I have a bunch of questions regarding the Hachijojima to Aogashima ferry for anyone who has been:
Is it possible to get the overnight ferry from Tokyo to Hachijojima the prior night (for example, depart on the 22nd, and arrive on the morning of the 23rd at 8:45am) and transition straight over to the Aogashima ferry which should depart at 9:30am? They depart from the same port, but I don’t know if I would be cutting it too close to catch the ferry if it leaves that day, considering potential delays from the Hachijojima ferry too.
Even considering I get a flight from Tokyo the Hachijojima (the price is pretty negligible between the ferry and the flight honestly, I only want to get the ferry for the “experience” one way, and fly back lol), would it require spending a night in Hachijojima on the way to Aogashima anyway? There’s no other way to possible transit straight through Hachijojima without waiting around? I do plan to see Hachijojima too but I want to do it on the return leg, not both ways if I can save the time because it would just be waiting around.
Is the helicopter worth splurging for both of the directions? I’m considering it again for the return, so I would have less potential for delays on the Hachijojima portion of the trip. On Aogashima I would be staying at the campsite, and I understand it’s relatively further from the helicopter pad than the ferry port. My other issue with the helicopter is that I’m carrying my backpack with me (27L Osprey backpack), and typically with my camping gear it’s edging towards 10kg. I’d be happy to pay the extra weight fees (270JPY for each kg over 5kg) but it says on the website that if it doesn’t fit they can’t take it, and the helicopter usually gets booked out from my understanding. I considered leaving things behind in Tokyo in a locker (idk if they let you leave things that long anywhere tho? haha) that I wouldn’t need for this portion of the trip.
This is for late February next year, which to my understanding isn’t a heavy typhoon season but I know the ferries to Aogashima are cancelled half the time regardless. The general plan to put it more into perspective would be as following;
23rd – overnight ferry to Hachijojima
24th – attempt ferry to Aogashima (on their website, no ferries on 25th. But if they don’t run on previous days do they run on the off days instead?)
26th – return to Hachijojima, potentially by helicopter
28th – flight back to Tokyo
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Any advice or tips are welcome!
2 comments
I haven’t done the ferry to hachijo. I’d recommend the plane because there’s multiple flights per day and it’s cheap. If you only want to do it one way, do it on the way in because the approach to hachijo airport is impressive (low altitude turns to line up with the runway located in the valley between the two mountains). Then you can take the ferry back.
I recommend getting the helicopter on the way to aogashima as well for the views, and taking the ferry back.
You *will* need a car on both islands. Also, there is no restaurant on aogashima, only two izakaya that are open at night. You will need to stay at an inn that includes food if you expect to eat. Unless you intend to buy ingredients (there is one store on the island) and cook your own food. Some of the inns will also give you a packed lunch intended to be cooked using geothermal energy. The “ovens” (basically holes in the ground) are located near the onsen and salt mine at the bottom of the caldera.
Also I shouldn’t need to tell you this but if you’re the urbex type DO NOT attempt to reach the prohibited areas on aogashima like the old port or the rocky beach. It is extremely dangerous and if you don’t die you will be kicked off the island.
Also note that you may not be able to reach the island due to weather conditions in both the air and the water. Sometimes the waves are such that the ferry can’t even dock.