Aogashima consists of small, tropical volcanic island in the Philippine
Sea, located some 355 kilometers away from Japan (Yup, it belongs to
Japan). It is one of the most isolated inhabited island of the Izu
archipelago. Within the Island contains a huge volcanic crater, and in
it are a few other smaller volcano. It is still considered as an active
Class-C volcano even though the last time it erupted was in the 1780s,
during which half of the island's population was killed while the rest
fleeing for their lives. It took another fifty to sixty years for the
people to return to Aogashima. Today, there are about 300 villagers living on the island.
The island itself is only reachable by boat as it has no real habour to anchor large ship due to the steep cliffs of layered volcanic deposits surrounding the island. Another travel option is to take a helicopter, which can be provided by Tokyo Island Shuttle Service. The helicopter runs once a day carrying a maximum of 10 passengers, though there were quite a few times the trip got cancelled due to heavy fog depending on the season. Which is why Aogashima is still a rarely-visited island.
However, there isn’t much to do on Aogashima except to enjoy the scenery of a tropical paradise. At the center of the island lies a natural geothermal sauna which is utilized by public facility (Electricity + Gas) to enable people on the islands to do cooking. The cooker using geothermal steam is available for free! Steamed fresh green vegetables, root potatoes and eggs are one of the specialties of Aogashima. Furthermore, the facility also features a sauna, a public bath, and hot showers.
Interesting FACT: Aogashima is considered the smallest village in Japan and has a primary school with about 35 students! The songs that people of Aogashima sing are mostly about stories of leaving the island and parting with their loved ones.
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