West Hachijō

West of Hachijōjima lies the smaller volcanic island of Hachijō-kojima, amid waters influenced by the warm Kuroshio. The islands' distance from the main Japanese coast made the crossing difficult, yet people lived and worked here for centuries. On Hachijōjima, silk cloth known as kihachijō was paid as tribute in place of rice during the Edo period, when food shortages were a recurring hardship.