Fujimitoge Lookout 富士見峠展望台 – Mt. Miyatsuka 宮塚山 . . Niijima’s Highest Mountain Best Enjoyed from a Distance Having climbed the highest peaks on two of the Izu Islands namely Hachijo-fuji on Hachijo-jima and Mt. Tenjo on Kozushima, I thought why not...
Tojinzushiro 唐人津城 – Kanbiki Lookout 神引展望台 . . Enjoy the Beautiful Kamanoshita Coast At only 3 km long by 2.5 km wide Shikinejima is one of the smaller Izu Islands, but what it lacks in size, it makes up with sizeable pockets of pristine nature. Like...
Mt. Tenjo 天上山 . . The Japanese Alps of the Pacific Mount Tenjo is located on Kozushima one of the volcanic Izu Islands administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Similar to Hachijo-jima that I visited last year, the island offers stunning...
A Subtropical Oasis Within the Tokyo Metropolis Doraemon and his sidekick Betty Boop cut to the chase in this eloquent mural cherishing Hachijo-jima and I can only concur. The island’s subtropical climate, 287 kilometres (178 miles) south of Tokyo...
Hachijo-fuji 八丈富士山 . . A Sea-to-Summit Assault to the Top of the Izu Islands Highest Peak Located on a remote volcanic island in the Izu archipelago, finds the rather imposing Hachijo-fuji so named for a profile analogous to another famous mountain...
Tumultuous Beginnings and an Indeterminate Future Sado Island – a population that continues to decline. Back in the halcyon days of 1950 its inhabitants peaked at 125,000 while fast forward to 2011 and it has fallen markedly now hovering around half...