Sarushima island is the one and only unpopulated island in Tokyo Bay in Japan. You can go visit this place from Tokyo as a day trip. There are interesting remains of being a fort in past, that you can explore and find. Also swimming, fishing and BBQ are available in Summer!
What is Sarushima island?
History of Sarushima as a Fort
1847 – Edo era, Japanese government decided to construct a fort in Sarushima to prevent any attacks from other countries. In Meiji era, they made a battery there to protect Tokyo bay. From 1941, they made new 5 concrete-made batteries, but after WW2 US took canons from those batteries. These are what we can see today. It was controlled by US til 1961.
As it was a fort, only military people were in the island. No permission to entry for other people. That’s one of reasons that there are still a lot of remains without being broken.
Castle in the Sky
Do you know the Ghibli movie “Castle in the sky”? People say this place reminds them of “castle in the sky”. What would you say? 😊
How to access to Sarushima
First, you need to get Mikasa Park where is 15 mins of walking from Yokosuka Station, Kanagawa. And then you can take a boat for 10 mins from the park.
For your information, it takes around 1 hour to get Yokosuka station from Shibuya or Shinjuku station,.
Ferry : Ticket Price
- Adult : 1400 yen
- Kids (Elementary) : 700 yen
Ferry Schedule
March – October 9:30～17:00
November – February 9:30～16:00
*as of Dec 2021.
I strongly recommend you to check the time schedule coming back to Mikasa park as soon as you arrive there to plan well.
Things To Do in Sarushima island
Swimming
You can go play in the ocean around Sarushima from the middle of July to the end of August! There are lockers, shower room (no hot water) and changing room. (additional fee)
Fishing
It’s also a good idea to do fishing if you like it! They have some rental services for fishing, so check it if you are interested in.
BBQ
In summer, you can enjoy BBQ there. You can make a reservation to rent tools, since you can not bring your own charcoals and grill (stove). Check the official website for more info.
Exploring
As I mentioned earlier, there are still many remains from when it was a fort. Let’s see what you can find in this island. *following below.
What to See
Power plant
The power plant in Sarushima island was built in 1893-1895. I was amazed that it’s still working!
Bricklaying tunnel
This French style bricklaying tunnel (it’s the way to be called) is very rare in Japan. Most of them were destroyed already, because it’s the old way to do before starting using British way (this is also how people call it). This is one of only 4 left in Japan.
It is called “love tunnel” – if you go through this tunnel with someone you like, you can be in a relationship with that person. The reason why people would say that is you can stick together in the dark. Some people are very romantic 😉
Remains of Barrier
As you walk through, you will find some remains of barrier. It’s interesting for me to see that those are still here.
Observation
It’s not a fancy observation, just a place to look over the island.
Hotel to Stay in Sarushima
There is NO hotels in Sarushima, because no one can stay overnight in this island.
Noted – before going to Sarushima
Unable
– to bring framable stuff.
– to bring your pets.
– to stay there overnight.
For more information, official website
