This is Chichi Jima.

It's a 24 hour, 1000 kilometer ferry ride from the city of Tokyo into the Pacific Thio here, which is paradise and actually Tokyo.

Many people refer to this as the Galapagos of the East.

It is beautiful, and if you make that 24 hour boat ride, you're rewarded with delicious food friendly people, pristine beaches, awesome scuba diving and views like this.

It's hard to believe this is part of Tokyo.

Theo Ogasawara Archipelago truly is one of the jewels of Japan.

It all starts with the ferry, a 24 hour trip from the city center.

The boat is always a welcome sight in town.

Arriving passengers, air Given an island welcome.

Many people turn out for the once a week event after a full day on board.

It's a pleasure to finally arrive.

All right, we're here.

It's hot.

What an amazing trip!

It's been 25 24 a half, 25 hours.

We're finally here.

Ogasawara Um, you get off the boat you created with music.

It's a really warm welcome and just looking around, you can see tons of hotels, tons of dive shops, everybody finding where they're gonna be going next.

It's really warm.

I like it like literally this warm people and warm temperature.

I got to get inside.

I need a drink while I make my way to the hotel.

Let's see where exactly Ogasawara is in Tokyo.

There's the mega Trop Elice, spread out on the coast Ferry departs weekly from Taki Sheba Port near Hama Majo Station.

Then you have to travel 1000 kilometers from the mainland out into the Pacific, passing all other Tokyo islands like Hachi, Jojima and Alga Shima.

The archipelago is referred to as the boning islands, and only two islands are inhabited Chichi Jima with about 2000 people and haha Jima which is around 440.

Yes, I want a village on Chichi Jima is the heart of the archipelago where the local government resigns.

My hotel was also the first hotel on the island Townhouse meets who is where the U.

S military gate was in the 19 fifties and sixties and we're journalists state to cover the island when it opened up after the hand over to Japan in 1968.

It's comfortable and locally run very close to the port.

This is also where I realized that the island was once San Francisco, California 96636 The address.

Written on a buoy half a century ago.

The best way to get around the island is by motorbike, and you can rent 50 cc bikes with an international or Japanese driver's license.

Motorbikes or scooters offer you the freedom to explore at your own pace.

But beware.

You need to reserve one well in advance.

Just like your hotel.

They sell out fast in high season over.

So what?

A village is much bigger than I thought it would be.

There are many restaurants, is akai and cafes to keep you happy and full.

Three Island depends on the weekly ferry for many supplies like fresh fruits, vegetables and other perishables.

Best to stock up a few hours after it arrives.

The town is comfortable parks and places to relax several cafes and picnic tables for lunch, and it's never too far from a beautiful beach by the port.

There's a monument to Commodore Perry, who stopped here on the way to a toe in 18 53 History of the island starts is a whaling town founder, Nathaniel Savory, from Boston, who brought colonists from Hawaii here in 18 30.

The island's population is of mixed race, a place where American, European and Pacific Islanders have lived together for generations and peace.

A reason why the Islanders here so friendly to outsiders to learn more about the island's past.

I went to Pat in three owners.

Family can trace their ancestry back to the island's founder.

It's one of the newest hotels on the island and has a delicious Western menu.

I sat down with shows, a body who is the sixth generation of say body to be born on the island.

He has a lot of insight into the island's history, but America, Kamata, Tunisia and Anya needs your new girlfriend in England today.

Sonny Quantity, target If me how I know when you study, you are go Humpback whale.

Could you don't know?

You know you're an Indian fighter stomach turning on their journey to find out a little with the thin dark it from there.

After World War two, the US took over the island and shows Father's generation learned at American schools until 1968 because my fourth dinners with my grand parents cannot speak English.

So my father talk talk is free them in Japanese and then but go when go out, go out of the house.

So many?

Yeah, in many, um, you with maybe being their Children also went to the school with the island together, and they speak only English.

So your father's generation, all of the people on the island from your father's generation, tell me pretty good English, pretty good English also or that people everywhere can, I think native, almost native English.

But they fate, some of them fit.

I forgot the English.

But for me, if native, this is an abandoned air raid shelter for the Japanese military during World War Two, it remains here in decay.

You'll also find a lot of Rex cannons and guns in the jungle like this one.

They lie where they were left, a reminder of the island's past.

It was at that time that former President George Bush ah, pilot in the U.

S.

Navy, was shot down.

He was the only survivor of a horrifically ordeal on the island.

But President Bush returned to Cici g Mine 2002 to remember those that were lost on that tragic day and put the events behind him.

Ah, lot of life was lost during the Islands war days, which is why Islanders now are very protective of the life around it.

Over the course of the last 10 days of staying on this island have had to walk through that tunnel about a dozen times.

And I gotta tell you, every time has been, especially after dark nerve racking, because somebody told me that in their ghosts.

And now this tunnel is a short cut.

It was created by the Japanese Army about 75 years ago, and it cuts straight through to the ferry terminal from Townhouse Mitsui.

It's so convenient and yet so scary.

You can go around on this road, but it wasn't built 75 years ago.

This was the tunnel.

Doesn't seem to have any background story, but it's a reminder of the island's purpose.

During the war, until 1968 the island was used by both Japanese and U.

S military.

The tunnel, the first thing you see after leaving the ship, it's scary.

Do you think it's haunted This is Nico Village pulling located in the islands jungle.

The owner is Shimizu San, who used to be a Japanese salaryman in Tokyo but moved here out of concern for the condition of nature in the oceans and changed his life to live sustainably to protect it.

He's inspiring others to do the same with his guesthouse.

Everybody can change their life there.

I tried to life protect nature, protects us something perfect ocean.

I tried to changes in my life.

Mean Amon s leukemia.

When you ask you that that thing that Erica that's going to change, I stick close.

They got so steady starts.

He's a contents a guest tonight The islands are now a protected refuge, a wildlife sanctuary set up on the east side of the island.

The archipelago is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

She means her sounds Guesthouse is almost entirely ICO friendly, including the toilets.

Yeah, over time it becomes fertilizer, which he uses for the banana trees out back.

Theo Guesthouse has plumbing, but they do collect rainwater and lord the water to be used in the toilets.

In the bath there's homemade shampoo and soap living in the jungle in harmony with nature is the theme of Poland.

Jungle Life can also be classy.

Nearby is use cake, coffee, farm and cafe.

They grow on roast their own beans.

A cup of hot or iced coffee isn't cheap, but it's fun to taste the beans of the island at its best.

When it comes to being on top, there's no higher place than Mount Chuo in the center of the island.

At 319 meters, or about 1050 feet, it offers a panoramic view of the jungles below.

It truly is spectacular, and so are the beaches.

There are loads of them, many completely empty, with long views of the Pacific.

From the weather station in town, you'll get a bird's eye view of the rocky coast and bone in Blue Pacific and on days without clouds and island sunset that you'll never forget.

One of the activities that you can do on th e Jima is jungle tracking.

You have to leave town for that.

Having a guide is useful, if not essential toe.

Learn about the phone on surrounding history.

From the hilltops.

You'll get views of empty beaches and hidden stories of the past in the surrounding jungle.

Like here, this search lights still sits in the place where the Japanese military left it with you.

No more.

Too many, not Marie.

Come in.

Actually, the roads of Chichi Jima don't go all over the island.

There are places where the road stops, and you have to actually walk thes nature trails.

And it's really good to have a guide to point you in the right direction and to give you some details on the nature that's around you.

But it's sort of part of the Tichy Jima Ogasawara experience.

Most of the island is jungle, and the road on the east side curves around the island sanctuary.

When you do come upon trails, you have to have a permit or guide for most of them, and clean your boots and spray to minimize seeds and sports from the outside A little.

Come on, I'm running on your back.

There are places where the jungle is extremely thick and places were thins near cliffs, where you can enjoy an epic view of the ocean.

Look down there, not a soul around.

Why?

Because it takes a few hours to hike down there from the main road, but it's so worth it.

Most of the beaches on the West side are quite easy to get Thio, we'll explore the pristine Minami Jima next time where the turtles lay their eggs and marine life.

Part of why this is called the Galapagos of the East, and we'll dive deep into the sea in search of adventure.

There's no telling what we'll find out honestly.

The sea is like an aquarium here, deep color of the Pacific here known as bone in blue.

So this is the moment when we say goodbye to everybody from old s Alana.

We're going back to Tokyo, the city.

It is kind of a tradition.

They play Taiko drums and you get these reads.

These are all handmade headdress, and the story goes that when you leave the island as the ship is pulling away, you take these off and you throw them into the water.

And if they float back to land, that means you're coming back.

And I'm definitely unbecoming back.

Ogasawara was a great time.

The send off is one of the most extraordinary in all of the world.

There are no flights here on Lee this large fairy.

So the port is where every good bye ISS set.

It's emotional to see so many of the Islanders here toe wave and wish you a bon voyage.

How you feel at this point depends on how connected you become to the island.

After 10 days, I felt like I was leaving a family behind the island's hospitality, making you warm on arrival and giving you chills upon departure.

The gap slowly parts Islanders approaching, coming all the way to the edge, that connection between you and the island widening.

I know the float back to land, where I will once again step foot on Ogasawara for another warm embrace.

But this is not the end.

It seems every available boat is ready and waiting to escort you safely out to sea.

Okay, boat captains throttled to keep pace passengers waving tirelessly.

Then, when the boats can no longer keep pace, there's one last show of love and respect.

Locals will jump into the sea, sometimes flipping with daredevil moves, so you will not forget that it's always the last thing you see from the boat of the harbor, and it's hard not to tear up the fairy picks up more speed central Tokyo 24 hours away, But I already know I'll be back someday to Ogasawara it.

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