Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. Robert Walker
of magnificent wild peacocks (クジャク; kujaku), which roam wild everywhere on Iōjima. Let loose some years ago, they have thrived. Remarkably, a large percentage of these extraordinary birds are pure white. There are so many that Iōjima could just as accurately be called Peacock Island instead of Sulphur Island.
The Shintō Shrine in Iōjima village.
Because Iōjima’s massive volcano Mt Iō occupies so much of its land area, and because the volcano blocks passage to Iōjima’s eastern end, there is no road that encircles the island. All roads essentially begin and end or revolve around the port town. The lack of a circle-island route, however, in no way subtracts from an otherwise excellent little network of roads going to almost every corner of the island. For instance, the road leading from town to the island’s northeasternmost tip first passes through a deliciously scented stretch of citrus grove, then a bamboo forest sheltering the hidden Shintō Shrine (a short hike off the road), then a now forbidden wild road (too dangerous) that twists and turns almost to the top of Iō peak, then to the Sakamoto Onsen (坂本温泉; Sakamotoonsen) and finally ends at the Heike Castle Ruins site (平家城跡; Heike-jō ato). All this in the space of 3 miles (5 kilometers)! Incidentally and unfortunately, the Sakamoto outdoor hot springs are no longer operative. Their underground source stopped or became diverted and they’ve been abandoned for now. It’s perfectly conceivable that Mt Iō’s boiling waters could return to Sakamoto again some day.
Mount Iō at left and its little sister and new neighbor, Shōwa Iōjima, at right.
Higashi Onsen and Higashi-no Tatigami-iwa.
Fortunately, there’s another free outdoor hot springs on Iōjima, and this one is even more beautiful. Here, you follow the road out of town, at first through the same orange tree groves but then southeast past an observation platform where you can see Kuchinoerabu, Yakushima and Tanegashima Islands, then a little further following the signs to the Higashi Onsen (東温泉; Higashionsen; lit. “Eastern Hot Springs”). It’s a total of 5 miles (3 kilometers) from the port to the onsen, not including the little side branch off to the Observation Platform.
The natural “emergency” port of Ōura.
Higashi is an open-air boiling spring located at the foot of Mount Iō volcano and right on the seashore. Try soaking here. Most likely you’ll have the pools completely to yourself as there’s usually no one else around. The air, sea and sky are crystal clear. A sunset or a star-filled night sky, melting in a bubbling hot pool on the ocean, is about as a romantic and soothing experience as one can ever have. In other words, it just doesn’t get any better than this.
The large upright rock just offshore is Higashi-no Tatigami-iwa or “Eastern Standing God Rock.” We’ll describe it below.
There are two more interesting scenic, though shorter, drives or hikes on Iōjima. They are west of town. Both start on the road that leads due north from the port straight up the hill behind town. Once you’ve crested the hill, continue west past the lighthouse. You’ll be on top of the island’s plateau, surrounded by pasture land full of black cattle, horses and peacocks. Quickly enough, less than a mile (2 kilometers) from town, you’ll come to the airstrip. It was possible to build an airstrip on Iōjima as this natural plateau is just large enough to handle small aircraft landings and take-offs. As mentioned earlier, even though it looks pretty lonely, it’s not been abandoned. The strip and control tower are maintained and are used by charter aircraft and for emergency air evacuations.
If you backtrack just a bit and then continue west a little less than a mile (1 kilometer) beyond the airstrip, you’ll come to the western end of the island. It’s a high bluff, and on a clear day you can see almost exactly 19 miles (30 kilometers) to the last of the Mishima, the “black” island or Kuroshima.
Where the road ends, a long descent on a set of at least 100 steps begins. This takes you down to Oura Port (大浦港; Ōurakō), a small natural port used as a typhoon emergency harbor. Interestingly enough, the clear waters of this extremely well-sheltered port are home to a multitude of tropical fish. Species like angels, box, puffer, batfish, clowns, butterflyfish, lionfish, moorish idols, tangs and triggerfish can be seen from the dock. Although there’s no beach, it’s an excellent place for a swim, even better perhaps for snorkeling. Speaking of beaches, other than the black sand beach at Iōjima’s port, there are no beaches on this island. Its shoreline is completely rock or inaccessible.
The presence of these exotic, colorful tropical fish so far north—almost 375 miles (600 kilometers) from Naha, Okinawa—demonstrates just how powerful and far-reaching is the Kuroshio Current (黒潮; Kuro-shio; lit. “Black Tide” but often translated as “Japanese Current”). Starting from the tropical waters of the Philippines and Taiwan, then traveling north thousands of miles/kilometers on its way to the northern Pacific, it is comparable to the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream. Its warm waters sustain tropical fish species and coral reefs further north than anywhere else in the world.
Our last drive or hike also begins in town, climbs the same hill as in the previous route, but after a mile (1.5 kilometers), shortly after the lighthouse and just before the turn to the airstrip, we’ll take the road that veers to the left and follow it for another mile (1.5 kilometers) until its end. This 2-mile (3-kilometer excursion) takes us over the high bridge visible west from down at the port. It’s so high and narrow it’s a little scary but it takes us to an Observation Lookout at the very end of Cape Erabu (永良部崎; Erabu-zaki). We’re on that long, narrow spit of land jutting out due south from Iōjima’s harbor. The view is breathtaking. Below is the town and the sulphur waters of the port, while across to the east are the smoking slopes of Mount Iō.
We’ll end our visit of Iōjima here by having a quick look at its two satellite islets, then we’ll ferry onwards to Kuroshima.
SHŌWA IŌJIMA (昭和硫黄島; Shōwa-Iwōjima). This tiny islet is Iōjima’s little sister and “new” neighbor. Shōwa Iōjima is an uninhabited volcanic rock about a mile (2 kilometers) offshore from Iōjima’s northeast coast. It was formed in the fall of 1934 as a result of an undersea eruption from Iōjima’s volcano. The islet is an irregularly shaped oval, about 410 x 575 feet (125 x 175 meters) wide from north to south and about 1,310 feet (400 meters) long from east to west. There is no public transportation service to the island. If you wish to visit, you’ll have to hire a local fisherman to take you there.
Iōjima’s Peacocks (硫黄島孔雀)
In nature, peafowl (male: peacock; female: peahen; juveniles: peachicks) are birds of the forest. They roost in trees but make their nests on the ground. They are foragers and omnivores, feeding on virtually all plants, seeds, insects, worms and small reptiles or amphibians. They generally travel in packs. Worldwide there are two species: the Indian Blue (Pavo cristatus), which is relatively common and breeds well, and the Burmese Green (Pavo muticus), which is rare and endangered. They are both members of the pheasant family. The white peafowl comes from a genetic mutation called Leucism. They are not albinos and do not have red eyes. Leucism is characterized by reduced pigmentation in the hair and skin of animals and humans. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin. It is rare in peacocks and other animals, but on Iōjima at least a quarter of the peafowl have it and are white.
Shōwa Iōjima, a new piece of terra firma that emerged in 1934.
HIGASHI-NO TATIGAMIIWA (東ノ立神岩; Higashi-no