Hachijojima

Masashi's cousin Masashi (yes, same name, but different family name) lives on an island south of Tokyo called Hachijojima. We went there for a short visit the past weekend so that Masashi could help Masashi with some computer-related things.

It takes about 8 hours to get their by boat, but only 35 minutes by plane, so of course we flew. The view is wonderful...Tokyo Bay and Mount Fuji, and several other small islands on the way to Hachijojima.

While the Masashis were busy, Masashi's cousin's daughter Nana took me around to some of her favorite spots on the island. We rented a couple of bicycles, because her mother's motorized one was too heavy for me to use, and Nana's old one was much too small for her.


We went to the ocean, of course, but we also went inland to a park which has a small stream with a waterfall, and fireflies in the summer.
It was really lovely, the kind of place I was always happy to find in Wisconsin. We had to take off our shoes and walk across the stream to get to the top of the waterfall. Nana says it is a wonderful place to cool off in hot weather. All we could hear was the sound of the water and the birds... I only wish there was a place like this in Tokyo.

After the Masashis were finished with the computer stuff, we all went for a bath at a hot spring. There are several on the island, all a bit salty. Then we went for dinner at the Korean restaurant run by Nana's mother. Nana went home after that, but the three of us adults went out to the Anchor Pub, run by an Australian guy and his Japanese wife.


We were only in Hachijojima for one night, and it was only April, so we didn't do any snorkeling, but maybe we'll go back in summer.