Day 170: I went to Ogasawara. Part 2

☆ Click here for Part 1

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Exactly 24 hours after departing from Takeshiba Passenger Terminal, I arrived at Futami Port on Chichijima at 11:00 AM. Disembarkation took place under the watchful eyes of officials and police officers. Since it's a small island, I suppose they are checking for any suspicious individuals.

Stepping off the ship, it was so warm that I wondered if it was actually winter. Even in January, the average temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius, so while the sun is strong, it is not cold at all. On the other hand, I heard that the weather often gets rough in winter.

The accommodation's shuttle was waiting, so I proceeded with the check-in process. Once I dropped off my luggage, I was free to do as I pleased, but not knowing the ropes, I wandered around aimlessly. I remembered that I could only draw an omikuji (fortune) on the day of arrival, so I headed to Oogamiyama Shrine.

Since access to Ogasawara is limited to the Ogasawara Maru, schedules are dictated more by arrival and departure days than by the day of the week. The day of arrival seems to be the busiest, and the time after the departure day seems to be the quietest. It is not uncommon for shops to have their regular holiday the day after the departure day.

I went to the shrine grounds, but it was deserted. Thinking, 'Oh dear,' I relied on information online, which said it was only open from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. It was a hassle to climb back up, so I decided to wait for a while, which was a mistake.

To my surprise, after 1:00 PM, most shops and restaurants closed for the day. The day of arrival is especially busy with restocking, and delivery services are also very busy. It seems they close the shops temporarily. Because of this, I couldn't find a place for lunch.

I learned later that there are many vending machines behind the Co-op, so you can buy various things even when the shops are closed. Even the now-rare cup noodle vending machine is still in active operation.

On the mainland (referring to Honshu from the perspective of Chichijima), it is more unusual to find shops that do not support cashless payments, but on Chichijima, most shops are cash-only, so those accustomed to cashless payments should be careful.

I usually use cashless payments too, so I prepared extra cash, even though it's not ideal for security reasons. ATMs at the post office and the Shichito Credit Union are available, so I planned to rely on those in an emergency.

And, most importantly, there is 'fixed-price selling.' While it is reported that the prices of goods have risen, in supermarkets on the mainland, it feels like they have only increased slightly. However, in the case of fixed-price selling, it is reflected directly, so a 500ml plastic bottle costs 200 yen.

When I asked the islanders, they said that shipping costs are often no different from the mainland, so they conveniently use major mail-order services. Naturally, shipping conditions depend on the ship, so things do not arrive immediately. On the day a ship arrives, cardboard boxes from major mail-order companies are piled up.

At the 'Ogasawara Visitor Center' along the street, a special exhibition titled 'John Manjiro Exhibition: The Connection Between Manjiro and Ogasawara' was being held. John Manjiro visited Ogasawara four times and was also involved in the development of the island at the end of the Edo period.

After seeing the John Manjiro exhibition, I returned to my lodging early. The bath is from 4:00 PM and dinner is from 6:00 PM, so it is quite early. In other words, the day starts early and ends early. This is probably quite common on the island. I am practicing the spirit of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.'

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The next day. I had previously requested an island tour called 'Relaxed Chichijima Walking Tour' from a guide recommended by the Ogasawara Village Tourism Association. Since there is a limit to what I can research on my own, I am very grateful to be able to leave it to them.

Note: You can check availability from the 'Reservation Status' page of the Tourism Association. Each operator has their own strengths and weaknesses, so it might be good to ask someone who is strong in the field you are interested in. I asked an operator who seemed like they could handle even an Ogasawara beginner.

8:20 AM. They said they would come to my lodging, so I decided to wait. We started from the 'Weather Station Observatory,' a high ground behind the lodging that can also be reached by car.

Next, we went to Miyanohama in the north.

Next, we headed to the mountains, to Mount Yoake. This is a place where many things built during the Pacific War remain as war ruins, and there are even operators who specialize in touring war sites.

It seems it was named 'Hatsuneura' and 'Mount Yoake' because when the Edo Shogunate sent the Kanrin Maru to Ogasawara, they first landed here. It seems John Manjiro also came along as an interpreter at this time.

Next, I continued on to USK COFFEE. They serve "Bonin Island Coffee" made with home-grown, freshly roasted coffee beans. It's a bit pricey, but since I was there, I decided to try it. It has a cleaner taste than typical coffee.

To wrap things up, I went to Kopepe Beach. There is an interesting story that it came to be called Kopepe Beach because an old man named Kopepe used to fish here every day.

I spent half a day going around the island. I've skipped a lot of details here, so if you visit Chichijima, I recommend booking a tour with "Milphin Island Guide." Their veteran guides will show you around each spot in detail.

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Meanwhile, news arrived that the departure of the Ogasawara Maru would be moved up by one day due to a low-pressure system! I wanted to take my time sightseeing, but I had no choice since it would be a problem if I couldn't get back. However, just because you're in a hurry, don't ride a bike you're not used to. That's a rule.

Since it was a half-day course, I had to secure my own lunch. I messed up the day before, so I made sure to get rice balls early at a shop called "Chara Biyori" across from the Co-op!According to their official Instagramthey also sell rice balls in the autumn and winter.

They sell rice balls and other items at the storefront, but you can bring them inside, so I ate them in the eat-in space. (It's like I'm a rice ball enthusiast like Hasutsuka-san.)Hasutsukasan.)

In the afternoon, I went to the observation deck. It was a bit of a hike. If you compare the photos, the clouds look completely different, so you might wonder if they were taken on the same day, but they were. The weather forecast had predicted rain.

The only way to get to a place with a good view is to hike up a mountain, but I was tired after the hike, so I headed back to my accommodation. I have to move my schedule up by a day, and since there are quite a few challenges waiting for me, I can't push myself too hard here.

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And on the final day, I went to Hahajima as planned. However, I only had two and a half hours there. The boat fare is just under 10,000 yen round trip, so it's quite a waste, but I figured, "I've come this far." I have no choice, as I have to get back the same day to catch the Ogasawara Maru.

Two hours from Futami Port on Chichijima. Since they moved up the Ogasawara Maru's departure, the waves were so high that the ship was rocking like crazy. It was so intense that it was dangerous to go out on deck, and I ended up feeling completely sick. It was two hours of hell being tossed around. Consequently, I didn't take any photos.

I arrived at Oki Port on Hahajima at 9:40 AM and was departing at noon. With no time to spare, I did a quick tour of the island. Agriculture is thriving on Hahajima, and the cherry tomatoes I had at my inn on Chichijima were delicious. Also, even though it wasn't the season, I really wanted to see the island lemon trees.

I stopped by the observatory and headed back to the terminal thinking I'd grab lunch somewhere, but they were already selling boarding tickets. I thought, 'Wait, is it departure time already?' I rushed to board. That was close; I almost got left behind by the Kuroshio Maru.

*Camping is prohibited on both Chichijima and Hahajima.

Even though I had just arrived, I had to spend another two hours heading back to Chichijima. Thinking about the 24 hours of rocking that awaited me after that was pretty tough. Lunch ended up being vague again, but I was lucky that I had bought bread in advance, thinking something like that might happen.

Needless to say, because various items are brought in by a ship that only comes once a week, they are sold without much concern for expiration dates. On the mainland, this would be a newspaper scandal, but since there are no other means, it is just the norm here.

Once I arrived at Futami Port on Chichijima, I immediately rushed to complete the boarding procedures for the Ogasawara Maru. Since it was originally the off-season and many people had likely already completed their boarding procedures by this point, the counter wasn't crowded.

I am grateful that the inn staff kindly carried my luggage. By the way, only on the day of departure, you can temporarily store your luggage at the tourist information counter inside the Futami Port passenger terminal on Chichijima (for a fee).

And then, the time for farewell finally arrived. The islanders performed taiko drums to pray for our safety, and a surprisingly grand farewell ceremony took place. It might be a routine for the locals, but it was all too fresh for me.

On the way back, the Ogasawara Maru was rocking incomparably more than on the way there. A while after leaving Chichijima, there was such heavy rain that we couldn't go out on deck, and the wind was strong enough to make the ship sway. No wonder they departed a day early.

So, I barely left my bunk and ended up binge-watching "Maebashi Witches," which I had downloaded in advance, while on the ship. I found myself engrossed in those moving scenes. Since there's a curtain, I could immerse myself without worrying about my surroundings.

Because the rocking lasted for 24 hours, I feel like I'm still swaying even now as I write this. I didn't feel this way when I went to Chichijima, so it must be a phenomenon specific to when the rocking is particularly strong.

A 24-hour travel time is quite tough, but beyond that, a paradise different from the mainland might be waiting... maybe. I don't want to go back right away, but I have a feeling that I will definitely want to go to Ogasawara again sometime.

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Announcement. It seems that "Ogasawara DAY," which was not held in 2025, will be held in February 2026. It will take place on Sunday, February 8, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The venue is the Takeshiba Passenger Terminal in Minato Ward, Tokyo.

They say they won't be doing Bon Odori this time, but it's a chance to experience Ogasawara's culture. Various Ogasawara goods will also be on sale, so if you are interested, please come by. Last time, I went late and almost everything was gone, so I recommend going early.