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Senkakuwan Bay
Five small bays stretching about 3km from Himezu to Kitaebisu are called Senkakuwan as a whole. Resembling to the beautiful steep rocks (峡尖) in Japanese) of Hardangerfjord in Norway, the bay was named Senkakuwan (尖閣湾). A series of steep cliffs like 30-meter steeples overwhelm visitors. The surrounding area is a marine park. From the viewing deck at Ageshima Yuen, you can view over the entire bay, and you can enjoy the view from different angles aboard a pleasure boat.
Aikawa area -
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Shiozu no Sato
Shiozu no Sato stands on open ground in the heights overlooking Mano Bay. It has a spacious front garden where you can enjoy camping or a barbecue, and is ideal for school trips, sports training camps, and other excursions. In addition, Shiozu no Sato offers opportunities for a variety of activities on the themes of food and marine leisure, including noroma puppet painting, and stonework, among others. A base for exploration in Sado or relaxation, Shiozu no Sato is accommodation offering hands-on experiences, suitable for a variety of purposes.
Kuninaka area -
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Osado Ishina Natural Cedar Forest
There is a walk path in Ishina natural cedar forest for anyone to enjoy a walk around natural cedar trees at around at 900m up in the mountain. You can get to the entrance of the path by car. Along the 650-meter long path, you can see giant trees, some of which were named "Zogesugi (ivory cedar)", "Hagoromosugi (magic robe cedar)", etc. in competition. The cedar trees were warped by strong winds and in fog, and trees unsuitable for timber remain without being cut down. Some of the trees are over 300 years old.
Aikawa area -
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Obata Shuzo Sake Brewery
Obata Shuzo Sake Brewery, the brewer of "Manotsuru" brand sake, was established in 1892. Obata Shuzo Sake Brewery has won the gold prize a total of ten times at the nation's most respected National New Sake Awards. It was also honoured three times with a prestigious gold medal in the sake category at the world's largest wine competition held in London, the International Wine Challenge, (in 2004, 2007 and 2015). They offer brewery tours and sake tasting as well a selection of sake for sale.
Kuninaka area -
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Obata Shuzo Sake Brewery
Obata Shuzo Sake Brewery, the brewer of "Manotsuru" brand sake, was established in 1892. Obata Shuzo Sake Brewery has won the gold prize a total of ten times at the nation's most respected National New Sake Awards. It was also honoured three times with a prestigious gold medal in the sake category at the world's largest wine competition held in London, the International Wine Challenge, (in 2004, 2007 and 2015). They offer brewery tours and sake tasting as well a selection of sake for sale.
Kuninaka area -
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Omiyage Ichiba Ogiya
Connected with Sado Kisen's Ogi Port Terminal, Ogiya is a shopping centre offering a great selection of Sado specialties. The selection includes sea products, traditional crafts and famous confectionery. The cafe/restaurant offers a wide variety of menu options, such as kamameshi (rice cooked in a pot) with fresh seafood and set meals. Their specialty menu is "kamameshi with squid". The sumptuous dish consists of "Toki to Kurasu Sato", special rice recognised by Sado City, which is cooked in special broth, and colourful toppings of seafood including squid, shrimp and scallops, plus bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms.
Minami Sado area -
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Daizen Shrine
Daizen Shrine sits in a rustic setting resembling the landscape of Asuka in Nara Prefecture. Honma Yamashironokami, the manor's lord, initiated the enshrinement of Suketomo Hino (an exiled court noble) and Daizenbo (an ascetic hermit) together, while Miketsuokami (the god of food) is enshrined at the main building. When Kumawakamaru, the son of Suketomo Hino, came over to Sado to revenge his father's death by execution, Daizenbo helped him escape and was, consequently, executed. This shrine reputedly houses Daizenbo in order to calm his revengeful ghost. Reconstructed in 1846, the Noh stage with its thatched and hipped roof (designated a Niigata Prefecture Tangible Folk Cultural Asset), is one of the four Noh stages in the Kuninaka area where Noh performances were regularly held. It is said to be the oldest Noh stage still in existence in Sado. At present, Noh performances are offered at a festival on the 18th of April; and in June, Noh and Sagi School's Kyogen performances take place.
Kuninaka area -
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Mano Goryo Mausoleum
Mano Goryo Mausoleum is the official cremation mound of Emperor Juntoku. Emperor Juntoku was forced into exile on Sado when he lost the Jokyu Disturbance. After twenty-two years, he passed away in 1242, at the age of forty-six. His body was cremated the following day, and trees of pine and cherry were planted on the site to mark that which is the present-day cremation mound. His ashes were returned to Kyoto the following year. They were buried near the imperial graveyard of his father, Emperor Gotoba. The cremation mound is handled as an imperial mausoleum under the management of the Imperial Household Agency. The nearby Manogu Shrine enshrines Emperor Juntoku.
Kuninaka area -
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Meotoiwa Rocks
Meotoiwa is two gigantic rocks considered to originate from a Japan's creation myth in an ancient book "Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters)". On the right hand side is "husband" rock (22.6 meters high), and on the left hand side is "wife" rock (23.1 meters high). The rocks stands nestling up together, lapped by waves of Nanaura Coast. The rocks are said to bring luck in finding a partner. The surrounding area is spotted with rocky shores, such as Nekoiwa (Cat Rock) and Hokakeiwa (Sailing Rock) , which are, in Sado, said to originate from a Japan's creation myth.
Aikawa area -
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Sea Town Shopping Street
Sea Town Shopping Street is attached to Sado Kisen's Ryotsu Ferry Terminal. Souvenir shops, including Sado Kisen Shoji (0259-27-5673), Ebisu Shoji (0259-27-5007), and Nakamise Kanko (0259-23-3335), are lined up on either side of the street. They offer an extensive variety of Sado souvenirs, such as local sake, seafood, famous confectioneries, crafts, and so on. Yellowtail Curry is served only at Sea Town Shopping Street and enjoys great popularity.
Ryotsu area -
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Exchange Centre Hakuundai
Hakuundai is a lodge-style building standing at about 850 metres above sea level. The viewing terrace offers a stunning panoramic view across Sado, including Ryotsu Bay, Kuninaka Plain and Ogi Peninsula. At the souvenir shop inside the building, you will find Sado specialties, such as "Okesa persimmon butter", "fig jam", and "wild grape wine". Curry over rice with the Island's black Berkshire pork, and soft ice cream made from fresh cream are special menu items at the light meal corner. Hakuundai is closed for winter as Osado Skyline will be closed due to snow.
Kuninaka area -
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Chokokuji Temple
Founded by Kobo Daishi (Kukai) in 807, Chokokuji Temple is an ancient temple which imitates Hasedera Temple in Yamato (present-day Nara Prefecture). The temple is where Zeami paid a visit after landing on Sado Island, and he mentioned the temple in his book Kintosho (Writings of the Golden Isle). The temple is also known as a temple of flowers, including peony. Chokokuji Temple owns a large number of cultural assets which shadow living history, varying from three Eleven-Headed Kannon Statues (National Important Cultural Properties), to statues of Kongo Rikishi (two wrath-filled guardians of the Buddha) made in the Heian Period (10th-12th centuries), as well as Gochido Hall. Within the grounds, there are also three cedar trees and Japanese Umbrella-pine trees, both of which belong to Niigata Prefecture's Natural Monuments.
Kuninaka area -
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Gashima Cinema
Gashima Cinema is located on historical Kyomachi Street, which connects Sado Gold and Silver Mine with the Sado Commissioner's Office. This former residence of the Sado Gold Mine captain, built about 80 years ago, has been converted into a café while maintaining the ambiance of the olden days. A monthly featured film is shown daily, and a monthly book corner provides movie-related books. An old carbon arc film projector, which was once used at an actual movie theatre, is on display. This spot is perfect for a break on a stroll through history, in the old mining town of Aikawa.
Aikawa area -
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Niibo Dam Campsite
Just a 10-minute drive from the Niibo town centre, Niibo Dam Campsite is a free camping area close to the Niibo Dam. 2,000 cherry blossom trees are planted on the outskirts, and you can look out onto the lush forest over the dam. With many tourist attractions such as Toki Forest Park nearby, the location in the heart of Sado is a perfect base for you to explore Sado. Please take your own litter home.
Kuninaka area -
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Sado Nichiren Shonin Daidozo (Huge Bronze Statue)
This bronze statue of Nichiren (founder of the Nichiren School of Buddhism and an exile to Sado) was erected as a result of the concerted contribution of over 3,000 monks and followers all around Japan, and as a part of a celebration for the 750th anniversary since the establishment of the Nichiren School. With Ryotsu Bay as its backdrop, the statue stands facing India, the Buddha's birthplace, at approximately 13 metres high (26 metres including the base). The statue appears with a great dignity well-suited to Sado, which is closely related to Nichiren.
Ryotsu area -
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Fusubemura
Fusubemura is a hands-on learning centre located in Kodomari, with an accommodation available on-site. One cottage contains a dining room, living room and bedrooms for five people, and this is perfect for families and groups of friends. While staying in the spacious centre, you can enjoy making your original pieces of work in workshops including classes for pottery, rag-weaving, bamboo craft, etc. The surrounding natural environment such as Sobama Bathing Beach is also fascinating.
Minami Sado area -
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Sado Gold and Silver Mine Information Center Kirarium Sado
A gateway to the mine, Information Center Kirarium Sado serves as a base for exploring the site. The center will navigate you through the historical value and attractions of the mine in an easy-to-follow manner, using a variety of videos and scroll paintings. The center also utilizes guide maps and apps to provide useful information about the site and to recommend walking routes.
Aikawa area -
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Sawata Fresh Fish Centre Kasuke
Sawata Fresh Fish Centre Kasuke is located on the Sawata bypass. It sells fresh fish from the surrounding sea of Sado, processed products such as dried fish, and other Sado specialties. Founded in 1848, and specialising in fugu processing, Kasuke is the only fishmonger in Sado which produces and supplies the special delicacy, "Fugunoko Kasuzuke". Kasuke also offers nationwide shipping and online shopping. At Fish Restaurant Kasuke next door, you can enjoy dishes prepared from locally sourced fish to your heart's delight.
Kuninaka area -
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Hokusetsu Shuzo Sake Brewery
Hokusetsu Shuzo Sake Brewery was established in 1872. Hokusetsu is a dry, smooth sake, which evokes images of heavy snow in the northern provinces. Committed in their passion to Sado's water, rice, climate and people, Hokusetsu wholeheartedly makes sake which can only be made by Hokusetsu, and explores the various possibilities of sake with sensibilities suited to the times. Sake produced by Hokusetsu is loved at Nobu restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, London, Milan, and Dubai, among others, which attract celebrities from around the world.
Minami Sado area -
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Ushio Shrine
Ushio Shrine is familiar to locals, which is called "Katagami no Tenno-san," (Gozutenno in Katagami). The reconstructed hall of worship is richly embellished with elaborate sculptures depicting swimming carps and a story related to Emperor Juntoku. It reminds us of the skills and techniques of master carpenters and great craftsmen of the time. The shrine was established in 792 by dividing gods, including Okuninushinomikoto (a god of nation-building, farming, etc.), from Izumo Taisha Shrine in Shimane Prefecture and re-enshrining them here. The sacred tree in front of the hall of worship, estimated at 1,000 years of age, is revered as a cedar that brings fertility and easy delivery. The Noh stage with a hip-and-gable tiled roof in front, and a hipped roof in the back, was reconstructed in 1901. It is a Niigata Prefectural Tangible Cultural Asset and it is one of the four Noh stages in the Kuninaka area where Noh performances were regularly held. The shrine has a long track record of Noh performances. It still keeps Noh masks of Okina (an older man with a white beard) and Sanbaso (the black mask of an older man) as the shrine's treasures, both of which are designated Niigata Prefectural Tangible Cultural Assets. Bonfire Noh performances are held in the evening before the annual festival in June.
Kuninaka area -
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Sado Island's Ogi Folk Museum, Sengokubune Exhibition Hall
Sado Island's Ogi Folk Museum is housed in the building of the former Shukunegi Elementary School. This museum exhibits a magnificent collection of over 30,000 folk materials including tools and equipment of fishery in South Sado and shipbuilders, as well as objects closely related to the everyday life of the common people which evoke the retro ambience of the Showa times (1926-1989). The ship on display was restored based on the design drawings of a sengokubune (wooden freight ship), which was built in 1858 in Shukunegi. The museum is adjacent to the Shukunegi village, a designated preservation area for important traditional buildings and architecture.
Minami Sado area -
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Kyomachi Street
Kyomachi Street is a main street that connects Aikawa's gold and silver mines with the Sado Commissioner's Office. Kyomachi Street leads up the hill from Shimokyomachi, where the time bell tower is located, through Nakakyomachi to Kamikyomachi. In the past, many residences of both mine-related workers and merchants used to stand side-by-side on this street. The street itself, studded with narrow alleyways, is a reminder of the haphazard town planning that took place during Aikawa's time of prosperity. A symbolic event of Kyomachi Street, "Yoi-no-mai", is held in early June. Dancers, clad in kimonos of the past, dance to the Aikawa Ondo folk song and accompanying music.
Aikawa area -
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Sado Hangamura Museum
Sado Hangamura Museum exhibits a collection of woodblock prints, which are the crowning achievements of the woodblock engraving movement led by late Shinichi Takahashi, a woodblock-print artist and high school teacher. Approximately 260 pieces, centering around Mr. Takahashi's posthumous works and works by amateur artists living in Sado, are on permanent display. You will encounter a variety of print art, including woodblock, copperplate and silk screen prints. The museum also hosts monthly exhibitions and woodblock print workshops (for a fee). The museum building is housed in the former Aikawa Summary Court, the architecture of which contains traces of the Meiji Period.
Aikawa area -
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Sashu Oyarikan (Aikawa Tourist Exchange Center)
The perfect base for a walking tour, Sashu Oyarikan was established after repairing a historical accommodation named Sashukan, where celebrities, like famous writers, once stayed. Oyari means "take it easy" in the Aikawa dialect. Sashu Oyarikan has a lounge, exhibition rooms and public restrooms on the first floor, so please feel free to visit us. The second floor is designed for simple lodging for students (18-years-old and up) and is available for training camps, study trips and seminars.
Aikawa area -
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Sado Tokusen Ichiba Market
Sado Tokusen Ichiba features almost 100% Sado-produced products, including fresh vegetables, seasonal fruits and mushrooms, marine produce as well as processed products, crafts and souvenirs. Whether you are an inhabitant, a tourist or back home for a visit on Sado, please drop in.
Kuninaka area -
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Konponji Temple
The Sanmaido Hall within the grounds of Konponji Temple is reputed to be the place where Nichiren (a Buddhist monk and the founder of the Nichiren School) had a debate with monks from other schools, and authored Kaimokusho (The Opening of the Eyes). It is one of the sacred places for the Nichiren school, along with Myoshoji Temple in the Sawata area, where Nichiren wrote Kanjinhonzonsho (The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind). Konponji Temple is a temple complex consisting of twenty-nine buildings and halls on an area of approximately 56,200 square metres. Included on the grounds are Soshido Hall (named after its founder) and the Main Hall, constructed and donated by wealthy gold-mining engineers in the Edo Period (1603-1867).
Kuninaka area -
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Henmi Shuzou
This brewery was established around the time of the Meiji Restoration and a small number of its brewers continue to make sake in earnest. The brewers' combined experience, limited dependence on machines and attitudes of utilizing these two aspects when brewing sake, are all based on a natural stance. The irreplaceable water, from a well on the premises, supports this choice sake, called Shinryo. Use of an activated charcoal filter, which usually removes color from the sake, is restrained as much as possible. The strongest selling point of this sake is its“natural” flavor, created by leaving the finished sake as it is. You can take a tour of the brewery, and sample its sake, too.
Kuninaka area -
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Senjojiki
Known as a scenic spot since olden times, Senjojiki is a flat, rocky shore situated on the coast of Shimoaikawa at the northern tip of Aikawa Town Center. The shore is called Senjojiki (literally: a thousand tatami-mats) because of its flat, vast landform. A bridge spans over the sea toward the seawall, and from there, you can see the rolling surf of the Sea of Japan and observe the rocky shore beneath the surface. A popular relaxing spot for locals, people enjoy strolling along the trail when the sea is calm.
Aikawa area -
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Rengebuji Temple
Rengebuji Temple was established by Kukai (Kobo Taishi, who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism) around 806, since Sado is considered to be an unlucky direction from the Imperial Palace. Rengebuji Temple is said to have been built on the order of Emperor Saga, and is one of the holy places of the Shingon school of Buddhism, along with Kongoji and Murouji Temples. Kobodo Hall, Kondo Main Hall and Kotsudo Ossuary are designated as Japan's Important Cultural Properties, and sixteen other buildings and halls within the precinct are registered as National Tangible Cultural Properties. The hydrangeas come into full bloom in July, and the scenery is breathtaking.
Minami Sado area -
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Sawata Beach
Sawata Beach is just a 2-minute walk from the Kawaharada's Shopping Street. Nestled in Mano Bay, the beach is shallow and the waters are calm. It is conveniently located in the central area of Sado with an easy access to other parts in Sado, and attracts many beachgoers during the high season. There is a range of restaurants and accommodation within walking distance, so this area can be a perfect base for sightseeing in Sado. There is a free campsite, Kubota Campround, in an adjoining pine grove.
Kuninaka area