Luxurious moments in Tokyo and Hachijojima. A 2-day/1-night trip with former islanders.

Nature activities are not the only things you can do on Hachijojima. The small island also has a unique culture. A typical example is the yellow Hachijo .

Ki-hachijo" is one of the three most popular silk fabrics in Japan, and is made of three colors: yellow, birch, and black. It is said to have been woven since the Heian period (794-1192), more than 800 years ago, and was once paid to the shogunate in lieu of annual tribute.

The most distinctive feature is the dyeing. Using plants from the island, the yellow is dyed with Hachijo kariyasu (kobuna grass), the birch color with madami (tabac tree) bark, and the black color with vertebrate tree bark and swamp dipping.

Although there used to be 200 weavers, there are now only about 50 weavers. At Hachijo Folk Crafts Yamashita, visitors can try their hand at weaving yellow Hachijo fabric.

My grandmother also has a yellow Hachijo kimono. When I lived on Hachijojima, I wasn't interested in it at all, but now that I'm an adult, I'm interested in this kind of thing."

KOZAKANA-kun rhythmically weaves the kirohachijo pattern after receiving a lecture from a teacher with more than 15 years of experience as a craftsman. With the artisan's call, "Thread it, change feet, thread it, step on it," KOZAKANA-kun steps on the foot pedal, threads the yarn, and the yellow hachijo pattern is created.

After 50 minutes, the 15-centimeter-square yellow hachijo was completed and will be shipped in two weeks. The craftsman's general comment was, "It was a bit messy, but it was challenging (laughs).

The next stop was the Mingei Aki main store, which has the largest lineup of souvenirs on the island. . A popular store with a branch at the airport as well.

KOZAKANA says, "I always buy souvenirs of Hachijo here," and there are three things he always buys. . They are passion fruit juice, yellow Hachijo sable, and Hingya salt.

Hachijo is also famous for its passion fruit, and I always buy the retro packaged passion juice. . You can add soda to it or mix it with alcohol. And the yellow Hachijo sable, which is a specialty of Hachijo Island, has a delicious, buttery flavor. Hingya salt is a specialty of Aogashima, with rough grains and a rich flavor, and I eat it on all kinds of things.

In addition, the restaurant offers a wide variety of fish from nearby waters, as well as shochu from Hachijo Island, such as "Emotion Island" and "Shimanagashi" shochu. There are also souvenirs made from Hachijo's unique kusa and ashitaba seaweed, as well as souvenir T-shirts. Stickers are also available.

KOZAKANA suggested, "Let's go see the sunset. According to him, the sunset on Hachijo-jima is spectacular. As the name suggests, Sunset Hill is the best spot on Hachijo-jima where the sunset can be seen. The time is 18:00, the sun turns bright red, colors the clouds, and sets over Hachijo Kojima.

Isn't it "insanely beautiful? When I lived here, I used to come here often with my grandfather. (pausing for a moment) "The city center is fun, but I prefer to be in nature. Someday I would like to come back here and run a guesthouse or something.

The sunset seen at this place, where many locals gather, has a mysterious power that is not exaggerated. Just as you can talk about anything in front of a bonfire, watching the sun go down at Sunset Hill makes you toboggan your true feelings. Incidentally, even if you visit during the daytime, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Hachijo blue (so called because the sea of Hachijojima is dark blue), and if you are lucky, you can even see whales and dolphins with the naked eye.