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Ogasawara Diving and Islands
Bonin Islands

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Ogasawara Islands

Where is Ogasawara?

Ogasawara Islands (Bonin Islands) are located around 620 miles SSE of Tokyo.

Map of Japan, Pacific Ocean
Jump to More Informatin on Ogasawara.

Underwater Videos 

Chichijima

Hahajima

Mukojima Islands (Kater Island)

General Diving Point Inforation

小笠原諸島のダイビングが超おすすめ!【絶対後悔しない7つの魅力】(20:05 min. incl. advice. Turn on )


Transportation

Ogasawara Maru

"Ogasawara Maru"

Currently, it is the only way to go to Ogasawara Islands. It leaves Takeshiba Sanbashi at Port of Tokyo once a week and arrive at Futani Port in Chichi-jima after almost 24 hours.

We tend to forget that it is part of Tokyo.

Be prepared! 24 hours is long hours, even when sea is calm. Do not forget pills for seasickness!

Here's a report:

Spending 29 Hours On Ferry! Tokyo To Chichijima (1h 52m 51s)

Travel by a popular YouTuber. His trip was by "Salvia Maru" (pinch hitter) and took five more hours than "Ogasawara Maru." (His room was "the best special league".)

Kyosho Maru

This is a cargo ship, but has accomodation up for 9 people. Schedule is not regular. Here's a report from a birdwatcher from Hong Kong traveled to Ogasawara on this ship.

Trip Report: Tokyo - Ogasawara (Bonin Islands) Passage, March 1-5, 1999 On the Slow Boat to Hahajima
Bird watching trip by Jim Hackett, Hong Kong

Airflight?

No, not yet, fortunately (as of December 2023). Please check "Status of new airport"

Accommodation

You have plenty places to choose from. Please refer :

"Stay" page

at Ogasawara Mura Tourism Association.

Sakaiura Family

Phone: (4998) 2-2530,   Fax: 04998-2-2080
Address:  Aza-Sakaiura, Chihijima, Ogasawara-mura, Tokyo 100-2101

This is the place I stayed a long time ago. Maybe 10 minutes from Futani port where "Ogasawara Maru" arrives.

It sits at the top of slope overlooking the bay, a little outside "down town" which is closer to the port on low land.

In th evening: If you are a person who prefers enjoying the nature to going out for drink in the evening, you would like the place. Or, you can go out to enjoy the nature.

"Enjoying the nature" is.., let's see, for example;
to look for "green pepe" (luminous mushrooms, like a firefly) in the woods in the evening or to wait in the dark on the beach for green turtles to appear to raise eggs.

Diving Operation

For the list, please refer:

Scuba Diving page

at Tokyo Chichijima Island

Here are some of the dive services that have been established for decades.

Kaizin

Long established dive service on Chichi-Jima.  Their name appears often in diving magazines.

Papa's Diving Studio

(This is the dive operation our group dived with, long time ago.)

Ogasawara Diving Center

Urashiman

***

All above and other dive services in Ogasawara islands are based on Chichjima, except one on Hahajima. (These two are only inhabited islands among Ogasawara Islands.)

I heard that many of Japanese diving instructors have experience working at dive operations overseas. So Generally speaking, Japanese dive operations seem to be able to accept foreign divers with no problem. (if they speak English, I imagine.)

Underwater Photos & Photographers

My old mini albums:

They are among the first pages posted on this website in 1995. with black and white photos.

Cruise & Whale Watching

Diving Articles

Wrecks in Ogasawara

by Charles T. Whipple

Report on wreck diving around Chichi-jima.  If you have ever dived in Ogasawara, his article will make you miss diving there.  I thank Mr. Whipple very much for sending his reports for my site.

Tokyo's Once Forbidden Isles

(not web page)

"Sport Diver" October 1996 Vol 4 No. 5
Story by Charles T. Whipple, Photos by KAIZIN Diving Service

"Although these subtropical islands were discovered in 1583, Japanese were forbidden to go there until 1876. Today, the islands are a paradise for the Japanese and anyone else who loves the ocean."

This is the first article that I have seen about diving in Ogasawara Islands in English diving magazines or on the Internet. I am glad !

It is a rather comprehensive introduction of Ogasawara, not only on diving but also on other activities, history, vegetation, so forth.

Charles Whipple is a writer who has lived in Japan for more than 20 years. He is an avid diver and often contributes diving articles to Australian, New Zealander, Japanese, and American diving magazines. He's fluent in Japanese and willing to help any diver get acquainted in Japan.

Note 12/11/2023:
I just learned that he passed away in 2019. Rest in peace.
He kindly offered to post his diving articles on my then-new website in the middle of the 1990s. I had no idea about his other work and just came across the following article:

“STORYTELLER 7: A TRIBUTE TO CHARLES WHIPPLE”

— PROLIFIC WORDSMITH —

Books

Tourism Information

These are official websites of local or national organizations.

Status of New Airport

History

WHALESITE.ORG

All above links except one belong to this site.

"The purpose of Whalesite.org is to offer an anthology of books, articles and images about 19th century sperm-whaling in the Pacific and the early history of places the whalers and whaleships visited — the Sandwich Islands, the Galapagos Islands, Pitcairn's Island and the Bonin Islands. "

The History of Bonin Islands

AT-A-GLANCE chronological table by Toshihiko Tohma


Uninhabited Island (Minami jima) near Chichi-jima

Science

Others

***

When we went to Ogasawara over three decades ago, on the return trip, we were caught in storm and sea was so rough and most of passenger got seasick and laid in the cabin. Somehow, I did not get sick and went up to the deck and saw huge swell in height well above the ship. (Later we heard one ship went down in the storm.)

In the photo at the top is older "Ogasawara Maru" (Length 100.00M, Width 15.20M, Gross Tonnage 3553.12 ton, Speed 21.77Knot) anchored in Futami Port, Chichi-Jima, which is smaller than newer one.

Note on Bonin Links by Toshihiko Tohma (December 2023):

I am glad the link still works after nearly 30 years. It does not matter if it is a website in Japanese anymore, as you can choose to translate when you visit or use Google Translate.

He had his website of collection of links almost the same time as me and neglected several years to update as I did. The last update date shows 2008.


Mukojima (Kater Island), summer 1987

Last updated December 16, 2023.


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Last updated December 24, 2023.
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