Japan Tourism2 Aogashima Village, Tokyo

Aogashima is located at the southernmost tip of the Izu Islands and is a compound volcano island, which is academically rare.

358 km south of Tokyo. Distance from Hachijojima is 68 km.

Transportation from Hachijojima to Aogashima takes about 20 minutes by helicopter.

Three hours by boat from Hachijojima.

There are two districts on the island: the Ikenosawa District and the Okabe District.

Please check the map of Aogashima first.

It describes the precautions to be taken on Aogashima Island, which coexists with nature.

External website Aogashima Village Aogashima Tourist Association

http://www.vill.aogashima.tokyo.jp/tourism/aogashima_map.pdf

Places to see and play

Maruyama

The inner rim of the mountain, which has two old craters, one large and one small, that rose up during the Tenmei Eruption (1785), cannot be seen anywhere else.

Hingya

You won't see it anywhere else.

The word "hingya" is derived from "hinokiwa," meaning "at the edge of the fire”.

Chinetsu Gama

Eggs and vegetables can be steamed and eaten. It is a unique experience.

More information is available on the following website with photos. Please take a look.

External website Aogashima Village Aogashima Tourist Association

http://www.vill.aogashima.tokyo.jp/tourism/spot.html#cont02

Aochu

Aochu is a shochu made from barley malt instead of rice malt, as rice does not grow well in Aogashima, Tokyo. The ingredients are barley koji, water, and sweet potatoes. The production process is done by hand, and this shochu has been made in Aogashima for a long time.

Shochu production began with each household making its own shochu to drink at home. Since each household made its own shochu, naturally the taste differed from household to household. The tradition has been preserved, and even today, the taste of Aochu, or Aogashima's shochu, differs according to each shochu producer.

For the above reasons, production is low, and it is understandable that it is called a mirage. Even a layman can tell that the taste varies from one factory to another.

Currently, it has been commercialized and distributed over time and can be purchased in Tokyo and by mail order.

Both Aochu products are characterized by a savory barley aroma, which we feel is what makes Aochu so delicious. Please note that the alcohol content of Aochu is high, ranging from 25 to 35°.

Aochu can be purchased here.

External website Aogashima Village Aogashima Tourist Association

http://www.vill.aogashima.tokyo.jp/tourism/sp_product.html

External site Rakuten Ichiba

https://search.rakuten.co.jp/search/mall/%E9%9D%92%E9%85%8E/110662/

Hingya salt

“Hinogya" means "near the fire" (hinokiwa).

Introducing a rare salt called "Aogashima Hingya-no-Shio," the world's only seawater salt made from geothermal steam from a volcano.

The seawater is pumped by boat from the main current of the Kuroshio Current and transported to the site, where it is concentrated and used for salt production. The geothermal heat of the volcano, a blessing of nature that can reach 95°C, is used as the heat source for pumping seawater to make salt. This seawater is slowly evaporated at a low temperature of 60℃. The steam is used to heat the flat pots, and various processes are carried out over a period of more than a month to produce Hingya salt.

The Hingya salt production method, which uses only geothermal steam from the volcano, is rare in the world, and according to one theory, 160 to 180 kg of salt can be produced from approximately 3,000 liters of seawater.

Hingya salt is a delicious salt with a sweet taste when eaten as it is. When using it for cooking, we recommend that you do not dissolve it in hot water, but rather pour it directly on the food or dip it in hot water, so that you can enjoy the original flavor of Hingya salt.

You can purchase "Hingya salt" here.

External website Aogashima Salt Works Co.

https://hingyanoshio.com/index.html

External site Rakuten Ichiba

https://search.rakuten.co.jp/search/mall/%E3%81%B2%E3%82%93%E3%81%8E%E3%82%83%E3%81%AE%E5%A1%A9/201227/

External website Nihon Oishimono Shinbun (Japanese Delicious Newspaper)

https://www.j-oishii.com/product/105

Shimatogarashi (Island chili pepper)

Aogashima chili peppers are famous for their spiciness. A fresh island chili pepper is placed on a plate of sashimi with soy sauce and eaten while being crushed little by little.

There are also seasonings made from green and red chili peppers. There is one that combines Aogashima chili peppers and salt, one that combines miso, and one that combines soy sauce and garlic.

External website Aogashima Village Aogashima Tourist Association

http://www.vill.aogashima.tokyo.jp/tourism/sp_product.html

Aogashima Island, Tokyo is

Featured in "13 World's Greatest Views You Must See Before You Die”

In 2014, "One Green Planet", an American tourism conservation NGO, introduced Aogashima in an article titled "13 World's Greatest Views You Must See Before You Die", and on July 5, 2016, the Smithsonian Institution introduced Aogashima Village in an article titled "The Japanese Town Inside an Active Volcano", which led to a flood of tourists and reporters from all over the world.

 (Source: Wikipedia)

The next island to Aogashima-mura in Tokyo is Hachijo-cho, Hachijo-jima in Tokyo.

Transportation from Hachijojima to Aogashima takes about 20 minutes by helicopter.

3 hours by boat. 4 to 5 times a week.

Hachijo-cho, Tokyo

Please refer to the "Japan Tourism - Hachijo-cho, Tokyo" page on this website for more information.