A fine pension run by Mr. Fujita from Gifu. I arrived here by taxi from Hajijojima Airport in less than 10 minutes. Although Mr. Fujita took over this hotel on the condition "he would keep the name, Petit Hotel Mantenbo", he reaffirmed "it is a pension!"

The guest room was clean and all amenities were well prepared. The room had a toilet and washroom but the bathroom was separate and shared with other guests. I don't have a photo of the bath, but the bathtub was large and clean, too.

The first restaurant I visited on Day 1 was the Bar and Restaurant Daikichimaru. Mr. Fujita pointed me in the right direction and I got there safely. I was the only customer on arriving just after 6 pm, but other customers gradually streamed in and four groups were there by 7 pm or so.

I whiled away a bit of time enjoying the local shochu (distilled liquor) and special island food, including island-caught sashimi, angelica keiskei and kusaya (dried horse mackerel).

Suicchi lets you stay as long as you want but at least requests a drink order. Why not a beer? I thought but beers cost 1,300 yen, so I ordered a bottle of island shochu. 3,000 yen or so? I never actually found out...

At Snack Suicchi, I also had shima takuwan (the island's yellow pickled radish) and shima nori (island's laver). The crispy texture and slight seashore-flavor of the shima nori made it so irresistible; I had to go back for a second helping...

Snack Suicchi told me that adding citrus juice would make the shima shochu more drinkable, so I tried it. Even though the taste of what I ordered, Nasake Shima, was originally fresh and appealing, adding more citrus fruit made it fruitier and almost juice-like.

Going up and enjoying the view... but I knew how rough the sea got. As you tend to steer clear of the sea when a typhoon approaches, this may be the first time in my life to see such a rough sea with my own eyes. So, why not enjoy mountain activities and hot springs – since they are what we came for!

There are several hot spring facilities in Hachijojima. I started off at Miharashi no Yu (entry: 500 yen). No photos are allowed in the hot spring and I took one from a rest room. While water seemed to be added to keep the hot water at a temperature between 41 and 42 degrees C, it was actually comfortable, given the moderate temperature and the mild hot water. The color of the hot water resembled a slightly muddied sky blue.

I lunched after enjoying the hot spring. From what I had heard at last night's snack bar, the restaurant apparently served delicious ramen with island chili pepper, which was enough to get me along. Hot stir-fried meat and vegetable ramen was indeed as hot as I had been told, but all the more delicious for it, while the pan-fried dumplings were just as tasty. I like this island food ramen.

A dressing room was located in front and a shower at the side - this is a great place. Since male and female visitors bathe together, a bathing suit has to be worn. Also, the use of shampoo and soap is prohibited. Just soak in and enjoy...

How wonderful to learn that the hot spring, waterfall and everything else is free! FREE! And no staff around, meaning no stress! This is the ultimate relaxation.

The hot water keeps flowing and this is a free bath for both men and women bathing together. This relatively large footbath site will ease your travel fatigue with ocean views if the weather is kind. A one-day hot-spring tour ticket (700 yen) is great for Hachijojima onsen day-trippers, as well as BU·S·PA (1,000 yen), which also includes a bus service, for two-day visits.

I joined Mr. Fujita, Mantenbo owner, for a drink. This is a bar restaurant hideaway, which even local residents have trouble finding. Local food is used, along with some standard bar and restaurant menus.

Both the indoor and open-air baths here are larger than other hot springs and let me relax and enjoy. But this may depend on the timing, since I saw a large parking lot and imagine it is packed at times. The hot water resembled that of Miharashi no Yu, with a slightly muddy light blue color. As far as indoor baths go, this was the best.

Since I am due to fly back after 2 pm, I decided on a last lunch. I visited the Ginpachi Sushi Restaurant, the best place to enjoy sushi with local toppings. One of the courses features both Edo- and Island-style food, so that is what I ordered.

Lunch at Ginpachi Sushi Restaurant. This time I had an Edo- + Island-style course (2,500 yen) combining both. I found that Spanish mackerel was mainly used for Okinawa's daito-zushi (hand-pressed sushi made in Minami Daitojima Island) as opposed to sea bream and horse mackerel in Hachijojima. The toppings are generous and the sushi is filling. As a white fish fan, I was more than happy with their textures!

Even from the plane, the sea looked mighty stormy. Such a white, or should I say, broad seafront... After around 40 minutes of flight, clear skies over central Tokyo came into view. Although Hachijojima can be accessed by ship, it takes 11 hours and may be cancelled in stormy weather so flying is recommended.