Aogashima is an island in Japan. It is southernmost and most isolated inhabited island in the Izu islands. It is actually an active volcano, with another volcano in it! It has 170 inhabitants, compared to the population of 327 in 1785, where 130-140 of the inhabitants died because of an eruption, which forced the inhabitants to evacuate for 50 years. Since then, there haven't really been any significant volcanic activity. However, as recently as august 2012, there has been discolored water around the island, which indicates hydrothermal activity on the seafloor. The JMA (Japanese Meteorological Agency) monitors the island 24/7 for any volcanic activity. Even though all this, the village on it even spans INTO the first volcano.

There are two ways to get into Aogashima.

1.  Ferry - You can take a ferry from Hachijojima to the islands port, Sampo. But due to high waves, the ferry gets cancelled 50% of the time. It isa decided whether the ferry should go or not 7:00 AM every day. The ferry ride takes 2,5-3 hours. Sampo is located at the foot of the island, which is surrounded by cliffs, so it can get very stormy down there. A zickzack road goes up the hill to the village.

2.  Helicopter - The village has a helicopter pad, which is much faster and reliable but expensive than the ferry.

 Before Sampo, there used to be another port called Oochiyo, but after a landslide on the 27th of september 1994, it was closed. Sadly, 3 people died in the landslide (two found dead and one missing). Today, the roads there are cut off due to the risk of another landslide.

You also can't enter without proof that you have booked somewhere to stay.

You can walk to most places in the village. However, upon your arrival most accomodations will offer you a ride up from Sampo (the port) to your accomodation. Or if you want to exit the village there is a car rental, as well as a gas station. However, you should book your car at the same time as your hotel, as there are very few (only 5-10 on the entire island). There is also only one traffic light on the island, right outside the school. But it's not there for traffic, it's only there to teach the children about traffic lights, and that there are other traffic lights in the world.

1.  Fureai Sauna - A bathhouse inside the first volcano.

2.  Geothermical Cooking - There are steam valves (Hingya) next to the bathhouse which you can cook on.

3.  Oyama Prospect Park - A place with a 360 degree view over the island, and you can even see Hachijojima when its clear.

4.  A hike around Maruyama (the inner volcano) - A beautiful hike around the inner volcano (Maruyama) which takes 45-60 minutes.

5.  Oontonbu - The highest point on the island, at 423 meters.

6.  Miko-No-Ura Square - A park where you can watch the sunrise above the sea.

7.  Stargazing - Because there is very little light pollution, it is one of the best places to stargaze at.

*Notes: DO NOT SWIM. There are almost no places to do it at, and there are giant waves and strong currents, that could carry you out to sea. I also didnt rank these in any way, i just put them in a random order

There is one supermarket on the island. Its called Juichiya Sakaten (十一屋酒店 ), and it sells everything from food to souvenirs. There is also a tiny tobacco store, but its more of a little shack/kiosk than a store. There are also some vending machines here and there. There are ATM's but only for Japanese credit cards.

Except for hotels and guest houses, or restaurants which are one with them, there is only one restuarant on Aogashima. Its called Izakaya Hitori (居酒屋 一人), and is an izakaya restaurant, which is kind of a Japanese bar that serves alcohol and snacks. You can also as mentioned earlier cook you own food on the steam valves (Hingya) too. The island is famous for its Aochu (their own Shochu), salt,  which comes from saltwater cooked in the Hingyas, and their own chili peppers (Shimatogarashi).

There is a campground and 5 hotels on Aogashima.

1.  Aogashimamura Camping Ground

2.  Kaiyuu Maru Guest House

3.  Aogashimamaya

4.  Aogashima Suginosawa

5. Tametomo

6.  Ajisai-So Inn (民宿 アジサイ荘)

*Note: I didnt rank these in any way, i just put them in a random order

Aogashima has a clinic, and a police box, along with fire trucks, fire equipment and a shack. The emergency numbers are 119 for Firemen (the firemen on the island are volunteers) and ambulance, 110 for police and 118 for help at sea (coast guards). You should also be careful and stick to the paths, as gases might accumulate in some places. You should be especially careful if you have asthma, breathing or heart difficulties, as just a little of the gases might trigger symptoms. If you smell rotten eggs, or something that makes your eyes and throat burn, get out of there in the opposite direction immediately as those are dangerous gases. If gases suddenly appear, put a wet towel or a wet rag over your airways to filter particles.

Aogashima has a submarine cable installed in 2020 by NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation). Before they had unstable satellite connection but now they have the same internet speed as central Tokyo. It is very impressive because infrastructure projects on the island often take very long (like the port, Sampo, which took over 12 YEARS).

Very few locals speak English. You should also be prepared to possibly stay there for a couple days more than planned, as it might happen due to weather.