Hachijo Royal Hotel is located on a remote island approximately 180 miles off the coast of Tokyo, it is surrounded by a scattering of small islands known as the Izu Archipelago. Due to its warm climate and sandy beaches the island was dubbed the the “Hawaii of Japan” back in the 1960s in an attempt to boost domestic travel to the island from mainland Japan.
In time traveling abroad became the norm and spending your earnings traveling to a local island soon lost its appeal. The hotel was forced to close its doors in 2006. The salt-laden and humid air have ensured a speedy decay of the once beautiful building. Creeping vegetation is slowly conquering from the outside to the interior of the abandoned hotel adding to its deterioration.
The Resort Today
In 1996 the Hachijo Royal Hotel reopened as the Pricia Resort, which closed in August 2003 to re-open in 2004 as the Hachijo Oriental Resort. When the tourism boom came to an end, it struggled to attract guests and finally closed in 2006. Creeping vegetation is slowly conquering from the outside to the interior of the abandoned hotel adding to its deterioration.
Today the island is most famous as a diving spot. The large volcanic island is populated with about 8,363 people, and gifted with rich nature such as beautiful ocean, forests, and mountains.
The Island Today
Hachijojima (or Hachijo Island) is one of the groups of 7 volcanic islands in Pacific Ocean called the Izu Seven Islands (Izu Shichito) which are Tokyo’s. Hachijojima is at the very end of those 7 islands, about 287 kilometers away from the main island of Japan.
Hachijojima is full of attractions and beautiful scenery, and it is not far from Tokyo as you imagine, and it only takes 45 mins by direct flight from Haneda Airport. Hachijojima Island can be reached by airplane or ferry. There are flights available daily from Haneda Airport, Tokyo which is great option to save time. By ferry, a large overnight ship leaves from Tokyo Takeshiba Ferry Port and takes about 10 hours to Hachijojima Island.
Hachijojima is surrounded by the ocean with crystal clear water and there are several beaches where you can enjoy diving/snorkeling. The sand is not white but don’t be disappointed because the water is purely clear which will not let you down. The south part of the island is well known as great surfing spot. Finally, there are popular spots for fishing. One of the most popular activities on the island is diving and snorkeling, and there is a good chance that you can swim with wild turtles when you join the tour.
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