Aogashima is a volcanic island in the southern part of Tokyo's Izu Islands, also being the southernmost inhabited island in Izu. Some people believe that Aogashima got its name because when viewed from Hachijo Island, it resembles a bluestone on the sea. When seen from a helicopter above, it appears green, creating a particularly dazzling contrast against the blue sea.
Hachijo Island and Aogashima are 60 kilometers apart. It takes just 20 minutes by helicopter and about 2.5 hours by boat.

From Tokyo, take ANA All Nippon Airways from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Hachijo Island, and then transfer to the "AiLand Shuttle"/Toho Air helicopter to Aogashima. This is the fastest way to get to the island, but it is also more expensive.

Start by taking the Tokai Steamship's "Tachibana Maru" from Takeshiba Pier in Tokyo to Hachijo Island. This night journey takes about 10 hours. Upon arrival at Hachijo Island, transfer to the "Aogashima Maru" serving the Izu Islands to reach Aogashima, a segment that takes about 2.5 to 3 hours.

Since there is no public transportation on the island, renting a car is more convenient for visiting Aogashima. You can make a reservation by phone and ask the car rental company to deliver the car to the heliport or pier to pick you up.We rented a light vehicle that can accommodate 4 people for 4,000 yen (approximately NT$1,077) per day, including insurance. The vehicle is fully fueled when received, and you only need to refill it when returning the vehicle.

Besides Aogashima's own shochu, "Ao Sake," and its salt, all other products on the island, such as daily necessities and food, must be imported from Tokyo city. Therefore, naturally, things will be a little more expensive.
If you couldn't find time to reserve a spot to visit the Aochu Brewery, you can also buy the island’s famous “Aochu” in this grocery store.Or you can buy it at Hachijojima Airport.

Although the island has a very small population, there are many home hostels to cater to tourists and business travelers coming to Aogashima.
Despite being rural homestay hostels, the accommodation quality is good, and the rooms, bathrooms, and restaurants are all very clean.

There is free Wi-Fi in the room, but the speed is certainly not comparable to that in downtown Tokyo. There are occasional lags when watching videos, but uploading photos is fine.What surprises me is that both the WIHO Wi-Fi machine and the SIM card sold by Klook have reception on the island!

For dinner, the homestay hostels prepared the island's traditional dishes. Needless to say, the island's seafood was excellent. The sashimi and island sushi were so fresh and delicious. The homemade pickles of other B&Bs were also very good and go well with rice.There were also different flavors of miso soup available every day. I tried shrimp, clam miso soup, burdock, mushroom and tofu soup.

Although Aogashima is the village with the smallest population in Japan, when it comes to promoting tourism it is not sloppy at all. The information on the official website is also very comprehensive. I highly recommend to take a look: http://www.vill.aogashima.tokyo.jp/top.html.
The following is a list of attractions that are usually visited on Ao no Island:
1．Oyama Observation Park: A great place to overlook the Futou Crater.
2．Otobu Observation Deck: The highest observation deck on the island.
3. Returning Statue: Established to commemorate the first islander to return to Ao no Island after the Tianming eruption.
4. Maruyama, Maruyama Trail.
5. Fureai Sauna Geothermal Sauna
6. Geothermal pot: Kano-cooked and steamed food.
7. Osato Shrine: Aogashima's guardian shrine.
8. Kinbira Shrine: A shrine next to the heliport with a view of the sea.
9. Sanbao Port: an important passenger and cargo transportation terminal on the island.
10．Zhouman Community Farm: The northernmost cliff platform of Aogashima, where you can see the grassland and sea views. It is also one of the famous stargazing spots.

The heliport can be freely accessed when there are no aircraft taking off and landing. You can pass through the apron and walk along the path to the Kimpira Shrine overlooking the sea.

Four statues are enshrined to watch the Aogashima coastline.

Travelers accessing Aogashima by boat must use the Sanpo Port, and supplies are also transported into the island through Sanpo Port.

Because the coastline of Aogashima is mostly cliffs and there are no gentle beaches, the hinterland of Sanbao Port is small. Fishing boats that need repairs are hung in the shipyard on the cliff with large machines. When fishing needs to be done, the boats are hoisted back into the dock. This is the first time I have seen this way of parking a ship.

This observation park is one of the best places to overlook Maruyama and the Kurosaki volcano, but cars can only be parked halfway up the mountain. From here, people have to climb up the mountain.
The double crater is the most classic impression of Aogashima. The outer circle is Kurosaki volcano, and the inner cone-shaped protrusion is Maruyama. Both are active volcanoes.Since 1780, earthquakes have occurred one after another, the temperature of the crater pool has increased, and volcanic ash has erupted. The last volcanic eruption in 1785 was also known as the Tenmei Eruption. Aogashima was uninhabited until 1824.

Follow the signs to Higashidaisho Shrine, there is another platform there to view the double craters.

Leaving Oyama Observation Park, we drove along the Kurosaki Volcano cliff road to the Ikenosawa area. This is the view of Maruyama from the cliff road.The trenches are filled with camellia trees.

The homestay hostel prepared meal bags for us, and the cost of the ingredients is included in the accommodation fee. When booking a room, you can ask the homestay hostel to prepare a geothermal pot exclusive set meal, or you can also enjoy island cuisine at the homestay hostel.
Picnic next to the volcano is a fun experience XD

The public hot spring pool and sauna are powered by geothermal energy. There are vending machines here that can dispense drinks to go with lunch.
Opening hours for reference.

The Big Bulge Observation Deck is the vantage point of the island. Cars can only park in a small parking lot halfway up the mountain, and people then walk up the mountain.

The Kamiko Noura Observation Plaza, located in the north of the island, is a small sea-viewing platform. You can see the coastal cliffs. When the weather is good, you can even see Hachijo Island in the distance clearly.

The Joman Mutual Ranch is located on the northernmost cliff platform of Ao no Island, 200 meters above the sea level. There are a few lazy cows in the prairie, and it is also one of the good stargazing spots.

The most famous specialties of Aogashima are Aochu wine and salt. If you want to visit Aochu Brewery to taste the wine, you can ask the homestay hostel to help you make a reservation.At the Aochu Brewery, not only can you learn about the island's brewing process, but you can also try out each and every kind of Aochu wine.The shochu brewed from white sweet potatoes is about 30%. It has a rich and layered flavor that is quite special. It goes well with fresh and sweet island sushi.
The green wine with the black bottle label uses ingredients all from Aogashima, while the green wine with the yellow bottle label is brewed using natural yeast. The production amount is small, and the price is high.。

If you want to send a letter to Aogashima, all the residents on the island have only one address: Mubanji, Ao Noshima Village, Tokyo. Just write this address and the recipient's name, and the postman will help you deliver the letter. This furthur shows how few residents there are on the island. so few that the postman knows everyone.

Finally, I would like to add a little about the Hachijo Island trip. After taking the helicopter back to Hachijo Island from Aogashima, we still have a few hours of transfer time. We rented a car and went around aimlessly.

Hachijo Island is surrounded by two active volcanoes, "Nishiyama" and "Higashiyama," in the central plain, where the airport is located. It only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to drive from the airport to Nishiyama.
The 854-meter-tall Nishiyama is also known as "Hachijo Fuji" and is the most conspicuous landmark of Hachijo Island. The crater on the top of the mountain is clearly visible. If you have enough time, you can spend an hour to hike up to the crater to explore.If you don’t have much time, you can have a free trip the Hachijo Fuji・Fureai Ranch like we did. Beside watching the cows, what’s even more exciting is the invincible observation deck overlooking the entire Hachijo Island.

After descending from the mountain, we went to Minamibara Senjojiki at the seaside. From there, I saw traces of lava formation on land during Hachijo Fuji's eruption. Standing on the volcano stones and looking at Hachiko Kojima gave me a feeling of vast openness.

Before leaving Hachijojima, we had a bowl of hot Asaba ramen. We chose Renka, a restaurant with good reviews online. It’s not far from the airport, so we enjoyed some ramen with ease before catching the flight.Ashitaba is a perennial herbaceous plant; it is also a specialty of Hachijo Island. This plant has strong vitality. If you pick its leaves today, they will regrow the next day. Additionally, Ashitaba is the first plant to grow after a volcanic eruption, so it is regarded as a longevity grass.There are many souvenirs made from ashitaba at Hachijojima Airport. Most of them emphasize their nutritional value. Eat more and you will be healthier XD
Renka's Ashitaba Ramen is delicious. I like its rich soup and kelp green aroma. It is indeed the signature of the store.