Ogasawara Islands
Back in August 2024 I signed up for a trip to Iwo Jima Island scheduled for March 29, 2025. Iwo Jima is only open for visitors once per year, for the commemoration of the Battle of Iwo Jima. 2025 commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. It is speculated this could be the last such trip because most of the veterans have passed on.
Unfortunately, two weeks before the tour was supposed to happen, I received a crushing email that my trip had been canceled. The US government was not willing to allow two planes of civilians to come to the islands and those who had familial connections and signed up for the tour company’s extensions were prioritized.
I looked forward to this trip for both the commemoration and for the fact that Iwo Jima is part of the Japanese Ogasawara Islands. Since I wouldn’t be able to reach Ogasawara through Iwo Jima, I reached out to my friend David who I knew was heading there around the same time. Thankfully, there were still a couple spaces left in the boat to the main island of the Ogasawara Islands, Chichijima. My friend Sherri, who was also supposed to be on the trip to Iwo Jima, came along as well. Besides the rare tourist trip to Iwo Jima, the Ogasawara Islands are only accessible by a 24 hour ferry from Tokyo Harbor.
So, after visiting my family in Germany, I headed to Tokyo to begin the journey south. The ferry, called the Ogasawara Maru, is quite comfortable. We were booked in the Premium Economy Berths where 2 bunks have their own curtained area in a room of around 20 bunks. There are more economical options and more private rooms. Unfortunately, the rooms were all booked up by the time we signed up.
Days 1 + 2:
I landed in Tokyo around 11pm and headed to the JAL Hotel near Haneda airport to sleep before our agreed departure time the next day at 9am. Sherri and I met at 7:30 to grab some breakfast from the nearby convenience stores. Then, we met up with David and his mother and took a taxi to the port.
The boat left around 11am and were scheduled to arrive at 11am the following morning. The boat ride was not overly eventful. I was quite tired after the flight, so I slept a lot. Unfortunately, due to the strong rocking, I woke up every few hours. Thankfully, Sherri brought along some motion sickness to tablets, so I did not get really sick on the ride.
Day 3:
I skipped dinner the night before because I was tired and brought along a few snacks. However, I did buy breakfast in the morning in the ship’s canteen, though, which consisted of rice, vegetables, some cooked fish, and a raw egg to mix into the rice. It was my first time having raw egg, and I found it to be quite nice.
Eventually, we arrived and were met by the host of the Bamboo Guesthouse where we were staying. It was a comfortable place with twin beds and an in-room bathroom + shower.
We went to the Bonina Restaurant for a nice poke bowl and passion fruit juice.
Then we headed on a bus tour of the island. We stared at a nice viewing platform where one can sometimes see whales.
We then headed down to a beach.
We also viewed a large telescope that works in tandem with others in Japan for space imaging. There is also one on Kiritimati Island, Kiribati.
We then went to another viewing platform. Here, there was an old Japanese communication center used in WWII.
Back in town we got dinner at the same restaurant— salad, steak, poke. After dinner I walked around the small town enjoying the peacefulness.
Day 4:
Today we rented a car to see many of the sites on Chichijima island. We rented from Islander Car Rental (just across the street from the Bamboo Guesthouse). They can be contacted at bonin.is1985@gmail.com. We started with seeing a sunken ship. Supposedly, this ship was from Saipan in the US’ Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Then we went to see a shrine.
After, we did a hike from one beach to another through the hills. It was a bit strenuous but definitely worth it. On the hike I also saw an animal trap— these are there to catch the feral cats that are harming the native bird population.
We ended our hike right at the southernmost bus stop in Tokyo. Fun fact, the Ogasawara Islands are part of Tokyo Prefecture.
We then stopped at the agricultural research center. Here there are plants from all over the world. We also saw coffee plants here. Ogasawara was the first place in Japan for coffee to be grown.
Afterwards we stopped to have a cup of this coffee and cake which was served by the sweetest lady at Cafe Grace.
We then went to the easternmost road in Tokyo.
There is also a path to the top of Mount Chuosan, which afforded us some nice views.
Back in town we went to the island visitors center. Here there were some nice displays about the island’s history. The nice gentleman working there also showed us a video about Iwo Jima.
There is also a UNESCO-specific visitors center close by that we visited briefly. The visitors center had signs in English, but the UNESCO one is only in Japanese.
We then drove quickly to the marine center. This is a small aquarium that houses many marine creatures from the local area, including small sharks, sea turtles, and puffer fish.
Before returning the car we walked up to the top of the hill just in town where there is a red shrine.
For dinner we went to the Charu restaurant where we had sashimi (they even serve sea turtle!) and beef short rib with rice. David also had fried squid.
Day 5:
Today, David and I headed with his mom to Hahajima Island. This is located around 90 kilometers south of Chichijima Island and is accessible by a 2 hour ride on its own boat: the Hahajima Maru.
We left at 7:30am sharp. The boats here are impeccably punctual. One gentleman tried to board at 7:29 and was rejected. Essentially, the moment the clock hit 7:30, the boat pulled away.
At 9:30 we arrived at Hahajima. David joined his mom for a bus tour (unfortunately there were only two spaces).
I headed out to a hike near the town. There was a great view of the town of 400 people and the harbor from here.
I then headed down to the small village museum (Ross Museum) which talks about a German gentleman who stayed on the island and the life on the island before World War II.
Then I headed to the information booth trying to get in touch with a driver I had heard about who could get me to the southernmost road in Tokyo. Unfortunately, they were unable to reach him. However, the young guy at the information booth offered to take me because his lunch break was starting.
It was an unbelievably kind gesture. I couldn’t believe it. Wow. We walked to his home, picked up the car, and headed to the road. He explained to me that he was from Tokyo and moved down to Hahajima about 1 year back for this job. He wanted to find a job in the Ogasawara Islands to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city for a bit. He was happy generally besides the lack of food options.
He then took me to a beautiful viewing platform where we saw a gorgeous green bird that is native to these islands. There was also a bunker where Japanese soldiers would shoot out from.
I insisted on buying his lunch or at the very minimum paying the gas, but he refused. He explained he was having fun speaking with me and practicing his English. What a special day.
On the ride back to Chichijima, I slept a lot, so the ride flew by.
Back in town Sherri had arranged a nice cheesecake to celebrate David’s mom’s 82nd birthday. And then for dinner we had a nice plate of sashimi and a dish that had pork, noodles, cabbage, and egg.
Day 6:
Our boat was schedule was to leave at 3pm to Tokyo, so there was plenty of time to have a morning tour. We went to the island of Minamijima. This island is itself a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The island had such nice blue water and green plants. Very photogenic. Right as we left we even saw some nurse sharks. We then took a boat around a bit and got to see some marine fish and see the famous Heart Rock at the south of the island.
For lunch we got a poke bowl at a different restaurant (unfortunately I forgot to take a photo). And we had a soft serve ice cream with local honey after.
Soon enough, it was time to board the 24 hour boat back to Tokyo. A very special part about the boat ride out of Chichijima is the large sendoff. Practically everyone on the island comes out to the port to wave off the boat. And many also get into boats to say goodbye and jump in the water before returning to Chichijima.
For dinner I ate a fish and rice bowl I bought on the island. The boat was really shaky, so after that I went straight to sleep. I was lucky to sleep really deeply for a long time despite the strong waves.
Day 7:
I woke up at 7am for breakfast. I was so grateful to have slept basically 12 hours. Then went back to sleep until close to lunch time at 12.
After lunch, I spent a bit of time on my phone and soon enough, we arrived in Tokyo right after 3pm.
The beauty of traveling with my friend David is his stamina— he manages to pack so much into each day and his encourages me to do the same. So, after arriving in Tokyo, we headed to the food market attached to the Toyosu Fish Market. We had sushi, tempura, eel liver, and a matcha ice cream. Awesome!
Then we went to an onsen spa that is open 24 hours today. We enjoyed the hot baths and even got a short massage. Very pleasant. For longer stays you can even get a hotel room here, which I think is a great idea.
Soon enough, we were back at the JAL Haneda Hotel. I booked my bus ticket to Narita airport where my flight to Beijing was leaving from the next day.
While my original plans to visit the Ogasawara Islands were foiled, I feel very grateful to have been able to pivot to visit the main islands of this chain.