Two weekends ago I had the pleasure to go to Miyakejima, a little paradise island that is the perfect getaway for those who need a break from the crazy hectic life inTokyo, but that don’t have time to fly far away. It is an island that is part of the Izu Islands , just 180km away from Tokyo.

Miyakejima is perhaps well known for its active volcano (actually the whole island is a volcano). A couple of eruptions occurred throughout the years, some very recent like in 1962, 1983 and the most recent one, in the year 2000. The island was completely evacuated and it was not until 2005 that residents were allowed to go back. In fact, according to what I was told by the locals, it was until very recently that tourists were allowed to come and camp without masks. (Well, there are still parts of the island that you can’t hike, or pass by, since there are still concentration of toxic gases, but it is now safe to go travelling around the island)

So what is it in this island that makes it so special? Well, if you are looking to go shopping, this is NOT your place. There are very few shops. In fact, I only saw a main supermarket and a little  “conbini”shop  (not even the chain  stores are here, so if you need to get money from a Family mart, 7/11 or Sunkus, get it in Tokyo before coming here). Now if you are looking for a place to see birds and fish, this is your place. This island is mostly about its sea life: if you’ll enjoy snorkling or scuba diving. This place is not even a place for beach swimmers. The beach is not sandy but rocky ( imagine that instead of sand there are  plenty of little rocks, which makes it a little hard to walk ^-^) and  it is hard to get in the sea sometimes since there are waves are quite agressive. However this doesn’t mean you can’t get into the water at all. Yes, it is possible, there are some spots that you can go swimming, and you will be amazed  how the water is beautiful!!!! It has an amazing blue!

For those who have time and money to spare, the big deal here is the dolphin swim. The dolphins are not quite in Miyakejima, but in an island near by. For around 16,000yen the day yo can swim with wild dolphins for like 4 hours. You can’t touch them, but they will come to you and swim around you. I didn’t have this money with me at the time, but I do plan to go back for that 🙂

For transportation you have to think about that before coming to the island, specially if you have children. There are only 4 buses that run a day around the island and it is too far ( and tooooo hot in summer time) to walk around the island. You can make it around only with the buses ( that is actually what I did, I bought the bus 2-day  pass and it was enough ) but you have to be organised about your trip. You can think about a bike ( again if you are courageous enough to bike during this hot summer) or rent a motorbike for like 44, 000yen the day. You can also hire a car  at the port when you arrive.

So if you don’t mind not having shops and you enjoy gorgeous scenery, Miyakejima is really the palce to go. Oh !! bird lovers, this is also your island. There is a huge variety of birds and you can go and watch them!  To gop there for a weekend, catch the night ferry from Takeshiba Sanbashi Pier on Friday,you get there at 5am on Saturday. Get to enjoy free camping sites and eventually enjoy the dolphin swim. You can get back to work on Monday if you catch the 2pm ferry on sunday ( you ‘ll be in Tokyo by 8pm sunday)

If you feel curious about this island and you don’t exactly want to go now, check out the movie that was just released 3 days ago. The true story that happened during the 2000 eruption : http://www.rock-wanko.com/

Enjoy!

Courtesy of Tokyo Gaijins

Miyakeyima map, Tokaikisen Ferry Company

MIYAKEJIMA MEGANE