I visited Iojima island in August, a few weeks after moving to Nagasaki from the UK. Another new teacher and I had been given a surprise day off school, so we decided to explore the wilder parts of our new city. The island lies just out of the bay of Nagasaki, only about 20 minutes by ferry from the terminal near Dejima – which, luckily for me, is very close to my new apartment. There is also a bus which goes from central Nagasaki to Iojima, but I think the ferry is much more romantic! It is only small, and so you are quite low down in the water when you sail through the mountainous mouth of the bay and underneath the enormous bridge, with the pretty Dejima wharf on one side and the colossal Mitsubishi factory on the other. As we sailed away from the city, it felt like the first big adventure of my time in Japan – the island is just far enough away that the city is eclipsed by mountains, and the little Tori shrine we passed underneath the bridge made it even more magical.

When we arrived at the island we experienced something I am now used to – the extreme kindness of Japanese people. After stumbling into the café by the port and attempting to ask where the onsen was, the very kind waitress led us to a nearby path, adorned with Classical columns and thick, springy grass. Having not quite become accustomed to the Japanese heat (I’m not sure that will ever happen!) we went straight inside the resort which runs along the island coastline, and into the amazing Yasuragi onsen. A covered path runs alongside the first taste of the onsen to come: a natural hot spring footbath. We ducked under the linen curtain at the entrance and left our shoes in the lockers. After a chat in bad Japanese with the lady in charge, we established that, as usual in Japan, we needed to pay for our bath at a vending machine. The ¥730 option gets you entrance into the onsen and a small towel to take in with you – if you would like a bigger towel for drying off then you can buy an extra ticket from the machine.

Once inside the changing rooms (and checking that it was separate from the boys!) we left our clothes in big wicker baskets and headed through the glass doors. I was completely stunned by what I saw – the cozy onsen holds three large pools, one an enormous wooden tub raised up in the centre of the room, and the other two sunken stone baths in the floor. But what I hadn’t realised was that there is also an outside space – a kind of veranda with a sunken stone bath and deep copper tubs, just big enough for one. As the onsen is right on the coastline of the island, the view of the sea and the faraway mountains was incredible. A dried grass curtain hangs between you and the view, but as the bath is right on the edge, you are in the perfect position for voyeurism without the danger of anyone seeing you! First we washed at the sinks by the door, sitting on little wooden stools, before trying the indoor onsens, which were incredibly hot, especially for August! But sitting in a copper pot, stewing at a ridiculous temperature and staring at the still sea and hazy blue-grey mountains – that was just what I wanted from my Japan experience! The water almost brings on hallucinations it is so hot, but then again maybe that was the excitement of being in such a surreal place. We felt so relaxed and sleepy afterwards, and my skin always feels amazing. Also somehow great to be naked with a new friend – it was good bonding time! – and something we just don’t encounter at home.

We went back to the strange pillared courtyard we had passed before, and ventured inside one of the largest, seemingly deserted buildings – but it had a glass case outside with banquet-style plastic food in, so it must have something for us. The corridor was almost like a hotel, with marble floors and Moroccan lamps hanging from the ceiling. In the massive dining room we were welcomed by many waiters, and apart from one family we were the only guests. We sat down at an enormous banquet table by the window, with beautiful views of the Roman-style terrace and the sea framed by palm trees. We tried the traditional Nagasaki dishes Chanpon and Sara Udon – similar to Chanpon, but with the crispy noodles fried in oil instead of a ramen-style broth. We ordered red wine and beer, making it a very decadent Monday. When we had finished our meal we went into the gift shop, where my friend excitedly spotted ice cream. Except that this ice cream came with an unusual topping – olive oil. She ordered two before I had the chance to refuse, and I have to say I have never seen anyone put that much olive oil into anything before – he just turned the bottle upside down over the vanilla ice cream in its pot, for what seemed like waayyy too long! We sat outside on the veranda where there was a large party having an amazing-looking Japanese barbecue. After my initial hesitation, the olive ice was actually delicious – you could feel the calories in your bloodstream.

Next we decided to explore a little more of the island before the last ferry, and in our post-onsen daze walked over the garden at the back of the restaurant and down towards the concrete path by the sea wall. Following this round, we eventually came across a tiny beach which was nearly deserted – our own tiny private island in Kyushu. As it was coming to the end of the summer season (Japanese people do not swim in the sea after the O-bon festival) and because we were slightly afraid of any possible jellyfish, we just had a paddle in the sea and collected shells on the shoreline. The sand is soft and golden but some shells haven’t quite been overturned enough by the sea, so there is a little bit of coral shingle on the beach.

We sat on the beach and attempted drawing the view – the light in Japan is just so different to anywhere else I’ve been. It has a kind of hazy coloured quality but also a clear sharpness which seems to soften the landscape while at the same time making the surreal beauty more immediate. It felt strange to be going back to a structured new job the next day, after a lazy day of relaxing in a tropical paradise, but I knew then that I’d made a good decision moving to Japan. If this is what’s on my doorstep, then imagine what else there is to see here!

As the sun was setting and the sky was turning pink, we ambled back to the port, sad to be leaving but vowing next time to take a trip on the penguin boat we saw moored in the bay. And since it’s so close to home, we can try the onsen in every season!