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Niijima
新島
In three words: Surfing. Beaches. Camping.
Recommended for: Surfers, campers, partiers and onsen-lovers and anyone looking to escape Tokyo for a while.
Size: About 25km²
Population: About 2200
Boats depart from: Tokyo Takeshiba Port and Shimoda Port.
Planes depart from: Chofu Airport, Tokyo.
In brief:
Part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Niijima is a volcanic island covered in white cliffs, white beaches and excellent waves for surfers. It is actually known as the birth place of surfing in Japan. It also has some great onsens, wonderful free camping, scuba-diving, hiking and cultural sights too. All a quick and easy flight/boat ride from Tokyo.
Too touristy?:
Niijima does draw lots of Japanese surfers, especially in the summer holidays at the weekends. This is mainly because of the quality of the waves. But it is actually a pretty big island and it hits a good balance between getting lively at weekends while remaining extremely spacious and quiet most places, most of the time. You will be a rare foreign tourist here.
getting there:
There are a few different boats that will take you to Niijima. They generally leave from Tokyo Takeshiba and Shimoda, though sometimes they leave from Atami and Kurihama too. You can also fly to Niijima from Chofu Airport in Tokyo.
The most difficult part is working out the timetable which you can find here.
Basically there are speed boats that take between three and four hours from Tokyo. They depart in the morning and arrive at about lunch time. These are the priciest boats costing over 10,000 yen one way.
Then there are slow overnight boats which leave Tokyo late at night around 23:00 and arrive the next morning at 8:00. These are around 7,600 yen one way but will save you on a night accommodation too.
Last of the boats is the service from Shimoda. They tend to leave at 9:30 and do a loop of some of the Izu Islands. The loop switches direction daily but Shikine is right in the middle. So you will arrive in Shikine at 12:45 or 13:00 regardless the route. You can find all the info in Japanese here. This is the cheapest boat costing about 4,000 yen one way.
Finally you can fly in and out. The small Chofu Airport in Tokyo provides a service to a lot of the Tokyo islands. The price is 22,000 return which is very reasonable. There are three flights a day which take 40 minutes one way.
Getting there is tough to work out and it is one of the reasons it is not as visited as it could be. Contact us and we can help you get yourself booked on a boat/plane and understanding the times.
getting around:
At 25km² in size it may not sounds that big, but Niijima is a long thin island and travel all over the island is tough. Most people opt to rent a bicycle which can be done from several places in the main village.
This will give you access to most of the island, but be warned the island is deceivingly large and a bicycle will not allow you access to all of the island, only most of it. It also is going to be difficult to take a surf board with you if you are only on a bicycle.
Renting a car will get you surf board storage room. It will also get you access to the quiet village of Wakago, help you up some of the more mountainous roads and save you time. There are a few places renting scooters and cars.
Working it all out in Japanese can be tough. We can help. Get in touch.
THe sights/things to do:
Surf shops: Niijima is primarily famous for its surfing. It has held major international surfing competitions and is credited as being the birthplace of surf culture in Japan. You can rent boards from 2,000-3,000 yen for the day and hit the seas. Some shops offer surf lessons for beginners too. Contact us for help booking.
Surf spots - Habushiura is the main long iconic beach. There is Mamashita, Secret Point and many more. Check out this site for lots more detail and ask local surfers when you are there.
Scuba diving is also well known because of the kuroshio currents bringing all the sea life. You might be lucky enough to see turtles, manta rays, dolphins etc. Get in touch and we can help you book.
Onsens - Free outdoor onsen at Yunohama Onsen. It is decorated amazingly to look like Ancient Greek ruins. Sand onsen can be had for 700 yen at Mamashita Onsen. HEAVEN! And at a good price.
Niijima Glass Art Center - You can make your own glass here, check out the local art as well as the glass art from all around the world. In Autumn they hold an international glass art festival.
Niijima Museum - With exhibits about fishing, surfing and more, this is the only museum of the Tokyo islands so soak up the knowledge while you can!
Moai Easter Island style statues - The island is covered in artwork made from the soft, volcanic rock of Niijima. Many different well known artists have contributed to the vast collection found all over the island.
Fujimitoge View Point - A two hour hike will get you to some wonderful views of mountains, islands, oceans and towns. This one is in the centre of Niijima.
ACCOMMODATION:
In Niijima you should choose your accommodation based on your priorities. If you want to surf and be right on the beach ,either stay at the big camp site of Habushiura Camping Ground, or at Surf Station Habushi. They also rent surf boards there. The campsite is free and wonderfully well equipped for BBQs. It might get a little noisy for some however.
The negatives of these places are there are no shops or restaurants at all. To get more culture and to be closer to all of the nightlife, you are better off staying in the main town. There are several options. Hostel Nabla is a popular upmarket hostel. And Minshuku Matadee (民宿マタデー) is a friendly Japanese style mid-range hotel with great hospitality. Places can be difficult to find and book. Contact us for help.
Food and Drink:
There are several places to eat and drink in Niijima, a lot of them more frequently and regularly open in the summer months than in the off season. Yakitori Daisan (焼鳥大三) and Sakae Sushi (栄寿司) are a couple of popular spots to eat out. There is a lovely bakery for breakfast too if you choose to stay without it. It is called Kajiya Bakert (かじやベーカリー).
Pretty much all of the cafes and restaurants are in the main village, which is actually quite far away from where the best beaches and surfing are. So you may want to choose where to stay based on your priorities.
Niijima is also home to kusaya, a wildly stinky fermented fish which you can try and buy on the island. There are also shochu makers here.
A 2-3 DAY ITINERARY
Day 1- Rent a car and a surf board for 24 hours. Hunt for surf and have a great time. If you are a beginners, take a surf lesson. In the evening have a BBQ and camp at Habushiura Camp Site. You can’t go too wrong with this day! You may want to live this day again and again.
Day 2 - Go scuba diving for the day! Need I say more? And hey, this day can be repeated too.
Day 3 - Rent a bicycle. Go to the bakery for breakfast. Check out the Niijima Museum. Go to the glass centre. Make your own glass. Then to the onsens, first a sand onsen at Mamashita. Then onto the Greek Ruins free onsen of Yunohama. After this big day out, stay in town and go out for sushi in the evening at Sakae Sushi.