- Ah cool, look at this hangar.

Look at these little baby planes.

(speaking in foreign language)

- This is like, the kind of plane

that usually like...

- Goes to Alaska?

- No I was gonna say crashes.

I was really tired cause we got up at like 5 a.m.,

but now that I've seen the plane I'm like.

This is so cool.

It's gonna be fun.

(speaking foreign language)

With it's deep valleys, subtropical climate,

active volcanoes and natural hot springs,

Japan's southwest island of Kyushu,

is a fiery force of nature.

With some of the most breathtaking scenery in Japan.

Come with Tatsu and I as we travel across the island,

making new discoveries,

and visiting some old favorites along the way.

(relaxing music)

Today, Tatsu and I are heading to Iwojima,

off the coast of Kagoshima prefecture.

There are only two ferries a week connecting Iwojima,

to the rest of Kyushu.

So if you're visiting any other day,

the only way to get there, is by private plane.

It is home to Iodake, a currently active volcano,

that emits sulfur dioxide.

"Io" in Japanese means sulfur.

Thus the name "sulfur island".

There are actually a few sulfur islands in Japan,

so just to clarify, this is not the Iwojima

that was captured by the U.S. during the second World War.

Bye.

Bye.

(laughs)

Tatsu and I were just about to cross the road,

and we saw this guy and we both just screamed,

and freaked out. (speaks foreign language)

Bye.

(upbeat music)

How is it Tatsu?

- Oh wow, I was just. Holy, Oh!

(speaking foreign language)

Look at these. (speaking foreign language)

- This is very beautiful. (speaking foreign language)

- Ah, perfect.

- Awesome so we'll just park here.

And let's take some photos.

- Let's do it.

(yells)

- This is how Tatsu get's when he sees beautiful scenery.

(laughs)

- I can't pull out my seatbelt.

- I guess you're stuck here.

Oh my God.

(relaxing music)

Iwojima is a registered Geopark,

and the typical tourists who make the voyage,

all the way out here are generally the types,

that can appreciate this kind of natural,

untouched wild beauty.

Google Map is taking us through some weird back road.

(laughs)

So because it's an island the weather changes,

often very suddenly, without warning.

It just started raining, but hopefully the rain's not gonna,

continue for the rest of the day.

But we've just arrived at the famous hot springs,

on the island, and I thought it would be like a facility,

with like a parking lot, but it's not, this is it.

We've got our rental van parked right here,

and I think it's just right over there.

(relaxing music)

(cheers)

- Yes you can.

Just gotta be fast.

(laughs)

Oh god, oh god.

(speaks foreign language)

So Tatsu is shooting the hot spring,

we've been keeping an eye on it,

to see of the waves are coming anywhere near it.

And they do get pretty high,

but they don't exactly envelop this one,

so we might have a chance to hop in there.

Oh no!

Oh he's fine. (laughs)

So I'm standing by.

Outside.

Naked, like it ain't no thing.

You might be asking yourself,

"like jeez isn't this incredibly awkward?"

Yeah.

(bright cheerful music)

Located at the base of the volcano,

these hot springs can get as hot as 50 degrees Celsius,

or 122 degrees Fahrenheit at the source.

Thankfully though, the splashing waves

help cool the pools down to a comfortable temperature.

But I mean this is exhilarating.

Would you rate this as a must-see location in Japan?

- I would say this is, a hidden place.

- This is something you should try once in your life.

I feel like when it comes to "onsen",

we are in our most natural state.

We're in a totally natural hot spring,

right in front of the natural ocean.

Which is unpredictable and wild, and a little bit scary.

And we're standing here, I'm standing here, naked,

which is also wild, and a little bit scary.

But you know it's a good experience.

I'm glad we did it.

- I don't want to say, but this is awesome.

Awesome. - Awesome.

- Awesome. - Awesome!

- My vocabulary awesome!

In the 1960's, at its peak, Iwojima was a mining town,

and it had around 600 residents.

In the 70's, Yamaha opened a resort on the island,

and imported peacocks to the facility.

The resort went bankrupt, the mine closed,

and the population fell to just over 100 people.

But the peacocks went on to inhabit the island,

where they run wild, even today.

I should also mention, there aren't any hotels,

or restaurants on the island either.

But this is a great oppurtunity

to stay in a locally owned guest house instead.

Besides, unless you've brought your own food,

it's the only way to make sure

that you get to eat every single day.

(speaking foreign language)

- And we've got some (speaking foreign language).

And some (speaking foreign language),

stewed fish with some (speaking foreign language) I think,

and then we got some fried fish over here,

this is really cool.

I love eating at other people's houses,

cause then you get to see what they would serve and stuff.

- It's actually like super good.

- I know, I'm really excited.

Because it's so hard to bring food to the island,

you really appreciate having a warm meal to go home,

or wake up to, and chatting with the guest house mama,

is always a treat too.

(speaking foreign language)

On this day, a typhoon is approaching the island,

and this ferry is the last ferry,

until the typhoon is passed.

Residents are drawn to the port

to say goodbye to the visitors.

And the resident western African percussionist group,

comes to welcome the incoming ship,

with a mix of percussion and dance.

(beating drums)

(speaking foreign language)

And just like that,

it's time for us to head back to the main island.

(speaking foreign language)

This ferry is pretty big.

And thankfully it has several rooms,

for passengers to rest and relax in,

during the long journey back to Kagoshima.

This is really comfortable.

So the ferry's gonna take four hours,

for us to get to Kagoshima,

so we won't get in until 8 p.m. tonight.

So I'm glad that there's beds and blankets,

so I can just take a nap.

So how about you?

Would you like to visit a place like Iwojima?

Let me know in the comments.

And if you wanna see more of this type of video.

Please show your support by liking, subscribing,

and sharing with your friends.

If you want to see more of Tatsu's work,

make sure you follow his YouTube channel, and his Instagram.

Thanks so much for watching.

Bye!

(lively music)