Cheers with a mug of beer.Local island craft beers.A delicious dinner full of seafood at a guest house. - stock photo

Shikinejima island, Izu Islands, Niijima-village, Tokyo, Japan - November 22, 2025A delicious dinner full of seafood at a guest house.Salt-grilled Chicken Grunt, Parapristipoma trilineatum caught on the island.Assorted sashimi platter featuring Greater amberjack, Japanese butterfish, and marinated mackerel caught on the island.Splendid alfonsino miso soup made with fish caught on the island.Ashitaba keiskei tempura.Fried Tataki (flying fish paste fritters).Stir-fried spinach and bacon from the garden.Green pepper and pork stir-fry using peppers from the garden.Local island craft beers.Sweet potato shochu made from sweet potatoes (American sweet potatoes) grown on the island.Departing from Takeshiba Pier in Tokyo, I boarded the ferry Sarubia Maru to tour the islands of the Izu archipelago.It travels from Izu Ōshima to Niijima and Shikinejima, finally reaching Kozushima.Shikinejima lies 160 km south of central Tokyo.It's a small inhabited island with a circumference of 12 km.Warmed by the Kuroshio Current, it boasts high water temperatures and excellent water quality.Its rugged, rias-style coastline features numerous inlets, making it popular for swimming and fishing.It's also famous as a hot spring island, with many free open-air baths along the shore.