< A Day in Kamakura | Japan (Spring 2004)
Hachijo-jima
2004.Apr.19 - 2004.Apr.24
This time my destination was Hachijo-jima, an island about 300 km south of Tokyo, but still belonging to the state of Tokyo. Even though staying there for one full week, there was not overly much time for really exploring the island, simply because I spent much time under water. When I was checking for a place to stay I realized there are many diving schools on this island, most of them also offering accommodation. Why not take the opportunity and learn to dive? So I contacted Ocean Boulevard and made arrangements for a diving course and accommodation. I can highly recommend Ocean Boulevard for both, accommodation and diving. The rooms are clean and spacious, the staff is very friendly, helpful and open minded and the food is great! If you like fish you should definitely have dinner at Ocean Boulevard. Ask them to prepare dinner for you.
After four days, I had my diving license. So the next day I decided to find out what the island looks like above water level. Early in the morning I took the bus to Isezaki shoten mae, which is on the opposite side of the island, behind Mount Mihara. From there a pleasant and easy path goes up to the wonderful Karataki waterfall. Just beside 
the waterfall is the tiny exit from a cave. Before, the cave could be entered from the other side, but due to a landslide, the entrance has been blocked. Well, where water can come out, people might be able to go in...(Don't say I recommended doing so. If you go in, you do it at your own risk.)
ust going to Karataki, of course, did not yet satisfy my urge for some walking. So on I went to O-ike Ko-ike (large pond small pond). Had it been raining hard before, the name might be justified, but when I saw these places, I thought something like "mizutamari shibafu" (puddle and meadow) would be more appropriate.
The day hadn't started out all too sunny and it got worse and worse. By the time I arrived on top of Mount Mihara, visibility was probably much better under water than on the mountain; I was walking in the midst of clouds and could see barely five meters. (Good the kanji for this mountain's name is not "view plain" (miru hara θ¦ε), but "three plains" (mitsu hara δΈε).)
When I had asked the previous day whether there was a well marked path from the other side of the island back to the Mitsune district, nobody knew. So it was up to me to find out. And indeed, there is a way. Could be marked better, but it is maintained well enough to even go by car if you drive slowly at some places.
All in all I had been walking for more than seven hours the previous day. Usually not really a problem, but much of it was on roads (and maybe I'm getting older, too). The next day I did have some muscle pain in my legs. Having had bad experiences with sudden muscle cramps while swimming two or three times over the years, I thought it to be better to stay on the surface, rather than taking a plunge in the ocean once more. The weather was also better than the day before. So the other mountain on the island, Hachijo-Fuji, an old volcano (thus very interesting and tempting), called to be explored. Also here, an easy and clear way up, actually a road for cars.
On the way I spotted a place where charcoal is being made. I had seen such places before on TV or on pictures, but this was the first time I really saw one with my own eyes. It looked interesting and I walked right in to have a better look. Not much to see really, but still interesting.
The further going up, the clearer the shape of the island became. Hachijo-jima is mainly formed by two mountains, Mitake-san and Hachijo-Fuji, with a narrow band of flat space around each of them, 
all together looking like a huge number eight. The largest flat part, between the two mountains, is mainly occupied by the runway of the local airport, with not really too much space left at each end.
The last part of the way to the top of the volcano is a long flight of steps. While I could see that the weather was still fine down where I had started out, up here it was changing constantly; wind, sun and rain, all changing and mixed up. When I finally got to the top, a chilly wind and some light rain were waiting to hit me. Nevertheless I took the path 
along the edge of the crater all the way around. This being Japan, a volcano still active would be plastered with "off limit" signs and fences far from the top already. No such signs and a real path up to the top, so I was not expecting to see any smoke or lava or any interesting activity. Still this is quite an interesting volcano worth a visit; inside of the crater there is a second, smaller crater. Both of them plastered with greenery of all kinds. Well, since the last eruption in 1707 or so there was ample time for something to grow. And grow it did, inside of the craters, sheltered from the wind. It took me about an hour to leisurely circle the outer crater and come back to the point where the stairs hit the top. Here a path also leads down into the crater. Curious as I am, I couldn't (or didn't want to) resist the temptation to explore the second crater. Good luck I'm so curious: The path safely leads through a great maze of bushes, undergrowth and small trees, sometimes hiding you completely as you go and almost forming a roof right above your head. Some interesting ravines and caves formed from lava stone can be admired on the way. At the end I was standing on an elevated platform beside the four small 
water basins which I had already noticed when walking around the outer crater. The ground there is slightly swampy. While I was absorbing the tranquility of this wonderful place, rain must have decided that I'd seen enough; it increased in intensity and put a slight pressure on me to get out. Even though on the way through the high bushes rain could not hit me directly, I got completely soaked; the bushes were wet and, teaming up with the rain, got at me from below. Hiking shoes and trousers felt as if they had gone swimming.