Sado Island: Toki no Mori and the Japanese Crested Ibis
Sado Island is working hard to breed the toki, Japan's national bird. At Toki no Mori Park, I watched the ibis busily on the move.
Chubu & Hokuriku
Central Japan: the Japan Alps, the Hokuriku coast, and Koshinetsu
Sado Island: The Sado Gold Mine and Sushi Minshuku Nagahamaso
On Sado Island, after the Sado Gold Mine, now a World Heritage Site, I stayed at a so-called sushi minshuku. A lavish crab, two meals, a night: just over ¥10,000. The futons are a bit thin, but dinner is superb.
Sado Island: A Walk Through Shukunegi Village
A stroll through Shukunegi on Sado Island, a former kitamaebune port where wealthy ship captains once lived, and their grand wooden houses still stand.
Sado Island: Riding a Tub Boat
I rode a tub boat in Shukunegi village on Sado Island. Called hangiri, after the halved barrel it's made from, it moves on one oar swung side to side rather than back and forth, and is unique to Sado in Japan.
Sado Island: A Night in a Ship Captain's House Over 100 Years Old
Niigata's Sado Island, known for tub boats and the wooden hamlet of Shukunegi: a ferry from Niigata Port, a rental car, and a night at Isaburo, a traditional wooden house over 100 years old.