(八丈島) Hachijo-jima Trip Guide

I've been trying to get to Hachijo-jima for the past three years and finally did in 2022. I booked a week, and now I realize that this island is a weekend-destination. The island and its highlights can be explored in two days. I was there for five. Haha. 

Budget: JPY16,940 (~USD161) from Tokyo
  • JPY7,970, less 15% discount if booked online. Ferry, Tokyo to Hachijio-jima
  • JPY1,000. Bus Pass, Hachijo-jima
  • JPY7,970, less 15% discount if booked online. Ferry, Hachijiojima to Tokyo
  • JPY2,000 a night stay. 
Visit Date 
When to Go
  • Anytime during the year! It is apparently warm throughout the year, so for those who wish to escape the winter cold, then this is the right place.
  • Hachijo-jima Freesia Flower festival - around end of March to early April.
Special Notes

Access 
  • By Plane. Only flown by ANA, and the prices I see are around JPY12,000 one way. I don't really expect a sale or a discount.
  • By Ferry. There's a 20% discount (or 15% for weekends) if booked 14 days prior, or booked online (new promo that I saw in 2022, not sure how long that'll last). Schedule (only one per day), prices are provided below, as well as the corresponding rooms. 
Ferry schedule, Tokyo (東京) to Hachijou-jima (八丈島)
Prices:
Room types:

Transportation within the Island
  • This link is pretty comprehensive, but I'm writing things down here for my own checklist. They have a pass that covers unlimited usage of buses and onsen (spa), which they call BU-S-PA (get it?). Either way, the buspa pass costs JPY1,000 for two days. The bus route is in this website: https://www.8bus.jp/. Other than those two buses, walking is the only way to go. Or biking. 
    • "循環路線" City bus, which basically runs around the city part of the town.  
    • Up and down the hill - "坂" means hill, "上" means up, "下" means down. This bus is the only way to the southermost part of the island. 
      • Saka-ue (坂上) OR Sueyoshi-yuki (末吉行き).  The way to the southern part, to the famous Sueyoshi-onsen (末吉温泉). 
      • Saka-shita (坂下). The return trip.
Bus schedule, Kaminato (かみなと) < > Sueyoshi (末吉)

Accommodations:
  • Hostel. Plenty of options in your booking websites. I used Seadive dormitory (via Agoda) and paid around JPY2,000 a night. However, this is about 20 minutes walk from the city center, and there's not a lot of buses. But, it's 5 minutes walk to the ferry. 
  • Camping. Both require reservation (closed for 2020-2021, open for 2022)
Activities
  • Food. Sushi, of course. And a dozen variations of Ashitaba, the endemic vegetable (?) of the island. 
  • Hiking. Two mountains - the one one the West (Mt. Fuji) and the one on the East. I was not able to do the hike on the east side, since the main attraction is the Mt. Fuji one. 
  • Diving/Snorkeling. Hachijojima has a lot of sea turtles, and the locals know exactly where they are. 
    • For those with no diving license, the option is Taiken Diving (体験ダイビング) which ranges from JPY8k to JPY15k for a three hour activity (including briefing. Actual dive is less than 20 minutes). 
    • I booked mine via Jalan, choosing the package from Ocean Blue, which seems cheaper if booked in their website. They also rent a camera for about JPY2,000.
  • Onsen. There are about three main ones and you'll see it in the bus stops, but the ultimate one seems to be the Sueyoshi Onsen. 
    • Sueyoshi-onsen (末吉温泉). I see this place's picture all over. It costs JPY500 to get in, and they are open from 10:30am til 9:30pm (last entry at 9pm), they are closed Tuesdays, Holidays (and Sundays?), and the entirety of July and August. 
      • The picturesque onsen is in only one room. Men has access on ODD calendar days, women on EVEN calendar days. 
References:
Itinerary

Day 0.
  • 10:30pm. Ferry, Tokyo Port to Hachijiojima.  JPY7,970, less 15% discount if booked 14 days prior.
Day 1.
  • 08:55am. ETA: Hachijiojima.  Go to the camp area.
Day 2. 
    • Explore Hachijojima.
    Day 3.  
    • 09:40am. Ferry, Hachijijima to Tokyo
    • 07:50pm. ETA: Tokyo.
    Actual Log
    Tuesday
    • 10:45pm. Started boarding the ferry from Tokyo to Hachijojima. We boarded a bit late. Don't forget to write down your name, phone number, address on the ticket. 
    Wednesday
    • 09:00am. Arrived at Hachijoujima. Walked a couple of minutes to my hostel (Seadive dormitory), dropped by bags, and started walking to Blue Ocean for my guided scuba diving trip. 
    • 10:00am. Started the briefing for scuba diving, drove to the dive spot, went back and showered.
    • 01:00pm. Done with the diving, started walking towards the dorm to drop off some things and get my hiking gear. 
    • 01:50pm. Started walking to the city center. I tried to find food first, but apparently everything closes by 2pm, and so I had to go the airport hoping they have a place to eat there. And thankfully there was. 
    • 03:00pm. Started my official hike from the airport.
    • 05:48pm. Reached the summit. Started heading back down. 
    • 07:44pm. Back at the city center. There was some fire festival going on, so I spent some time watching the show. 
    Thursday
    • Walked around the town, tried the Jersey cafe ice cream, ate some western food at Pocket, explored the Ozato Tamaishi Wall, then took the bus to the famous onsen - Miharashi-no-yu at Sueyoshi Onsen (末吉温泉). I then ended the day by going back to the fire festival again. 
    Friday
    • Worked. For lunch, I tried sushi at a nearby place. 
    Saturday
    • Tried the Ashibata pasta (it was ok), then walked back to town to have some ice cream again, then tried Fureai no yu (ふれあいの湯)
    Sunday
    • 09:33am. Ferry, Hachijojima to Tokyo. The ferry was late again. 
    • 09:08pm. Back in Tokyo. Ok, that was an awful loooong ride. Ugh. 

    After booking online, I had to get my ticket from the booth at the entrance.

    Got my tickets! It is printed with my name and reservation number. I had to manually write down my address and phone number. 

    Falling in line before boarding. That right there is my ride. 

    Passing underneath the Rainbow Bridge. 

    Boarding the ferry. 

    My accommodations for the night. 

    It has one pillow per slot, and two electric sockets for everyone to share. 

    Bye Tokyo!!! Oh, wait.... Hachijoujima IS Tokyo. 



    Hello, Hachijoujima!

    Saying goodbye to the ferry.

    The Sokodo Camp area. 

    A pretty nice camp spot right next to the ocean. 

    I felt like I was transported to another country. 

    Scuba Diving Leg

    Our guide making sure that the tank is ok. 

    First turtle sighting!!!

    I think this was our third sighting. 

    The fourth one!

    Me being close and personal with the turtle. 

    And there's a cat at the jump off spot!

    Fuji Hike Leg (blog post here)


    View of Fuji from the airport. 

    Hachijo-jima hike! 

    Exploring the Island Leg

    The Ashibata ice cream place!

    The rock wall. 

    Ozato Tamaishi Wall. 

    I see these yellow nets all over - took me a while to realize this is the cover for trash collection haha. 


    My accommodations for the week. 

    Sunset with Mt. Fuji at the background. 

    Chilling at Sokodo Beach. 

    Comments

    1. Hey! thanks for the post. i was doing some research on hachijo island for my trip. ill be travelling solo and im not sure about EVERYTHING! this clear up half of my wonders... hahaa so thanks! i guess going by ferry might not be my choice since i dont really have much time..

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Thank you! You can take the ferry from Tokyo to Hachijiojima, and then maybe fly back?

        Delete

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