Off the coast of Niigata is a melting pot of cultures from around Japan called Sado Island. You can only get to the remote island by boat, but the ride rewards you with diverse natural landscapes, food, and festivals. Here’s how to explore it as an overnight trip.
This two-day itinerary is based on our experience on Sado Island. But because of its remote location and the cost of getting there, we recommend staying a few more nights if you can, to take it all in.
Also read: The Heritage of Sado — Japan’s Golden Isle of Exile.
How to get to Sado Island
Niigata Port to Ryotsu Port¥7,050 (one-way)
1 hour 7 minutes
There are two ways to get to Sado Island from Niigata: The car ferry (2.5 hours) or the jetfoil (1 hour and 7 minutes).
If you use the jetfoil departing from the Niigata Ferry Terminal, you will arrive at Ryotsu Port. You can easily rent a car from there.
Pro tip: Public transport on the island is lacking, so you definitely need to hire a car at Ryotsu Port. Or bring your own car on the ferry to explore properly.
Day 1: Ships, drums, and demons in Shukunegi
Get a feel for the island with a light stroll and some local culture.
Shukunegi town
An hour’s drive from Ryotsu Port is the quaint town of Shukunegi. This is where many shipwrights and freight vessel masters of the island used to live.
Shukunegi is a great place to walk around and enjoy the traditional architecture, as many of the buildings here have either been preserved or restored to their scenic state. There are even a few residences that you can enter, like the Seikuro Residence and Kanekoya Residence. These are open for guests between 9:00 am — 4:00 pm from April to November, for ¥400 per person.
Another noteworthy spot is the Sankakuya (Triangle House), which you can enter for ¥300. We found this one particularly interesting, as it was built in the shape of a triangle to fit between the narrow alleyways.
Taira bune tub-boat rides
Something we really enjoyed about this area was being able to take a tub boat out onto the blue waters at the town’s edge. There are two places to do it, one near the Shukunegi Townscape Information Center and the other a 5-minute drive away. The first location has different prices throughout the day and evening, ranging from ¥1,000—¥3,700 for different lengths of time. The other has the classic red bridge — good for pictures — and starts at ¥700 per person for 30 minutes.
These tub boats were traditionally used by women to collect seafood like abalone and seaweed. The round shape made them easier to move into tight spaces. Riding one for yourself is quite different from any other kind of boat. We even tried using the paddle ourselves — it was really hard! We left with immense respect for the golden-oldie drivers.
Onidaiko and taiko experience
In Japanese, oni means demon, and taiko is a traditional type of drum. Those two things combine to make Onidaiko. It’s a traditional dance where the performers wear oni masks, and others play the taiko drum.
According to local folklore, the demons are friendly deities who capture evil spirits. You can see the dance on many different occasions, particularly in April, to pray for the year’s good harvest. Around 126 villages on Sado Island have their own onidaiko groups with unique styles. However, they can be broadly categorized into five main styles.
With these performances happening throughout the year for different festivals, you might catch a performance on your trip. Otherwise, you can book a taiko workshop at the Sado Island Taiko Centre (12-minute drive from Shukunegi) to ensure an up-close experience.
Day 2: Gold, sake, and rice fields in northern Sado
Now that you’ve got the lay of the land, dig a little deeper into Sado’s history and try some of the local delights.
Sado Island Gold Mine
On the island’s northern half is the former Sado Island Gold Mine. It ran for almost 400 years, and was Japan’s biggest gold and silver mine.
It’s worth noting that the gold mines have a dark history, as it is believed that Korean laborers were forced to extract copper from the mines during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea. Although there is little-to-no reference to this in the exhibit itself, there is still a lot of information about the years prior. So, if you’re interested in the gold mine’s control under the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo Period and how it then thrived, there’s plenty to learn.
To learn more about that history, visit the Kirarium Sado Gold Mine museum first. There, you’ll find videos in Japanese with English subtitles. They show how the gold mine and other gold and silver sites on Sado were managed throughout their 400-year history. You can also see a large-scale “Sado Koban,” the gold coin dating back to the Edo period.
After getting some context, you can tour the mine itself. You’ll walk through the tunnels and learn about the mining techniques through English descriptions. Don’t be surprised by the animatronics reenacting working in the mines.
A local lunch
While you’re on the island, trying out some local specialties is a good idea. Sado Island is mainly known for its fresh seafood (unsurprisingly). We recommend trying something like kaisendon (sashimi over a bowl of rice), or seafood tempura for lunch.
Two of our restaurant recommendations are Nagahama-so and Sado Udon Aoi. Nagahama-so has beautiful ocean views and fresh seafood. Sado Udon Aoi offers seafood tempura and udon noodles made with seagrass.
Gakkogura Obata Shuzo sake brewery
About a 40-minute drive from the Sado Gold Mine is the sustainability-focused sake brewery, Gakkogura Obata Shuzo. The brewery is located in a repurposed former school and offers tours and tasting courses by reservation. The tour and sake tasting is ¥12,000 for up to four people, where you can try around six different types.
The brewery prides itself in using ingredients from Sado Island. That includes Sado Aida rice, a type of rice cultivated using a special oyster shell farming method to provide nutrient-rich soil. The brewery is committed to sustainability and the conservation of Sado’s biodiversity. If you’re interested in the process, you can join a week-long sake brewing experience to stay on the island and learn all about it.
Pro tip: If you want to drink but don’t have a designated driver, you can use a daikō service, where someone will come out to drive your car with you inside to your destination (requires Japanese).
Rice fields and the crested ibis
On the way back to Ryotsu Port, keep an eye out for the crested ibis, known as toki in Japanese. These striking white and red birds are a Sado conservation success story. They were facing extinction but were reintroduced to the island. Now, there are hundreds of crested ibis around Sado Island. Many Sado folks take pride in that fact, too.
A good way to experience the wonders of the crested ibis is to visit the Toki to Kurasu Sato rice art field and its crested ibis designs (seasonal). Or, you can drive along Toki Road, where the birds are known to hang out.
Where to stay on Sado Island
There is a good selection of places to stay on Sado Island, but we recommend the swanky Hotel Oosado.
During our stay there, we had a traditional Japanese room with kaiseki dinner and buffet breakfast (Western and Japanese options). It has both indoor and outdoor public hot-spring baths, and an infinity pool. This is all alongside nightly performances in the lobby, including traditional Sado Island dances.
While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change.
