Izu Oshima Guide

Izu Oshima Ferry Port

Found off the south-eastern coast of Japan’s Izu peninsula is the small island of Izu-Oshima. This egg-shaped isle, its landscape defined by a black-rocked coastline and steep mountains overgrown with plant-life, is the closest of Tokyo’s border islands and has become a popular getaway retreat for those looking to escape the bustle of city life. The most famous landmark in Izu-Oshima is the Mount Mihara volcano at the heart of the island. The slopes of this towering mountain are permanently scarred by the eruption that rocked the region in 1986, and those brave enough to scale its heights will find that the crater at its peak still smoulders and rumbles with life. The island’s entire population is spread across six seafront villages at the base of the inland mountains. Oshima Town, the largest settlement and capital of the island, is found on the foothills that line the western coast. The white-walled, block-shaped apartment buildings here are synonymous with the Japanese seaside. They climb away from the edge of the Sagami Sea between a neat network of palm-lined streets which, as they approach the outskirts, become narrow roads that twist through the dense sub-tropical woodland. The town is known for its warm weather and the Kobo-hama Beach, a broad stretch of golden sand lined by seafood restaurants and lively bars. The Gojinka Hot Spring spa is another local highlight; its collection of baths and saunas open to weary travellers looking to ease the pain of their aching bones. The port in Oshima Town is located near the centre of town, at a point just south of a rocky waterfront area known locally as Nagane Cape. The ferry terminal here sits at the toe-end of a concrete wharf that juts into the shallows of the sea. This relatively large building, its façade defined by an overhang propped upon concrete pillars, is home to a number of passenger facilities including a ticket office, an indoor waiting hall, toilets and vending machines selling food and drink. Due to the small nature of the island and Izu Oshima’s status as the capital, travelling to and from the port is relatively easy. The 208 highway is the island’s major route. It cuts through the centre of Oshima Town before tracing an unbroken circle along the entire island coast, passing by both the town of Okata in the north and Habuminato in the south. Oshima Airport, offering services to the Japanese mainland, is just a ten-minute drive away too. A vast number of ferry routes currently operate from the port in Izu-Oshima throughout the week. Services hosted by Tokai Kisen sail in all directions to destinations across the Sagami Sea and beyond. Some lines travel north to the towns of Kurihama, Tateyama and the capital city of Tokyo on the Japanese mainland; others west to the Izu Peninsula and the cities of Atami, Ito and Inatori; still more hop south to the neighbouring islands of Toshima, Niijima, Shikinejima and Kozushima.

Inatori Guide

Inatori Ferry Port

The district of Inatori was once a separate village until, in 1959, it was merged with neighbouring Joto and reincarnated as the larger town of Higashiizu. This newly formed neighbourhood can be found on the ragged eastern coast of the Izu Peninsula that juts away from the south of mainland Japan. It’s narrow network of winding streets and box apartments are nestled between the soaring vista of the Amagi Mountains in the west and the brilliantly-blue waters of the Sagami Sea that sweeps along the eastern coast. Inatori spans the most southerly shores of town and is built upon a stub of land that pokes into the sea. Here the terrain is shaped by sheer-faced, black cliffs that rise from the surf to become broad escarpments that offer spectacular views across the sparkling waves. On a clear day, it is even possible to spot the mountainous coastline of Oshima Island wavering on the distant horizon. The surrounding countryside is blessed with natural beauty too. The steep hillsides that border the town are shrouded in thick swathes of woodland, wild grasses, and the occasional flash of candy-floss pink where Cherry Blossoms bloom. The port of Inatori is found at the end of the tiny, sheltered bay around which the district curves. Most of the bay teems with small dinghies and sailboats that bob gently on their moorings along the edge of the concrete promenade, with just one jetty dedicated to ferry travel. There is little in the way of passenger facilities here either, unless one counts the eye-catching view across to the overgrown slopes of Higashiizu’s inland coast. The port is serviced only by a few vending machines selling food and drink and a small car-park, though a smattering of local restaurants litter the promenade too. Those driving to Inatori may find the labyrinth of downtown streets difficult to negotiate, but travelling into town is easy enough due to the extensive 135 motorway that slices along almost the entirety of the Izu Peninsula’s eastern shores. One of the simplest routes to the port is via the local train station found just under a ten-minute walk away. Most trains from here travel back and forth to the larger cities of Ito and Izu nearer to the neck of the peninsular. Two ferry routes currently leave from the port a few times throughout the week. Short-haul journeys hosted by Tokai Kisen lines head east to the port of Izu Oshima on Oshima Island and follow the coastline north to the mainland city of Atami.