Why don’t you try Sunrise kayak in Chichijima, Ogasawara Islands?
I’m Nobu, I like traveling overseas and in Japan, visited 25 countries. I’ve got the license of the certificate English guide in Japan for 7 years.I show you hidden Japan which you have never seen and heard of!
Chichijima ( father island) of Ogasawara
Chichijima is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo, but it’s still in the Tokyo metropolitan prefecture.
It is Chichijima,Ogasawara Village in Tokyo.
There are about 2,100 people living on Chichijima.
Before I came to Chichijima( father island) , I visited Hahajima( mother island), where the population was only about 460.
I could enjoy the atmosphere of an old uninhabited island there.
Activities in Chichijima island
The atmosphere of Chichi is a bit more modern than Hahajima island.
There are many activities and guided tours available.
Diving, snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, trekking, wakeboarding, dolphin swimming, whale watching, yachting, charter boats, war site tours, yoga, star watching, and more.
Many of the visitors and guides are young, and the atmosphere is not outdated.
As it is often the case on desolate islands.
I did two activities.
Sunrise kayak tour
The first was a sunrise kayak tour.
It starts at 5:00 in the morning and takes you out to greet the sunrise.
It’s until 7:00, 5000yen( 50 dollars).
Most of the tours in Ogasawara pick you up at your inn, very convenient.
I was picked up in front of my inn at 5:00 a.m. by a tour guide.
So you don’t need to worry if you accidentally forget your appointment time.
At 5:00 a.m., it’s still dark in Ogasawara.
It was just before sunrise.
We drove for about 10 minutes and arrived at a small inlet called Ogiura. I was a only customer of this tour!
We arrived Ogiura beach where we start kayaking.
Since it was an inlet, there were no waves, and the water was calm and like a mirror.
We carried in the kayak to the sea and got on it.
As we started paddling, we saw a large rock that looked like a horn sticking out of the sea.
It’s Kaname Iwa rock.
And as we got closer, we could see holes like square windows.
War remains
These were trenches dug by the Japanese army during the WW2.
I remembered the war, the whole tragic story.
After passing Kaname Iwa, we headed towards the shore where we found a ship that had sunk during the war.
The inlet called Sakaiura.
We kayaked past the sunken ship and arrived at the shore of Sakaiura.
We took a break there, drinking hot coffee brought by my tour guide.
We talked a bit and I heard that the guide had come to Ogasawara from the suburbs of Tokyo and has lived here for 20 years.
He is married and has a five-year-old daughter.
I think she is cute because this guide is handsome.
A swing, the symbol of peace
After our talk , I found that there is a swing made of driftwood on the shore of Sakaiura.
It is a good place to take pictures.
A driftwood swing and a sunken ship on a quiet beach.
We can hear only the sound of waves and wind.
It’s like I’m savoring the symbolism of peace and war.
We kayaked back over the sunken ship to Ogiura.
The day is getting brighter and brighter, and the sun is shining into the sea.
When we reach the shore and carry the kayaks up to the beach, the sunrise kayak tour is over.
It was a Kayak tour at dawn when no one is active.
You will be impressed by the clarity of the sea.
Also you can see the sky is gradually brightens.
Why don’t you wake up early and give it a try?
I’m Nobu, one heart enjoy together!!!