Sarushima

photo by menma1/2 · CC BY 3.0

photo by ブルーノ・プラス · CC BY 4.0

A late nineteenth-century brick fortress, closed to the public until the end of the war.

It is the only natural island in Tokyo Bay, a one-and-a-half-kilometre ferry crossing from Yokosuka port. It was fortified in the late nineteenth century as one of the first batteries of the bay's coastal defences, using Western military engineering techniques: brick tunnels connect the gun emplacements, and an electrical plant from 1888–90, built entirely of brick, is still standing. Until the end of the Second World War civilians were not allowed on the island; today you can walk freely among the emplacements, the ammunition stores and the tunnels.

An uninhabited island in Tokyo Bay, turned into a nature park after being a military fortress closed to the public for seventy years; it receives about 80,000 visitors a year.

ℹ️ Ferry from Mikasa pier in Yokosuka, every hour, 9:30–16:30 (until 15:30 from November to February). Island admission plus return ferry: from 1,600 to 2,000 yen for non-residents of Yokosuka (adults).

🚉 猿島桟橋 · 5 min walk

Sources: tabi-mag.jp · committees.jsce.or.jp · sarushima.jp

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