One of the few disappointments of the trip was our abandoned trip to Niijima, a subtropical island lying off the coast of Tokyo far into the Pacific. You leave by boat from Ginza, sailing out of Tokyo’s bright-lit harbor as the sun goes down and wake up at the tiny, mountainous island, lined with sandy beaches and cliffs and washed with (apparently) aquamarine seas. One one cliff is a fake-Grecian hot spring where you can bathe overlooking the sea – calm on one side of the island, and with thundering surf on the other, attracting Japanese surfer boys and ravers during the Summer months when the island hosts surf competitions and an outdoor dance music festival.
Sadly though, given the weather – it was overcast and grey every day I was there due to a late and extended rainy season – we decided against the trip. Luckily, as it turns out, because on the day we would’ve arrived it rained nonstop. Next time!
