Sarushima Island, the only uninhabited island in Tokyo Bay
Sarushima Island is an uninhabited island, and the only natural island in Tokyo Bay.
It takes about 10 minutes by ferryboat from Mikasa Pier, which is adjacent to Mikasa Park, to go to this popular tourist spot.
There, you can enjoy outdoor activities including swimming, barbecue, and fishing.
You can walk all the way around the island in about an hour.
The ferryboat can accommodate about 200 people, and it operates daily every hour.
There are sofa seats and deck seats on the ferryboats.
We recommend going out to the deck to enjoy the scenery when the weather is nice.
Sarushima Island means monkey (saru) island (shima).
Many people might think, "Are there monkeys on Sarushima Island?" Unfortunately, there are no monkeys.
So, how did it get the name "Sarushima Island"?
Its origin dates back to a legend from the Kamakura period (1185–1333).
When Nichiren Shonin, the founder of the Nichiren sect, tried to cross the sea from Boso (Chiba prefecture) to Kamakura (Kanagawa prefecture) by boat for missionary work, there was a storm and the boat almost got wrecked.
Then, a white monkey appeared and led them to this island.
It is said that the island was named "Sarushima Island" due to this legend.