Viewing Mount Fuji From a Nearby Isle

Kosuke Okahara for The International Herald Tribune

Tourists enjoy the view of Mount Fuji from Oshima. More Photos »

OSHIMA, JAPAN — Upon arriving at Motomachi port on Oshima, visitors to this sleepy island of 8,600 may question whether they made the right choice for a getaway. The small souvenir shops and quaint houses are not exactly eye-catching, and on a gray day they can seem downright dreary.

But other parts of the island offer an entirely different experience.

Oshima is a volcanic island, and Mount Mihara at its center is still active, spewing ash and molten lava into the air about once every 35 years, even though visitors on most days may see just a bit of smoke or steam curling above its crater.

But on a clear day, the views of Mount Fuji from Mount Mihara are spectacular. Locals say Oshima has a better view of Japan's most famous peak than anywhere else in the country.

Mount Mihara is only about 750 meters, or 2,460 feet, tall and is a popular hiking destination. The rim walk, which takes about two hours and is not particularly strenuous, allows hikers to gaze deep into the center of the gaping crater from its precipice.

Also interesting is the low-lying vegetation, mainly grasses and small shrubs, that has managed to take root in the black volcanic sand and rock on the mountain's slopes.

Geology buffs can hire a nature guide from Global Nature Club, a local tour service (81-4992-2-1966), and turn the walk into an educational experience. The group also organizes stargazing and scuba-diving expeditions on the island; English-speaking guides are sometimes available.

Cyclists who do not mind a few steep hills often choose bikes as a way to see the island. Marukyu Rental Cycle, which has an office at Motomachi port, rents out mountain bikes for about ¥2,000, or $21, a day. Visitors can arrange to be dropped off at the Mount Mihara lookout; from there, the ride down the mountain's slope to the coast is an easy one and takes just a few hours, depending on how many stops are made. Cyclists should be sure to pack water and snacks, as there are not many places to buy food along the roads.

Shortly after the onsen, or baths, at Miharayama, the road forks, offering two options for returning to sea level. The left fork is a direct route back to town. But the right takes cyclists through a beautiful old-growth forest and past a cragged yet majestic cherry tree believed to be more than 800 years old that has been designated one of Japan's natural national treasures.

Continuing downhill, the next stop is Oshima Park, which showcases the best of the island's forest and coastal scenery in a single place. One noteworthy point: The air, generally clean and fresh, is considered some of the least polluted in the Tokyo municipality.

Continuing north toward Motomachi, cyclists soon come to a stretch of road that locals call the Camellia Tunnel for the large trees that line both sides. Camellias, native to Oshima, are abundant throughout the island, and their oil is one of its biggest exports. It is bought in bulk by companies like Shiseido for use in hair- and skin-care products.

The tunnel is best viewed between January and March, when the flowers are in full bloom.

Oshima is no exception to the Japanese practice of operating onsen at every available opportunity.

From the Mihara-Sanchoguchi trailhead at the volcano's rim walk, the road heading northeast leads directly to Miharayama Onsen. A part of the Oshima Onsen Hotel, the spring includes both indoor and outdoor baths for men and women, all with panoramic views of the mountain and its surrounding grasslands. This is a traditional onsen, which means that bathing suits are not allowed.

For more modest visitors, Hama-No-Yu Onsen on Oshima's coast near Motomachi port is a rare mixed-sex hot spring, where bathing suits are required. It is an unusual sort of onsen experience but, for visitors uncomfortable with nudity, the steaming pool really becomes nothing more than a heated swimming pool. Children play and splash in the water while adults of both sexes relax and converse, even when it is raining.

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