MIYAKE ISLAND -- More than 300 people returned to their homes here Tuesday for the first time since being forced to evacuate a year ago due to worsening volcanic activity.

Innkeeper Masayoshi Inuma searches his business for a client address book during a visit to Miyake Island.

While some 70 islanders whose properties were severely damaged in mudslides were allowed to inspect their homes in July, the visit Tuesday visit marked the first time the general population was granted a temporary visit.

Returning home has been the wish of all 3,700 residents, who left the island in a panic. However, many of those returning this week were at a loss when faced with the mess their places had become during their one-year absence.

The half-day visits, originally scheduled to begin last week, were postponed due to approaching typhoons. Tuesday's group was the first of about 1,700 villagers -- one from each household -- who were to make a trip to the island, located some 180 km south of Tokyo, through early next month.

The group of 351 islanders boarded a chartered ferry Monday night at Takeshiba Wharf in Minato Ward, Tokyo, and arrived the following morning. They were taken by 10 buses to their homes, where they were able to spend a couple of hours. Many brought cans of grease for rusty locks as well as insecticide and mothballs for bug- infested rooms.

"I could not open the back door, it was too rusty," said Itoko Shimazawa, 58, from the island's Izu district. "I was surprised at the horrible smell and dust everywhere."

The tatami mats in her living room were swollen out of shape by the dampness.

"I have to change them, we cannot use them now," she said.

While many of the houses on the island were not directly damaged by Mount Oyama's volcanic activity, they have fallen into disrepair over the past year. Upon seeing the extent of the mess, many villagers immediately abandoned their housecleaning plans.

"I know I have to tidy up a little before we leave today, but first I'd better pack what I should bring back," Shimazawa said over breakfast. "I was really shocked by the terrible situation, but I cannot abandon this house."

Shimazawa was hospitalized for two months last fall for eye- and lung-related diseases caused by the volcanic ash.

With greenery once again returning, the island appears habitable -- but only on the surface. The infrastructure remains down, including power and running water. Visitors had to search their homes by flashlight and were unable to use vacuum cleaners to remove the layers of volcanic ash covering everything. Some who visited the cemetery resorted to canned tea to clean tombstones.

It was not a visit without danger. All visitors were equipped with gas masks, and officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were on hand in case any emergencies arose. Village officials were watching the wind direction, ready to evacuate the visitors if it changed.

"This is what I wanted," said Masayoshi Iinuma, 59, holding a book listing the names and addresses of the clients at his inn in the Okubo district. "Even while I am away from the island during the evacuation, I want to keep contact with my patrons."

Iinuma said rats or weasels had apparently played havoc with the inn's kitchen, while food left on the tables in the evacuation had rotted away beyond recognition.

While Mount Oyama's volcanic activity has decreased since the beginning of the year, the mountain continues to spew up to 20,000 tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere each day, hampering efforts to carry out repair work.

Meanwhile, the 200 workers commuting to Miyake from Kozu Island to restore the infrastructure can only work during the day, according to Miyake municipal officials.

The volcanic activity has caused the wharf at Tsubota port on the island's south coast to sink by some 70 cm, and mudslides have destroyed sections of road across the island.

No one is sure how much it will cost to restore the island. During a July 13 news conference, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said, "My guess is it will cost around 100 billion yen."

Also unknown is when the islanders can return home. "Even if the volcanic gas stops today, it will take at least six months to prepare for their return," said Sukeyasu Hirano, a village official in charge of reconstruction.

Left deserted for over a year, the island's homes have been at the mercy of not only nature but also man.

According to Miyake police, currently in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, 31 houses have been burglarized. A further 39 households suffered extensive damage from mudslides.

However, it remains uncertain whether the islanders will receive public assistance. Hikokazu Okuyama, 65, who heads a group of homeowners whose properties were damaged by mudslides, expressed his frustration at attempts to negotiate with authorities.

"It's unfair that we have to shoulder the cost of damage done while we were away," he said. "We were forced off the island at the direction of the authorities, and we could not protect our houses even if we had wanted to."