A new multilingual booking system for package tours to the Izu Islands, Tokyo's remote islands, called Tokyo Islands Explorer, officially launches on Thursday, July 9, 2026, as part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Tokyo Treasure Island Challenge Project." (URL: explorer.tokyoislands.jp)
The service lets travelers book accommodation, transportation, and on-island activities together in one place. It brings together what had been separate multilingual booking channels, with the aim of letting inbound visitors handle everything from trip planning to booking to the on-site experience in one consistent flow.
Alongside selling travel packages, the system also offers multilingual support and inbound-readiness assistance to businesses on the islands, helping build up the acceptance environment across the Izu Islands as a whole.
The service currently supports English, with plans to expand into Traditional Chinese and other languages going forward.
Services
For Inbound Travelers
Tokyo Islands Explorer covers all nine of the Izu Islands off Tokyo, offering a multilingual booking system for travel products and experiences. Main features include:
- Package deals combining accommodation with transportation to the islands
- Booking arrangements for on-island activities such as diving and trekking
- Planning and sales of tours designed for inbound visitors
- Multilingual booking support and itinerary guidance
Support for Island Businesses
Tokyo Islands Explorer also supports island businesses that welcome inbound visitors. Main areas of support include:
- Designing operations for accepting foreign visitors
- Multilingual support
- Measures to address the off-season and generate demand
- Reducing the booking and customer-service workload that comes with multilingual support
About the Website
Drawing on more than a decade of experience running Tokyo Islands, an inbound-focused tourism media covering the Izu Islands, Tokyo Islands Explorer sells package tours in partnership with transportation operators such as Tokai Kisen and island businesses.
Travelers can book accommodation and transportation to the islands together in a single booking, with advance payment by credit card also supported. Activities and original tours are planned for the future, with the aim of making travel in the islands more accessible for both domestic and international visitors.
Future Plans
Expanding Coverage
The service area is being rolled out in stages. For fiscal year 2026, package sales will focus on Oshima, Toshima, Niijima, Shikinejima, and Kozushima, with Hachijojima, Miyakejima, Mikurajima, and Aogashima to follow.
Traditional Chinese Support
Beyond English, information and booking support in other languages is planned, including the launch of a Traditional Chinese version of the service.
Support for Island Businesses
To ease the check-in workload for island businesses welcoming inbound visitors, multilingual guidance materials and QR-code-based explanation tools are also planned.
Original Tours
Fully original tours are in development as well, with an announcement planned for the second half of 2026.
Background: Inbound Tourism in the Izu Islands
One of the main ways to reach the Izu Islands is by boat from Takeshiba (Hamamatsucho) in Tokyo's Minato Ward. Despite being relatively easy to reach from central Tokyo, the islands remain little known among inbound visitors and have not yet become a common choice as a travel destination.
Tokyo Islands, an inbound-focused tourism media covering the islands, launched in 2014. From 2016, work also began on building and running a multilingual ferry ticket booking system for Tokai Kisen, as part of an effort to make the Izu Islands easier for inbound visitors to reach.
Over more than a decade of content and social media work, more than 2,000 non-Japanese-speaking visitors had been sent to the Izu Islands by 2025, though fragmented information and booking channels and uneven multilingual support remained challenges.
To address these challenges, the operator applied for and was selected for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government General Affairs Bureau's fiscal year 2025 "Tokyo Treasure Island Challenge Project." Through this project, the aim is to connect information, booking, and experience, raising the brand value of the Izu Islands and expanding tourism demand.
The Appeal of the Izu Islands for Inbound Visitors
The Izu Islands are as little as 30 minutes from central Tokyo by plane, yet are shaped by volcanic activity into dramatic terrain, with rich nature and a distinct culture on each island.
Coastlines formed by volcanic terrain, clear seas, and forests shaped over long years give the islands a natural environment hard to find in the city, alongside a way of life tied closely to nature, from local food culture to camellia oil and traditional weaving. Visitors can enjoy diving, trekking, and snorkeling, as well as camellia oil making and other traditional cultural experiences.
Related Links
Tokyo Islands: https://tokyoislands.jp/
Tokyo Islands Explorer: https://explorer.tokyoislands.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokyo_secret_islands/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tokyosecretislands
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tokyo_islands/
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@tokyo_secret_islands
X (Japanese): https://x.com/islands_tokyo
Tokyo Islands Explorer official video: https://youtu.be/URHAHye636s
Tokyo Islands Travel Guide video: https://youtu.be/qmD0AI0Soxg
