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Perched on a hill projecting out into the port, the ruins of the castle built by a castle lord in the late 16th century have been converted into a park for the public. The observation tower serves as an exhibition hall for Akadomari's many folk tales, and bronze sculptures depicting scenes from the stories are on display on each floor. Enjoy a panoramic view in 360 degrees: from the lush mountains behind to Akadomari Port right down the hill, and the Echigo mountain range across the sea.

An'yoji's Haguro Shrine is said to be a shrine to where the god divided from Haguro Shrine, in Yamagata Prefecture, was invited and re-enshrined in 772. It is surrounded by gigantic cedar trees, and the main hall lies in harmony with the surrounding lush woods. Since olden days, in the small village of An'yoji, Noh has been offered in place of Ondeko (deity mask dance) in the annual, most important festival. The Noh stage (a Niigata Prefectural Tangible Cultural Asset), with its thatched, hipped-roof, is reputed to have been built in the late Edo Period (19th century). It used to stand across the front path from the main building of the shrine, but around 1909, it was relocated to, and enlarged, on the site where it now lies. The Noh stage at Haguro Shrine is the smallest in Sado, among the ones still in existence.

Sankyo no Ike is located closed to Komyobutsuji Temple, where a buddhist monk Tanzei Shonin stayed for six years, located at upper stream from the Masaragawa area, 340m up in the mountain. The circumference of the lake surrounded by a thick bunch of trees is 500m. You can walk around the lake along a promenade. A legendary tragic love story of the male dragon, the master of the lake, and a beautiful girl named Osen has been retold from generation to generation. The stream of Ozare River, fed by water of this Sankyo no Ike, becomes Waterfall of Ozare, to flow into the sea around the Masaragawa area in Sotokaifu.

Shiroyama Park is located up on a hill facing the sea. After hiking the steep, cobbled path to the top, a large, open green stretches out before you. The park features trail paths, a resting point, a viewpoint and a monument inscribed with a poem written by Koyo Ozaki, a famous novelist and poet closely associated with the area. The park is filled with seasonal flowers: about 3,000 camellia trees come into full bloom from the beginning of February until early April, 500 cherry trees, dwarf azaleas and hydrangea. Shiroyama Park is a popular relaxing place among locals in the Ogi area.

It is said that Nichiren Shonin, founder of Nichiren School of Buddhism exiled to Sado, stood and chanted mantra on this hill every morning, after forced to live in Ichinosawa. The precinct is scattered with a bronze statue of Nichiren, praying to the rising sun whilst thinking of his parents at home in Awa (present-day Chiba Prefecture), Kesagake no Matsu (a pine tree which he hang his monastic robe on), a spring with which he rinsed his hands, and so on. Also, "Sanko no Sugi", a gigantic cedar tree over 1,000 years old (Sado City's Designated Natural Monument) stretches its branches.

In a mountainous area facing the sea, rice terraces in various sizes stretch out for 200,000 square meters. The large temperature gap between day and night at this height, the clear water streaming from the mountains, and the love of people in Katanoo make for delicious rice. Among other things, Katanoo boasts of its rich nature, once inhabited by the last wild Toki (crested ibis). People in Katanoo are continuously working on creating a biotope, and growing organic and reduced-agrochemical rice.

Toki no Sato Golf Club has the only authentic course with eighteen holes in Sado. On the outward nine overlooking Mano Bay, the swells and slops add more excitement. The inward nine with a variety of undulating fairways features the tricky layout dotted with bunkers and trees. The club house is in a great location on the hill top of the Kosado mountains.

Sado Mingeikan is housed in a merchant house of the Meiji Period (1868 - 1912). The exhibition includes items that showcase craftsmen's skills and techniques, such as sea chests, Japanese-style chests, Japanese-style furniture, Sado's crossguards, and Mumyoiyaki pottery, along with precious objects including armour, gramophones, wall clocks, Sado-produced stones, etc. In addition, also showcased are early stages of Imari wares, pottery of Shigaraki, Bizen, Tanba, Echizen, Seto and Tokoname, all of which were delivered via kitamaebune merchant ships, and ceramics of China and Korea. Some of them are available for sale.

A group of Buddha statues, numbering over 220, is installed in one corner of the Nakaoku area. The main image of Buddha is the Eleven-Headed Kannon Bosatsu a.k.a. Sado Daikannon (Ekadaśamukha), which was erected in 1970, and initiated by Ryukai Yamaguchi, the 24th generation of head priests at Ishina Seisuiji Temple. This huge statue, more than seven metres tall, is made from the single trunk of a Japanese cypress tree over 2,200 years old. It is said that this is the world's largest wooden Buddha statue.

You can find locally-produced vegetables every day in one of the island's largest farm shops, Shinsen Kukan Yorankaya, located at the heart of Sado. Yorankaya boasts the widest range of processed products made from Sado-sourced produce, including vegetables, fruits, fish and seaweed, perfect for both daily shopping and souvenir hunting. There is a small dining space, too. Please drop in.

Rice Paddy Art was started in 2017 to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Toki to Kurasu Sato (living in harmony with Crested Ibises) label on rice certified by Sado City. In the third year, 2019, an image designed in collaboration with the Kemono Friends anime series was depicted. Rice varieties in various colors are planted in May by about 100 people, including the Toki-to-Kurasu-Sato farmers, groups of consumers, and members of the label Promotion Council. It's best to visit in late July and early August.

A wild bird flied down in Nishimikawa in 1967. Mr Kintaro Uji, Toki observer, carefully observed and kept calling out to the bird, and eventually, succeeded in feeding it. The Toki, later taken into protective care, was named Kin after Mr Kintaro Uji, and ended its life of thirty-six years at Sado Toki Conservation Center. The monument was built in memory of Mr Uji, who successfully fed wild Toki, and Kin, the last wild Toki.

According to the temple's book of origin, it was founded in 807. The spring bubbling up by the sanmon gate (the first gate to the temple) is the miraculous water of the inner shrine, Dantokusan, which is also the sacred mountain where monks practise mokujiki. 190 years after Mokujiki Tansei (a Buddhist monk enlightened in Sado around 1600), Mokujiki Gyodo, a nomadic monk, visited Sado in 1781-1789, and reconstructed a Buddhist hall in the area where Mokujiki Tansei practised ascetic disciplines. There, statues of Seated Yakushinyorai (Bhaisajyaguru: the Buddha of healing and medicine) and Standing Jizo (the guardian deity of children) were put up. The big ginkgo tree is Sado City's designated natural monument, and it is worshipped as a ginkgo of fertility, or a spiritual tree with healing effects for gastroenteropathy.

Saiwaimaru is a Japanese-style wooden ship which belonged to the Kan-uemon Hasegawa family who were in the shipping business for three-generations in old Teradomari Town. Later, it was donated to Ogi Town. The ship made round trips over the Sado Straits until 1961, carrying daily commodities from Teradomari, and bamboo, charcoal and firewood from Ogi. Saiwaimaru measures 19.1 metres in length and 3.8 metres in width, with a mast height of 13.0 metres, and reminds us of the booming shipping industry of the olden times.

Kamo Shrine was established after Yoshitsuna Minamoto (also known as Jiro Kamo) was exiled to Sado in 1109, by dividing and re-enshrining the gods of Kamo Shrine in the ancient capital city of Kyoto, where he had his coming-of-age ceremony. Transferred from the original location to where it stands now, the shrine buildings were reconstructed in 1694. This shrine considers fowls to be divine messengers, so the buildings have wood-carved nosings shaped like fowl and votive panels with a fowl motif which are dedicated to the shrine, including the Giant Fowl Votive Panel (a City Designated Tangible Cultural Property). At the back of the shrine, there is a free-standing Noh stage representing Sado. The Noh stage at Kamo Shrine is one of the Four Noh Stages in the Kuninaka Area, four prestigious Noh stages where performances were regularly held, including the one at Nyakuichioji Shrine (Sawata Nakahara), Daizen Shrine (Mano Takeda), and Ushio Shrine (Niibo Katagami). Evening Noh performances are held annually in August.

Honkoji Temple in Miyakawa was established by Nichigyo Shonin, with Nichiro Shonin as the first head priest. Within the precinct, you can see relics closely related to Nichiren (exiled founder of the Nichiren School of Buddhism): including the "Shamen-ishi", a seating stone where Nichiren Shonin seated himself when his lead disciple Nichiro Shonin delivered and revealed an amnesty letter from Kamakura; and "Kesagake no Matsu," a pine tree where Nichiren hung his monastic robe.

Akadomari Folk Museum is housed in the Akadomari Sogo Bunka Kaikan (Cultural Centre). You will be welcomed by a parade float called the "Odori Yatai (literally: dance float)", which imitates a festival. The 1st exhibition room introduces festivals from all over Sado, such as deity mask dance. In the 2nd exhibition room, folk materials collected from the Akadomari area will give you insight into the history of the villagers' struggles. There is a special section featuring Kaitaro Hasegawa, a native of Akadomari who was a very active novelist under three pen names: Fubo Hayashi, Itsuma Maki, and Joji Tani.

Sado Kokubunji Temple is one of the provincial temples which were founded in each province on the order of Emperor Shomu. The construction of the temple was completed in 764. Kokubunji Temple was one of the first temples built in Sado, and was a rare example of temples with tiled roofs in the Hokuriku Region. It was burnt down several times after being struck by lightning, as well as catching fire, and then reconstructed. You can see a row of cornerstones from Kondo Main Hall, cloisters, Chumon (middle) Gate, Nandaimon (great south) Gate, a pagoda and Shindo Hall all within the grounds.

Kaichoji Temple is an old temple of Soto Zen School located in the middle of the hill leading down to Yajima and Kyojima. The two trees of Goshozakura variety of cherry blossoms in front of the main hall are said to have been planted by Emperor Juntoku himself. Each branch produces a blend of single- and multi-layered white flowers, which are very rare, and the cherry trees at Kaichoji Temple are designated as National Natural Monument. Cherry flowers are in bloom from late April until early May.

Daianji was established in 1606 by Nagayasu Okubo, the first Commissioner of Sado. A long, beautifully cobbled path leads up to the Sanmon gate, and the main hall features the temple crest of three leaves of hollyhock in a circle. The temple houses a memorial tower built by Nagayasu Okubo prior to his death, and a memorial tower for Hikozaemon Kawamura who was involved in the early-stage development of the Sado gold and silver mines. Both towers are National Historic Sites. This temple also holds the burial grounds for officials who served the Sado Commissioner's Office. A spectacular Machilus thunbergii (bay tree) grove, a Sado Natural Monument, stands behind the graveyard. Drastic urbanization due to the development of the mines significantly changed the landscape of the Aikawa area. Still, groves within the grounds of temples and shrines retain their native vegetation. Many plants such as the giant Machilus thunbergii, camellia and Euonymus japonicus (Japanese spindle) grow in the dense natural woodland of Daianji Temple.

Konose Cape is located closest to Echigo (Niigata) in Sado. The area used to flourish as a gateway to Sado in ancient times, and is also known as a landing point of Emperor Juntoku and Nichiren Shonin (Buddhist monk), both of whom were exiled to Sado. Konosehana Lighthouse stands within Matsugasaki History Park, a vast free campsite. Konosebana Lighthouse flashed its first light in 1952. Since then, Konosebana Lighthouse has been responsible for assisting the safe passage of all vessels in the straits between Sado and Niigata (aka Essa Straits).

Shortly after the end of the World War II, a transport aircraft of British Royal Air Force "Dakota" made an emergency landing in Nyugawa of Takachi Village (present-day Nyugawa, Sado City) in January 1946. The villagers of Takachi, overcoming the hatred against British soldiers of former enemies five months before, made great efforts to make a temporary runway, bringing pebbles to the beach with the soldiers. Forty days after, "Dakota" took off safely. A monument stands to commemorate this true story in front of Takachi Elementary and Junior High School.

Approximately 1,000 works from 16 kilns on the island, including works by living national treasures from Sado, are on display and for sale. Works by Tamasaburo Bando, a Kabuki living national treasure with ties to Sado, are also on display. Sado camellia oil "SADO" is also produced and sold here. There is also a cafeteria space where visitors can enjoy locally produced food using ceramics by various ceramic artists.

There is a heartbreaking story called "Sanshodayu", which tells a story of maternal separation of Anju and Zushio. Tassha Coast is where grown-up Zushio and blind mother see each again and took pleasure in finding each other in good condition (tassha in Japanese). Eye washing jizo statue, which enshrines spring water which healed mother's eyes, are carefully looked after by local people. Tassha Coast, located at a corner of scenic spot Senkakuwan Bay, forms a quiet inlet and has become Sado's representative bathing beach.

The sunflower field in Ogawa is en route to Senkakuwan Bay from the Aikawa town center, along Sado's Ring Road (Prefectural Route 45). The sea of sunflowers with a backdrop of blue ocean is a must-see stop that cannot be passed by. With the ocean breeze softly blowing, it is a popular place for a break. Many people visit this spot every year to enjoy the view, only available on Sado in summer.

Anju and Zushio are well-known characters who appear in the novel Sansho Dayu (Sansho the Bailiff) written by Ogai Mori. A variation of this story has been passed down on Sado, and there are some places claiming to be related to the legend. Kanoura in the Sotokaifu area is one of those places. It is said that Anju passed away here, after being reunited with her mother. Her shrine tops a small mound nestled among the rice paddies on the sea side. Look for it between the tunnels of Kanoura and Minamikatabe.

The site where Nikuu Shrine stands used to be a temporary residence, built by the Kamakura Shogunate at the birth of the second daughter of Emperor Juntoku, Imperial Princess Chushi. In honor of the wild irises ("shobu," in Japanese) in full bloom, Emperor Juntoku named the residence Shobuden (literally: iris residence). Dedicated to Princess Chushi, who passed away at the age of eighteen, the shrine buildings were constructed as Nikuu Daimyojin (a shrine) during Emperor Gofukakusa's reign (mid-13th century). Both Shobuden, which enshrines the hair of Princess Chushi, and the graveyard, under management of the Imperial Household Agency, stand within the grounds. There is a Noh stage, too, which has a thatched, hipped roof and is situated, with woods at its back, to the southeast of the main building.

This residence is home of the Hojo Family, who started Kampo medical practices in the Edo Period (1603-1867), and passed down the name of "Doeki" from generation to generation. (Kampo is a Chinese traditional herbal medicine.) Past the solid, thatched Nagayamon gate, you can see the main building (a designated National Important Cultural Property) of the residence characterised by a thatched roof and narrow wooden frames. The main building is considered to have been built in the late 18th century. There are also a rice barn, a miso (bean paste) barn and a storehouse for valuable commodities within the spacious grounds surrounded by trees.

A well-established confectionery shop rooted in the local community, Kashiho Kisuke sells a variety of sweets, including traditional manju (red bean paste stuffed buns) and baked goods, as well as regular and contemporary cakes.

Dainichido is a worship hall in Ohirume Shrine, which is considered to have been established in 1490. The existing building (a Niigata Prefecture's Designated Tangible Cultural Asset) was reputedly reconstructed in 1718. The hall enshrines a statue of Seated Dainichinyorai (Vairocana), considered to be created by Mokujiki Seigen. Seen as a place of worship for a tutelary deity of cows, in the past, cowherds from all over the island traveled on foot with their cows, to pay visits to Dainichido. Many ema (wooden plaques with prayers written down on them) with pictures of cows, and waraji (straw sandals) for cows are dedicated to make wishes come true.