Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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 Cur-
rent”). 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 At-
lantic Ocean's Gulf Stream. Its warm waters sustain tropical fish species and coral reefs fur-
ther 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 Observa-
tion Lookout at the very end of Cape Erabu (
永良部崎
; Erabu-zaki). We're on that long, nar-
row 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.
SHŌWAIŌJIMA
(
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 erup-
tion 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.
