I've been trying to get to Hachijo-jima for the past three years and finally did in 2022. I booked a week, and now I realize that this island is a weekend-destination. The island and its highlights can be explored in two days. I was there for five. Haha.
Budget: JPY16,940 (~USD161) from Tokyo
Fuji Hike Leg (blog post here)
Budget: JPY16,940 (~USD161) from Tokyo
- JPY7,970, less 15% discount if booked online. Ferry, Tokyo to Hachijio-jima
- JPY1,000. Bus Pass, Hachijo-jima
- JPY7,970, less 15% discount if booked online. Ferry, Hachijiojima to Tokyo
- JPY2,000 a night stay.
- May 2-8, 2022
- Here's the blog post for a combined (八丈島) Hachijo-jima & (青ヶ島) Aogashima trip.
When to Go
Access
Accommodations:
Day 0.
- Anytime during the year! It is apparently warm throughout the year, so for those who wish to escape the winter cold, then this is the right place.
- Hachijo-jima Freesia Flower festival - around end of March to early April.
Access
- By Plane. Only flown by ANA, and the prices I see are around JPY12,000 one way. I don't really expect a sale or a discount.
- By Ferry. There's a 20% discount (or 15% for weekends) if booked 14 days prior, or booked online (new promo that I saw in 2022, not sure how long that'll last). Schedule (only one per day), prices are provided below, as well as the corresponding rooms.
- Website (in English) and all details at https://www.tokaikisen.co.jp/en/
- Reservations for the discount at http://tokyoislands.jp/, Bookings only accepted a month in advance.
Ferry schedule, Tokyo (東京) to Hachijou-jima (八丈島)Prices:Room types:
Transportation within the Island
- This link is pretty comprehensive, but I'm writing things down here for my own checklist. They have a pass that covers unlimited usage of buses and onsen (spa), which they call BU-S-PA (get it?). Either way, the buspa pass costs JPY1,000 for two days. The bus route is in this website: https://www.8bus.jp/. Other than those two buses, walking is the only way to go. Or biking.
- "循環路線" City bus, which basically runs around the city part of the town.
- Up and down the hill - "坂" means hill, "上" means up, "下" means down. This bus is the only way to the southermost part of the island.
- Saka-ue (坂上) OR Sueyoshi-yuki (末吉行き). The way to the southern part, to the famous Sueyoshi-onsen (末吉温泉).
- Saka-shita (坂下). The return trip.
Bus schedule, Kaminato (かみなと) < > Sueyoshi (末吉)
- Hostel. Plenty of options in your booking websites. I used Seadive dormitory (via Agoda) and paid around JPY2,000 a night. However, this is about 20 minutes walk from the city center, and there's not a lot of buses. But, it's 5 minutes walk to the ferry.
- Camping. Both require reservation (closed for 2020-2021, open for 2022)
- Hachijo Plaza Park Camp, free. Located at the center of the city.
- Sokodo Camping Ground, free. Next to the beach and the off-boarding port.
Activities
- Food. Sushi, of course. And a dozen variations of Ashitaba, the endemic vegetable (?) of the island.
- Hiking. Two mountains - the one one the West (Mt. Fuji) and the one on the East. I was not able to do the hike on the east side, since the main attraction is the Mt. Fuji one.
- Diving/Snorkeling. Hachijojima has a lot of sea turtles, and the locals know exactly where they are.
- For those with no diving license, the option is Taiken Diving (体験ダイビング) which ranges from JPY8k to JPY15k for a three hour activity (including briefing. Actual dive is less than 20 minutes).
- I booked mine via Jalan, choosing the package from Ocean Blue, which seems cheaper if booked in their website. They also rent a camera for about JPY2,000.
- Onsen. There are about three main ones and you'll see it in the bus stops, but the ultimate one seems to be the Sueyoshi Onsen.
- Sueyoshi-onsen (末吉温泉). I see this place's picture all over. It costs JPY500 to get in, and they are open from 10:30am til 9:30pm (last entry at 9pm), they are closed Tuesdays, Holidays (and Sundays?), and the entirety of July and August.
- The picturesque onsen is in only one room. Men has access on ODD calendar days, women on EVEN calendar days.
References:
- Hachijio-jima: http://tokyoislands.jp/category/hachijojima
Day 0.
- 10:30pm. Ferry, Tokyo Port to Hachijiojima. JPY7,970, less 15% discount if booked 14 days prior.
- 08:55am. ETA: Hachijiojima. Go to the camp area.
Day 2.
- Explore Hachijojima.
Day 3.
- 09:40am. Ferry, Hachijijima to Tokyo
- 07:50pm. ETA: Tokyo.
Actual Log
Tuesday
Sunday
- 10:45pm. Started boarding the ferry from Tokyo to Hachijojima. We boarded a bit late. Don't forget to write down your name, phone number, address on the ticket.
- 09:00am. Arrived at Hachijoujima. Walked a couple of minutes to my hostel (Seadive dormitory), dropped by bags, and started walking to Blue Ocean for my guided scuba diving trip.
- 10:00am. Started the briefing for scuba diving, drove to the dive spot, went back and showered.
- 01:00pm. Done with the diving, started walking towards the dorm to drop off some things and get my hiking gear.
- 01:50pm. Started walking to the city center. I tried to find food first, but apparently everything closes by 2pm, and so I had to go the airport hoping they have a place to eat there. And thankfully there was.
- 03:00pm. Started my official hike from the airport.
- 05:48pm. Reached the summit. Started heading back down.
- 07:44pm. Back at the city center. There was some fire festival going on, so I spent some time watching the show.
Thursday
- Walked around the town, tried the Jersey cafe ice cream, ate some western food at Pocket, explored the Ozato Tamaishi Wall, then took the bus to the famous onsen - Miharashi-no-yu at Sueyoshi Onsen (末吉温泉). I then ended the day by going back to the fire festival again.
- Worked. For lunch, I tried sushi at a nearby place.
Saturday
- Tried the Ashibata pasta (it was ok), then walked back to town to have some ice cream again, then tried Fureai no yu (ふれあいの湯)
- 09:33am. Ferry, Hachijojima to Tokyo. The ferry was late again.
- 09:08pm. Back in Tokyo. Ok, that was an awful loooong ride. Ugh.
After booking online, I had to get my ticket from the booth at the entrance. |
Got my tickets! It is printed with my name and reservation number. I had to manually write down my address and phone number. |
Falling in line before boarding. That right there is my ride. |
Passing underneath the Rainbow Bridge. |
Boarding the ferry. |
My accommodations for the night. |
It has one pillow per slot, and two electric sockets for everyone to share. |
Bye Tokyo!!! Oh, wait.... Hachijoujima IS Tokyo. |
Hello, Hachijoujima! |
Saying goodbye to the ferry. |
The Sokodo Camp area. |
A pretty nice camp spot right next to the ocean. |
Our guide making sure that the tank is ok. |
First turtle sighting!!! |
I think this was our third sighting. |
The fourth one! |
Me being close and personal with the turtle. |
And there's a cat at the jump off spot! |
Fuji Hike Leg (blog post here)
View of Fuji from the airport. |
My accommodations for the week. |
Sunset with Mt. Fuji at the background. |
Chilling at Sokodo Beach. |
Hey! thanks for the post. i was doing some research on hachijo island for my trip. ill be travelling solo and im not sure about EVERYTHING! this clear up half of my wonders... hahaa so thanks! i guess going by ferry might not be my choice since i dont really have much time..
ReplyDeleteThank you! You can take the ferry from Tokyo to Hachijiojima, and then maybe fly back?
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