(八丈富士山) Mt. Hachijo-fuji Hike

I wanted to do Hachijoujima just because, and saw a mountain, so figured might as well hike it. And boy, my mind was blown away.

A true sea-to-summit hike, I started from the port and started walking til I reached the summit. I've been to Tokyo's highest point - Mt. Kumotori, and all over the Okutama peaks, but nothing beats the view of this crater... If you know a place that does, please, please let me know.

Budget: JPY17,860 (~USD139) from Tokyo.

JPY15,860. Ferry, Tokyo < > Hachijojima.

Discounted rate as it was booked online.

JPY2,000. Accommodations in Hachijojima, one night.

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 854m / 2,802ft)

May 11, 2022
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Route below is around 13.2kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲878m/ ▽881m (5h26m)
Map Link

When to Go

Throughout the year. Hachijoujima has more of a tropical climate, I hear, and so does not have the cold winter of the rest of Tokyo.

I have been in Miyakejima (one of the nearby islands) in January, and it snowed, but it wasn't cold and outside of that time where it was snowing, the weather remained pleasant.

Special Notes

Weather forecast: Japanese.
Trailheads.

Official trailhead. Google maps pin. For those with cars.
Hachijoujima Airport.
Hachijoujima Port.

Mountain huts.

Paid. None.
Free. None.
Camping. None.

Itinerary
Friday

Ferry from Tokyo to Hachijojima.

Saturday

Hike. Spend a night in a dorm (or camp for free)

Sunday

Ferry, Hachijojima to Tokyo.

Actual Log

Tuesday

10:45pm. Started boarding the ferry from Tokyo to Hachijojima. We boarded a bit late. Don't forget to write down your name, phone number, address on the ticket.

Wednesday

09:00am. Arrived at Hachijoujima. Walked a couple of minutes to my hostel (Seadive dormitory), dropped by bags, and started walking to Blue Ocean for my guided scuba diving trip.
10:00am. Started the briefing for scuba diving, drove to the dive spot, went back and showered.
01:00pm. Done with the diving, started walking towards the dorm to drop off some things and get my hiking gear.
01:50pm. Started walking to the city center. I tried to find food first, but apparently everything closes by 2pm, and so I had to go the airport hoping they have a place to eat there. And thankfully there was.
03:00pm. Started my official hike from the airport. It was a 15 minute walk to the end of the road, and into the woods. It started like an old road, and then slowly changed into a dense vegetation that was quite sketchy to me, but I was already there so I had no choice but to continue on haha.
03:50pm. Back into the road. Walked for a bit to get to the official trailhead (for those with cars).
04:22pm. Arrived at the official trailhead (again, for those with cars). From here on, it was nonstop stairs til the crater.
05:00pm. Arrived at the crater and had my mind utterly blown away. Started my counterclockwise loop around the crater.
05:48pm. Reached the summit. Started heading back down.
07:44pm. Back at the city center. There was some fire festival going on, so I spent some time watching the show.

Thursday

Walked around the town, tried the Jersey cafe ice cream, ate some western food at Pocket, explored the Ozato Tamaishi Wall, then took the bus to the famous onsen - Miharashi-no-yu at Sueyoshi Onsen (末吉温泉). I then ended the day by going back to the fire festival again.

Friday