The Izu Islands (伊豆諸島いずしょとう Izu-shotō) are a chain of volcanic islands scattered over several hundred kilometers south of Tokyo, Japan.

Islands

Map of the Izu Islands

From north to south:

• 1 Izu Oshima — largest and nearest of the Izu Islands
• 2 Toshima — it has one of the smallest populations of all the Izu Islands, and is mostly covered in Camellia forests
• 3 Niijima — known mostly for its surfing and free outdoor hot springs
• 4 Shikinejima — known for its hot springs
• 5 Kozushima — recognized Dark Sky Island
• 6 Miyakejima — still recovering from an eruption in 2000
• 7 Mikurajima — offers swimming with wild dolphins
• 8 Hachijojima — draws visitors for its hot springs and diving
• 9 Aogashima — a beautiful double volcano, also the Southernmost and most remote island of the Izu Islands.

Understand

The Izu Islands lie southeast of mainland Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean. The closest, Oshima, is 108 km away, while Aogashima is 354 km away from the metropolitan office. Each island is has its own unique character. All sorts of marine sports such as swimming, scuba diving, surfing, and fishing can be enjoyed. There are many places with scenic beauty, which get crowded with tourists during the summer.

Tourist information site

TokyoIslands.net is a semi-official guide site for the islands with integrated Google Translate, also covering Ogasawara Islands.

Get in

By plane

The islands are covered by a confusing blanket of small airlines.

• New Central Air Services operates semi-regular flights from Chofu Airfield (Tokyo) to Niijima, Oshima, Miyakejima and Kozushima.
• Toho Air operates "helimuter" (helicopter commuter) flights under the brand "Tokyo Ai-Land Shuttle" (東京とうきょう愛あいらんどシャトル) between Aogashima, Hachijojima, Mikurajima, Oshima and Toshima, timed to match flights to Hachijojima.

By boat

Tokai Kisen operates ferries from Takeshiba Terminal (竹たけ芝しば客船きゃくせんターミナル) in Tokyo, adjacent to Takeshiba station on the Yurikamome line. There are two main routes:

• Tokyo - Oshima - Toshima - Niijima - Shikinejima - Kozushima.
• Tokyo - Miyakejima - Mikurajima - Hachijojima.

Go next

Tokyo Prefecture

• Tokyo
• Chofu
• Bonin Islands

Kanagawa Prefecuture

• Yokohama
• Yokosuka (Kurihama Port)

Shizuoka Prefecture

• Atami
• Izu
• Itō
• Shimoda