Hachijojima Island is one of Ogasawara Islands in Tokyo, accessible in 55minutes from Haneda Airport.
Hachijo Round-the-Island Road, which circles the gourd-shaped island, is about 45 km long. You can circle the island around Mt. Hachijo-Fuji and the foot of Mt.Mihara.
I introduce a one-day cycling tour departing from Haneda Airport at 7:30 a.m., cycling 45km, and returning from Hachijojima Airport at 5:25 p.m.
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Access to Hachijojima Island
Access to Hachijojima Island, 287km south of central Tokyo, is by air, with three round trips a day from Haneda Airport (about 55minutes each way), and by sea, with one round trip a day from Tokyo Takeshiba Pier (about 10hours and 20minutes each way).
Start at Hachijojima Airport
I took the train around 5:00 a.m. , bringing my bike to Haneda Airport, and departed at 7:30 a.m. (ANA flight 1891) . Then I arrived at Hachijojima Airport at 8:25 a.m.
Picking up my bike, which was carried separately from the baggage carousel, I went outside the compact terminal to get ready.
With a fairly strong wind blowing, I started cycling at 9:00 a.m.
I rode along the tropical “Hachijojima Airport Road” in a southwesterly direction, then cross “Hachijo Round-the-Island Road” to Ogataura Park by the sea.
Perhaps because it was still early in the morning, there were hardly any cars or people. The few cafés along the road are also closed.
Clockwise from here, I will first cycle along the northern side of the island, at the foot of Mt.Hachijo-Fuji.
Mt.Hachijo-Fuji Foot Course in the Northwestern Part of the Island
I started the course with no people in sight and was anxious about the strong crosswind.
Hachijo Kojima Island can be seen in front of me. Cycling toward Mt. Hachijo-Fuji while looking at Nanbarasenjojiki beach, you will meet up with “Hachijo Round-the-Island Road.”
After about 7km, climbing up a gentle slope on the west side of the island, you will reach “Eigo Observatory.”
Then, about 4.5km around to the northeast side, you will see a dairy farm along the road.
This is “Hachijo YUYU Dairy Farm”, the only dairy farm in Hachijo Island.
A 3-km ride from here will take you to Kaminato Port.
There were no stores or vending machines for about 15km up to this point, so I felt very safe in the port town.
I took a break at a kaiten-yaki (Japanese pancakes filled with filling such as red bean paste) shop, which was marked “Kyufuku Kaiten-yaki”, spotting an “Open” banner.
It was still 10:30 a.m., and about 2km ahead was my destination for the first half of the tour, “Sokodo Beach.”
Sokodo Beach is the only man-made beach on the island, and on clear days, visitors can enjoy the clarity of “Hachijo blue” ocean and swim with sea turtles.
Mt.Mihara Foot Course in the Southeastern Part of the Island
The second half of the cycling course climbs a 6km pass from Sokodo Beach to Noboryu Pass Observation Deck at a height of 320m above sea level.
The view overlooking the port town where I had just been, relieved the fatigue of climbing up the hill.
From here, it is just a short downhill to Hachijojima Island Lighthouse.
On the way there, I saw a dragon mural. It is 3.6m long and 31.7m wide, and was built in February 1992.
After seeing Hachijojima Island Lighthouse, it is about 3km uphill to the west side of the island.
The gradient is less than that of the previous pass, but the slope, which is exposed to an 8m/s westerly wind from the front, is quite tough.
I managed to make it up the hill and had lunch at a restaurant with a “Teishoku” (set meal) banner.
I recharged myself with the local fried white fish set meal.
I continued on the flat road, battling strong westerly winds as I reached the entrance to Osaka Tunnel.
After passing through the tunnel with the front and rear lights on, I got to Osaka Tunnel Observation Deck.
I would like to take my time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but due to the strong winds, I decided to continue onward.
The long descent downhill was a strong crosswind, so I braced myself and descended carefully.
As I descended into the town, I spotted a kitchen car in front of Hachijo Handmade Marche.
I had a cup of coffee and sweets at a café that had just opened at the event.
The airport is already near, but the time is still 1:30 p.m., so I strolled around the town.
At “Jersey Café” run by Hachijo Dairy Industry Inc., I also enjoyed soft-serve ice cream made from Ashitaba leaves and Jersey milk.
Afterwards, I stopped at Hachijo Visitor Center near the airport, and finished my cycling at Hachijojima Airport.
I arrived at the airport at 3:00 p.m, with plenty of time to spare before my flight.
After spending some time at the airport restaurant, I took the 5:25 p.m. flight back to Haneda Airport.
Course Introduction
Distance: 48km, Altitude gained: 1,232m
▼Hachijojima Island Tourism
https://www.hachijo.gr.jp/
▼Hachijojima Airport
https://hachijoapo.net/
▼Hachijojima Island (Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau)
https://www.gotokyo.org/en/destinations/izu-and-ogasawara-islands/hachijojima-island/
Summary
First of all, one-day cycling is just a great way to have less luggage. It is easy to take your bike by train to the airport, and you can start right from the airport.
If you hesitate to take a plane only for a day trip, I recommend using flight mileage. If you are not a regular flyer, you can use your credit card points or T-points. In addition, award tickets using frequent flier points can be rescheduled within one year for the same flight segment, so you can easily postpone your flight in case of rainy weather.
The charm of Hachijojima Island is its scenery, which is unlike that of Tokyo.
There are very few cars and traffic lights, so it is very easy to cycle around, and the 45km loop is full of ups and downs, so you will feel a sense of fulfillment after cycling.
If you are planning to stay overnight, I also recommend a course that climbs up to the middle of Mt. Hachijo Fuji for those who are fit and healthy. For those who want to enjoy the ocean, snorkeling is also recommended.
Whether you like hills or the ocean, you can actively enjoy nature on Hachijojima Island, which is accessible as a day trip (or overnight) from the metropolitan area.
