Hachijo Jima, Japan

Hachijōjima is a Japanese island in the Pacific Ocean, and located 300 kilometers south of the Special Wards of Tōkyō. Hachijō Town governs the island. The chief community on the island is Mitsune. The islands form part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. During the Edo period, the island was a place of exile for convicts.

Hachijōjima is popular with surfers, with three reef breaks and consistently warmer water than mainland Japan because of a warm water current called the "Kuroshio". Due to the fact Hachijōjima is a volcanic island there are a few black sandy beaches. The main one is next to the main harbour of Sokodo. There are various skin diving/snorkeling points to explore.

Other activities for visitors include visiting the botanical gardens, exploring wartime tunnels, day trips to nearby Kojima island and hiking to the top of Hachijō-fuji, the island's extinct volcano. Kihachijō silk cloth is woven on the island, and one of the workshops in Nakanogo is open to tourists. There is also a free geothermal power museum.

Things to See & Do

* Surfing
* Snorkeling & Scuba diving
* Day trip to Kojima
* Botanical gardens
* Visit Kihachijō silk cloth workshops in Nakanogo

General information

Cruise Season – Jan - Dec
Currency – Yen (JPY)
Language – Japanese
Population – 8,600 approx
Land Area – km2
Electricity – 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style or with a round pin below
Time - GMT plus hours nine hours
International Country Telephone Code – +81

Travel Links – Hachijōjima is accessible both by aircraft and by ferry. A pedestrian ferry leaves Tōkyō once every day at 10 p.m., and arrives at Hachijo at 9:00 a.m. the following day. Air travel to Hachijojima Airport takes 45 minutes from Tōkyō International Airport (Haneda).