Coral Isle Hacks How To Get To

Famed by Japanese food magazines, this the place to experience two of the islands most delicious specialities: shimasushi, a local way of preparing raw fish, and ashitaba tempura.

A young volcanic island with black sand beaches in the middle of the Pacific, it feels very much like the little sister of Big Island in Hawaii, with a lot of Japanese culture and flair thrown in.

For a truly blissful two-day itinerary of beach, jungle, waterfalls and hot springs, read on for the complete guide on things to do in Hachijojima.

Coral Isle Hacks How To Get To

Getting to Hachijojima All the information on how to get to there (flights and ferries) and around (car, bus, bikes) can be found in our general Hachijojima guide.

Day 1 Morning The first flight arrives on Hachijojima at 9:00ama good start time for the long day of exploration aheadso hop off the plane and drop your luggage at the hotel.

Luckily, most places in Hachijojima will pick you up from the airport.

The streets are lined with hibiscus flowers and of course there is the islands only sand beach black sand that isright in front of the pier.

Sokodo Beach Photo by Mareike Dornhege Lunch Why not dive right in and have truly local lunch.

One of Hachijojimas specialities is ashitaba a green leafy plant that grows in the jungle.

The leaves are eaten tempura style and the stems are powdered and used in a variety of foods.

Besides its refreshing, herby taste, the nutritional load is also impressive and makes other so-called super foods like kale look rather meager.

Photo by Mareike Dornhege At the cute Coco Moon Cafe you can try ashitaba pasta ( 1,470 ), which comes with a pesto made from the plant and is a delicious twist on the Italian staple.

Afternoon Photo by Mareike Dornhege After lunch, get into adventure mode and either take the local bus or your rental car up into the mountains to the meeting point for the tree fern forest hike, Nakatashoten-mae bus stop.

This two-hour jungle tour takes you right into a primary rainforest and your guide can explain all the local and endemic plants.

If you are lucky, you might even see some newts squiggling around in the gentle stream next to the path.

The waterfall is picture perfect and only a couple of minutes walk from the road.

Its a two-minute car ride or 10-minute walk from the jungle hike meeting and drop-off point (Nakatashoten-mae bus stop), and youll see English signage.

Crystal waters cascade over lush green rocks into a series of pools, making the scene a tropical photo op not to be missed (pro tip the best shots are taken from behind the falls).

Photo by Mareike Dornhege Checking out the waterfall wont take much more than 30-45 minutes, which gives you plenty of time for one more highlight in the area: Uramiga-taki Onsen next to the waterfall.

This natural hot spring is free and mixedbut you must wear a swimsuit So hop in and relax with a lush green view after your hike.

Evening There are a couple of exciting options for the darker hours on the island too as another part of it comes alive.

If you are staying in town, head to Nanbara Senjojiki for the most beautiful sunsets on the island, overlooking Hachijo-kojima, the islands smaller sister isle, and the iconic black-lava fields.

Enjoy the sunset over the lava fields of Hachijojima Photo by Mareike Dornhege Unfortunately, the public bus doesnt stop here, so youll have to driveor ask your accommodation staff, they might be willing to give you a lift Dinner Shimasushi is a delicacy using fresh local fish Photo by Mareike Dornhege If you want to have the best food on the island, yet still at reasonable prices, there is only one place to go to: Ryozanpaku.