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Being a super power, much is talked about Japan, its geography, people, culture, tourism, their hard work, toil, and so on. Yet not all is known, because still not many people are aware of the Aogashima tropical islands of Japan where some people still prefer to live within the crater of a volcano. The Aogashima volcanic island is located on the Philippine Sea and though situated at a distance of 358 kilometres from the capital of the country; the administrative powers of the island still lie with Tokyo.

One of the specialities of the Aogashima volcanic island is its low and gradually lowering population which makes it as one of the isolated inhabited islands of the Izu archipelago. In the current times, about 200 brave family stay on the island braving the uncertainties of nature and circumstances. Amongst its other specialities is certainly its structure which is made up of one big volcanic crater within which is situated another small volcano. Though the Aogashima volcano last erupted in 1780s, it is still known to be a Class C active volcano.

Emerging from the sea the height of the bigger rim is about 200 to 420 metres above the sea. It is known that the formation of the island is the result of the overlap of four calderas under the sea. On the rim of the bigger crater there is a high peak which is the highest point of the island as well, called the Otonbu which is located at a height of 423 metres above the sea. From here one can get a glimpse of the entire volcanic island.

As reaching the volcanic island of Aogashima is not very easy and neither does it have too many attractions, which is why the tourist inflow to this part of the world is also low. The only two ways of reaching the island is either by a boat or helicopters of the Tokyo Island Shuttle Service which started in the year 1993. Both the options are available from the nearest island whose distance is 60kms from Aogashima. While the frequency of both the services is very uncertain as the visibility to the island is often poor, there are also limitations in carrying people through the helicopters specially.

The island of Aogashima being one of the smallest villages of Japan also does not often too many options of leisure and entertainment. The only thing which you can expect to do is to enjoy the calm and serene tropical environment. In the centre of the island is a geothermal sauna which people use as a free source of gas to cook. It is because of this that Aogashima can offer steamed vegetables, potatoes, or eggs as their culinary specialities. Whatever small numbers of people visit the location enjoy the place for having a sauna or hot bath.

Already the population of Aogashima is going down and before it gets totally forgotten, the place, being a wonder in itself, is uncertainly worth a visit.