Divers get ready to set off for a swim at Miyake Island on May 1.

Some 300 people, including returning residents, stepped off a ferry from Tokyo on the first day.

Toshihiko Ihara, a 60-year-old angler from Fuchu, western Tokyo, said he had been a frequent visitor to the island before it was evacuated in September 2000 because of volcanic activity.

"I have come to the island for the first time in five years. I'm almost crying."

A helicopter service offering flights over the volcanic crater was launched, as Miyake Village Mayor Sukeyasu Hirano wanted the tourists to see for themselves what has caused the islanders' plight.

Etsuko Asanuma, 83, who returned to the island in February, said she was surprised to see from the helicopter the big trees that had died due to the eruption.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 7, 2005
(C) All rights reserved