I spent the weekend in Izu Oshima, a remote island in front of the coast of Tokyo. A very rustic and quiet place famous for the abundance of camellia's and the still active vulcano Mount Mihara. We didn't pick the best weekend weather-wise. It was raining and cloudy most of the time but this made the scenery even more impressive. The combination of mountains, sea, black sanded beaches and stormy weather gave it a spooky feel.
Izu Oshima is a quiet place and the bad weather made it even more quiet. In the summer the beaches are probably packed with tourists but I didn't see a soul now, except for some local fisherman and cats. We found many abandoned places and it felt like time stood still on this island.
The hotel looked like it had not been updated for at least 25 years. It was run by a family and they were very nice. The hotel room overlooked Motomachi port. In the evening we enjoyed a very good Kaiseki dinner made from local ingredients like sea snails and shells.
On Sunday in the very early morning we hiked Mount Mihara, a still active vulcano. When it erupted in 1986 all 10000 residents had to leave the island for one month and stay in Tokyo.
The vulcano became famous after a young girl, Kiyoko Matsumoto, committed suicide by jumping into the crater in 1933. After her suicide many people followed her example and it's estimated that in 1933 alone over 900 people killed themselves by jumping into the crater of Mount Mihara.
Going back to Tokyo the contrast could not be any bigger.
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