the area's star-filled skies at night.

• Hachijo Visitor Center

  4.0

  44 Reviews

  Tokyo Hachijomachi Okago 2843

  This facility introduces the nature of Hachijojima Island. The visitor center was constructed with the island itself as a motif. Here you can learn about the nature of the island, the origin of the island, the history, the lifestyle and living things. Because there is an approximately 22-hectare large botanical garden next door, many tourists visit both facilities. Aside from the displays, events allowing you to experience nature, such as treks across Mt. Mihara and tide pool exploring, are regularly held.

• Izu Oshima Volcano Museum

  3.5

  31 Reviews

  Tokyo Oshimamachi Motomachi Kanda Yashiki 617

  One of the world's few museums dedicated to volcanoes. With a focus on records pertaining to Izu Oshima's 1986 eruption, visitors learn about volcanism, volcanic disasters, and disaster preparation. The eruption of Mt. Mihara at the center of the island was the first in 565 years as such a large-scale natural disaster that developed into a fissure eruption on the outer crater. The island had an unprecedented evacuation of the entire population, and records pertaining to it are considered crucial for future disaster preparation. Through various exhibits and a capsule that simulates exploring beneath the earth's surface, you learn more about the island's still active volcano and others around the world.

• Hachijo Hattori Yashiki

  3.5

  19 Reviews

  Tokyo Hachijomachi Kashitate 2010

  "This tourism facility is located a 12-minute drive from Hachijojima Airport. The ruins were the residence of the Hattori family, who long ago served as the managers of the Bakufu's ships during the Edo period. Now, however, due to the presence of a tropical garden and the deeply historical estate, it is a sightseeing spot that makes one feel as if they're in an exotic locale. Though the original buildings no longer remain, performances of ""Hachijo Daiko,"" said to start with nostalgic thoughts, and ""Kashidate Odori,"" a traditional performance art registered as an intangible folk cultural property by the Tokyo Government, are held at the sight. The Japanese sago palms, said to be 700 years old, and the traveler's gate with its cobblestone wall, built up to the top of the hill, are also must-see sights."

• Meidai Ikkyuan

  4.0

  67 Reviews

  Tokyo Hachijomachi Okago 2473

  "This udon shop is located next to the Tokyo Metropolitan Governmento Hachijo Branch. This shop has a cozy atmosphere and sells handmade udon noodles that have ""ashitaba"" (herb in the parsley family) kneaded into them. These slender noodles with a strong texture and delicate aroma are also popular with the islanders. In the summer, the popular cold noodle dish ""hiyashi tanuki soba"" is served with so many bonito flakes that you cannot see the noodles. The hiyashi tanuki soba topped with ashitaba tempura and the spicy curry udon served with a large breaded pork cutlet are so big that even men cannot finish them."

• Hachijo Mingei Yamashita

  4.0

  8 Reviews

  Tokyo Hachijomachi Mitsune 1029-7

  "This folk craft store is located about five minutes away from Hachijojima Airport by car, distinguished by the retro play equipment placed at its front. They deal in goods related to Hachijojima's traditional silk fabric ""Kihachijo,"" which is based on three colors: yellow, marigold and black. The most popular ""Kihachijo sable"" is a lovely Hachijojima handmade shortbread cookie in the shape of a kimono. Its rich flavor, which comes from an ample usage of Hachijo butter, makes it a popular item with many repeat buyers. There are plenty of smaller items, too, that make use Kihachijo obi cloth, such as wallets and card cases. Searching for your favorite item is fun. The store holds hands-on looming classes, using real looms, so that you can feel closer to Kihachijo (reservations required)."

• Oshimamachi Folk Museum

  3.5

  6 Reviews

  Tokyo Oshimamachi Motomachi

  This Oshima-machi folk museum got its start with a love of nature and the wish to pass the area's ancestral traditions on to the next generation. It's located near Oshima Airport. They have over 300 items related to folklore on display, as well as Jomon period pottery and stoneware, Oshima festivals, and materials related to Oshima's history of volcanic activity. The displays give an idea of the tough conditions people of the past lived under. A traditional Japanese house adjacent to the site recreates the lifestyle of the former times. They also offer commemorative photos in the distinctive traditional garb of local girls known as Anko-san.

• Asoko-zushi

  3.0

  34 Reviews

  Tokyo Hachijomachi Mitsune 361

  "This sushi shop is popular for its gallant position of ""If we don't have good fish in stock then we won't open."" At this restaurant near the Mitsune/Goshin Intersection marked by its large signboard, you can enjoy seasonal fish. The most popular ""shimazushi"" is a local dish where the main ingredient of the sushi is steeped in a soy sauce based dipping sauce and placed on top of sweet vinegared rice. It is characterized by its use of karashi Japanese mustard instead of wasabi. It uses flying fish, pacific barrelfish and iwanori seaweed, ingredients that are not usually seen in Edo-style sushi. Many tourists are surprised by these unexpected combinations. As different ingredients need to be pickled for different lengths of time, be sure to book in advance."

• Tokyo Metropolitan Oshima Park Zoo

  4.0

  4 Reviews

  Tokyo Oshimamachi Senzu Fukushige 2

  "A zoo opposite the Oshima Park Camellia Garden, which has been called the ""Best camellia garden in the world."" About 400 animals of 60 species are cared for and shown to the public in a lush laurel forest. It is the first zoo in Japan to successfully breed Japanese wood pigeons, a protected species. They also have a breeding program that's part of Tokyo's Zoo Stock Plan propagating such rare animals as the Aldabra giant tortoise and the Hawaiian goose. Monkey Island at the center of the facility and has a roughly 60-meter bridge. Made with volcanic rock from Oshima eruptions, it's Japan's largest enclosure of its kind with ring-tailed lemur and Barbary sheep."