Sightseeing on Miyakejima Island

Funaiwai is a festival that has been held since the early Meiji era (the mid-late 1800s) to pray to Funadama, the guardian deity of boats, for bountiful catches and the safety of the boats in the year to come. On January 2, this event is held simultaneously in all five villages and five ports in Miyakejima Island. Ship owners, captains, and other people who have a connection to the ships drink sacred sake on a fishing boat and then strew mandarin oranges and wrapped offerings of money from the boat to the people gathered at the port. It is a spectacular and joyous event in which lots of people run toward the fishing boats to catch oranges in baskets or cardboard boxes. Miso soup containing Japanese rock lobster is provided, as well as sacred sake. The normally quiet island has a very lively atmosphere on this day.
(C)Miyakejima Tourist Association

http://www.miyakejima.gr.jp/about/（外部サイト）

The Toga Shrine Festival is held by all of Miyakejima Island once every two years in August. A mikoshi is taken from its usual home at Toga Shrine, which is located in the Ako area, and is carried to Igaya, Izu, Kamitsuki, and Tsubota over the course of six days, spending the night at a shrine in each area. On the last day, the mikoshi is returned to the Toga Shrine, bringing the most exciting festival in Miyakejima Island to a close. Many former residents and tourists visit the island to see the passing of the mikoshi.

http://www.miyakejima.gr.jp/about/（外部サイト）

Tairo-ike is a lake that was created when spring water and rain ran into the crater of a volcano created by a steam explosion more than 2,500 years ago. The lake, with a depth of 30 meters (98 feet) and a circumference of approximately 2 kilometers (1.24 miles), is the largest freshwater lake on the Izu Islands. The Miyakejima Island nature center known as Akakokko Station (Akakokko-kan) was founded in 1993 at the entrance to Lake Tairo-ike. Rangers from the Wild Bird Society of Japan are stationed there to provide information about nature, and the center even includes a bird-watching center. The name Akakokko Station comes from “akakokko,” the Japanese name of the Izu island thrush, an endemic species that has been designated as a Japanese national treasure.
(C)Miyakejima Tourist Office

http://www.miyakejima.gr.jp/see/tairoiketenboudai/（外部サイト）

http://www.miyakejima.gr.jp/play/akakokko/（外部サイト）

From the Shichishima Observation Deck, which is located halfway up Mt. Oyama, you can see 360-degree panoramic views. On a sunny and clear day, you can see the full scale of the Izu Islands, from Oshima Island in the north to Hachijojima Island in the south. The Shichishima Observation Deck is located on a hill called Mt. Ninan, which is a cinder cone created by the accumulation of lava and scoria. During an eruption in 1983, the first crater was developed in the vicinity of this observatory, and a row of craters was formed stretching all the way to the coast. In 2000, another eruption occurred, and the observatory sustained significant damage from flying volcanic ash, cinder, pyroclastic flows, and debris.
(C)Miyakejima Tourist Office

http://www.miyakejima.gr.jp/see/shichitoutenboudai/（外部サイト）

Thanks to the gifts it receives from the Kuroshio Current and its unique and stunning undersea volcanic terrain, featuring columnar joints and underwater arches, Miyakejima Island is a treasure trove of fish. Under the water, you will see a variety of living creatures such as coral primroses,large migratory amberjack, great amberjack, and brightly colored tropical fish. Many anglers and divers visit in search of many varieties of fish species. Harpoon fishing* for large fish and swimming off the quiet beaches are also very popular.
* If you want to try harpoon fishing, please read the five rules of harpoon fishing on Miyakejima Island. For details, see the related links.
(C)Miyakejima Tourist Office

http://www.miyakejima.gr.jp/play/（外部サイト）

http://www.miyakejima.gr.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/temoriyugyo_rulemap.pdf（外部サイト）

Miyakejima Island’s climate is warm, and the island is home to bountiful nature, making it an ideal place to grow safe and healthy vegetables. Miyakejima Island’s produce includes ashitaba, snow peas, snap peas, red eddoes, leatherleaf fern, dracaena, lily, and other plants. Ashitaba, of the Apiaceae family, has strong regenerative abilities, and it is said that its life force is so strong that even if you pick its leaves, it will produce new shoots tomorrow. It contains abundant chalcone and has a strong antioxidant effect; it has been recognized as effective in the prevention of thrombosis, arteriosclerosis, cancer, and other disorders.

http://www.vill.miyake.tokyo.jp/kankou/tokusanhin.html（外部サイト）

Although Miyakejima Island is a treasure trove of fish, mackerel have historically been less popular in local dishes. Recently, however, mackerel sandwiches have become popular as Miyakejima Island’s “B-grade cuisine”. (“B-grade cuisine” refers to delicious foods, usually particular to a given area of Japan, which are not considered high cuisine because of their inexpensive price and wide availability.) These sandwiches are made by first marinating grilled mackerel fillets in sake and soy sauce. A soft bread roll, baked by Tsukuana Bakery, is toasted, spread with margarine, and filled with mackerel, lettuce, and red bell pepper grown on the Kikuchi farm, which produces delicious organic vegetables. Finally, a special onion dressing is added to complete this local treat. Mackerel sandwiches made by the bed and breakfast Minshuku SNAPPER can be purchased from the Saba Sand Cafe on the second floor of the ferry waiting room at Sabigahama Port, on days when the ferry departs from Miyakejima Island to Tokyo.
(C)Miyakejima Tourist Association

http://www.miyakejima.gr.jp/stay/snapper/（外部サイト）