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Odate Tateko is the oldest Western-style shaft in Japan. German engineers and others started excavation of the Odate Tateko shaft in 1875, and it was sunk in 1877. Odate Tateko is vertical haulage with a lift. It is about 5.7 metres by 3.3 metres rectangular , and the final depth reaches 352 metres. The hoist was first operated by horse power, and later powered by, first steam, and then electric motors. Until it shut down in 1989, it had been the focal point for mining activities.

Inscribed with birthplace, posthumous Buddhist names, names and ages of twenty-eight mushukuknin, who worked as a drainage labourer and deceased underground in 1853, a gravestone stands in the middle of mountains. In the Edo Period, to secure labour at the gold mine, 1,800-some mushukunin were forced to come and work in a mine from Edo (present-day Tokyo), and Osaka and Nagasaki, both of which were under direct control of the Edo Shogunate. Mushukunin is people who do not have fixed address arrested under the Shogunate's public security measures. Due to the hard labour, mushukunin is said to have lived a short life.

Matsugasaki is said to be the place where Nichiren Shonin arrived on Sado. Hongyoji Temple was established by Futsujubo Nichiryo (Buddhist monk who was a strong believer of Nichiren) to commemorate the Nichiren's first step on Sado. Within the grounds, you can see the stone statue of preaching Nichiren Shonin, and a large tree of Japanese zelkova (kayak in Japanese) called "Okeyaki", under which Nichiren kept the night dew out after landing on Sado.

Shinrinji Temple used to look after the cremation mound of Emperor Juntoku. Through the religious reform movement (which promotes shinto and destructs Buddhist temples) in the Meiji Period (late 19th century), Shinrinji was recognised as a prefectural shrine in 1874 and renamed it as Manogu Shrine. Along with Emperor Juntoku, it enshrines Michizane Sugawara (statesman worshipped as a god of learning) and Suketomo Hino (disgraced court noble exiled to Sado). The present shrine buildings were erected in 1920. Torii Gate, Shinkyo (sacred bridge), Shinmon Bridge, and shrine office were newly built, and the sanctuary was enlarged with an extension of the approach. Manogu Shrine treasures a single edged dagger, a ink stone, a fan, a suspension vase, and so on, which are considered as mementos of Emperor Juntoku.

Impressive stone light towers stand along the front path leading to the worship hall. Kusakari Shrine was called "Hachioji Gozutenno" around the middle of the Edo Period (early 19th century), and worshipped as a god of agriculture. It was later called Gion Hamochi Shrine for a time, and then renamed after the old name of the village "Kusakari no Sato," in 1870. Kusakari Shrine is known for offerings of bonfire Noh performances, and a kind of kagura (dance and music dedicated to gods) called "Onimai Tsuburosashi," (designated a Niigata Prefecture Intangible Folk Cultural Asset) performed at Hamochi Festival held annually on the 15th of June. The Noh stage (also one of Niigata Prefecture's Designated Tangible Folk Cultural Assets), which is considered to have been built before the Meiji Period, has a hip-and-gable thatched roof in front and a hipped roof at the back. The structure blends well with the idyllic landscape, whilst projecting a stately ambience.

In 1324, Shohoji Temple was established to take care of deceased ancestors of the Honma family, the feudal lord of Izumi Village. This temple is also known as Zeami's place of exile, and there remains his seating stone. The temple's treasure, "Ritual Mask Beshimi" (a mask with a mouth clamped firmly shut), was reputedly made in the late Kamakura Period (around the 13th century), and it is the oldest mask in Niigata Prefecture. It is also said to be the mask that Zeami used for the dance to pray for rain. Hondo (main hall), Kannondo hall, sanmon gate, and so on, are all designated National Tangible Cultural Properties. Shohoji Candlelight Noh Performances are held every June.

Sesonji Temple houses a lovely green garden on its ancient grounds. Six temple buildings, including the main hall, are designated as Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties. Morikuni Endo, who was a member of Emperor Juntoku's troop and accompanied to Sado along with Emperor Juntoku, encountered Nichiren (founder of Nichiren School of Buddhism, exiled to Sado) and became a fervent follower of him. Sesonji Temple is a meditation hall established with Nikko, a leading disciple of Nichiren, as the head of the temple. The temple houses a mandala drawn by Nichiren Shonin, and also a drawing of Daikokuten (god of wealth) which Nichiren drew at the beach of Shibute (Mano) at the time of his departure from Sado after being pardoned. Mahori Hogan Yoshitaka, a master painter, donated a painting entitled Shibuya Daikokuten. Sesonji Temple is one of the temples on Sado's Seven Gods of Fortune pilgrimage route. Sesonji Temple is also known for its beautiful azalea.

The bronze bell owned by Jinguji Temple is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The bell was originally offered to Shokoji Temple (Hayoshi, Sado) at the end of the Kamakura Period, to wish Nobutoki Hojo (governor of Sado) peace and good luck in the war. According to the inscription carved on the bell, it was cast and dedicated in 1295. When Haguro Shrine was abolished in 1868 on the order of the separation of Shintoism and Buddhism, the followers of Jinguji Temple purchased the bell and dedicated it to Jinguji Temple. The graceful appearance is marvellous.

Akagameiwa is a big, red stone of iron quartz, which can be seen from a bathing beach in Akagame Kazashima Nagisa Park. The rock has a hollow in the middle, and the shape resembles to parent and child nestling up together. "Once upon a time, when a fisherman in Suizu encountered a turbulent sea, a big turtle appeared, and the fisherman and his boat rode on the turtle's back and returned to the port. The turtle turned into a rock, and villagers named the rock "Akagame". The rock has this folk story, and there is a shrine to enshrine Akagame Myojin god.

Hiyoshi Shrine is familiar to locals, and known as "Sanno-san". The shrine was established in 1226 for Emperor Juntoku, who was banished to Sado, after his high ranking servant, Kiyonori Ike, initiated dividing and re-enshrining the god enshrined at Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Omi (present-day Shiga Prefecture). Many wooden and stone statues of monkeys, messengers of a god, can be seen around the grounds of the shrine. The statues include the "three wise monkeys", which are Mizaru, covering his eyes; Kikazaru, covering his ears; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth. The most important annual festival is held over three days in April.

Shokoji Temple, close to Kita' birthplace in the Ryotsu Minato area, is a temple for deceased ancestors of the Kita family. His tomb is situated in the Aoyama Cemetary of Shokoji Temple, overlooking the rural landscape of Harakuro (Shiizaki). Although Kita Ikki was a leading thinker and socialist from the Meiji to early Showa times (early 20th century), many people still visit and lay flowers on his grave.

Kuroki Palace is the ruins of the residence where Emperor Juntoku lived after being exiled to Sado as an alleged mastermind of the Jokyu Disturbance in 1221. The shabby palace building constructed using rough-hewn timbers was called Kuroki (black wood) Palace. The present-day mound has been maintained since the Meiji Period (1868-1912), after Kenkichi Kawakami, a local, proposed it necessary. The grounds are covered with many pine trees, including one planted by Emperor Showa, and there are also monuments inscribed with poetry by Mokichi Saito and Hiroshi Yosano.

Located in the Kujikawachi village, Choanji Temple is said to have been founded in 831, and has a wooden seated statue of Amitabha and a bronze bell in its storehouse, both of which are designated as Japan's Important Cultural Properties. The statue is said to have been made in the late Heian Period (the 12th century). The bronze bell was pulled up from the bottom of the sea in Wakasa (present-day Fukui Prefecture) around the 13th century, and it is said to have later been dedicated to Choanji Temple. It is one of the forty-seven so-called Korean bells still in existence in Japan, and this is the only one of its kind in Niigata Prefecture. It is 107.5 cm tall and 61.2 cm diameter. The elaborately designed dragon-shaped handle at the top of the bell and the arabesque pattern are striking.

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.

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.

Ichizaemon Shizume is a samurai warrior of Momoyama Period to early Edo Period (1564 - 1627). He played an active role as a vassal of Ieyasu Tokugawa at the Battle of Sekigahara. (The Battle of Sekigahara is a major battle which took place near Sekigahara in 1600 between Tokugawa and Toyotomi. After this battle, Ieyasu acceded to power and established the Shogunate.) After assuming the role of Commissioner for Sado in 1618, he practised a range of policies, and gained in fame as a great commissioner who contributed to development of gold and silver mines. This grave was built in 1845 in memory of his achievement.

Christianity is considered to have been brought to Sado first in the Edo Period (1603-1867). Ryotsu Catholic Church was founded by a French Christian missionary, Fr. Drouart De Lezey. It was burnt down once in 1883, but was reconstructed by a missionary, De Noailles, in 1887. The church building was designed by Father Papino, who designed many churches in Japan.

Dairenji Temple is a temple of the Soto Zen school of Buddhism established in 1421 as a temple to take care of ancestors of the Honma clan, Lords of Hamochi Castle. The sanmon main gate is the east gate of the castle (Niigata Prefecture's Historic Site), which survived destruction in a siege by Kagekatsu Uesugi (lord of Echigo), and was later relocated. This temple served as accommodations for successive Deputies for Sado and officials in the Edo Period (1603-1867). Within the precinct, there are the 500 Arhats Hall, created by a sculptor of Buddha statues in the Edo Period; Kannondo Hall, enshrining a secret Buddhist icon, Maria-Kannon (Mary statue in Kannon disguise); and Hotei (god of good fortune) Hall worshipped for wealth and happiness. Mahori Hogan Yoshitaka, a master painter, donated his painting, entitled "Amazawa Hoteison." Dairenji Temple is one of the temples on Sado's Seven Gods of Fortune pilgrimage route. Referred to as a temple of camellia flowers, Dairenji Temple is familiar to locals,

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.

The story of "Sansho-Dayu" is famous for the tale of Anju and Zushio. In it, the grown-up Zushio and his blind mother are reunited, and rejoice over finding the other in good health ("tassha" in Japanese) at Tassha Coast in Sado. Water still bubbles up at the place where the mother washed her eyes, and Mearai Jizo is enshrined there. Anju Jizo Hall stands nearby, where a bath with the spring water has been set up by locals and is available for use.

Time signal in Aikawa Town started in 1709, by striking taiko drums set within the Sado Commissioner's Office. The first "time bell" was cast with Sado-produced bronze in 1712, under the ordinance of Shigehide Ogiwara, a Sado Commissioner. The time bell rang out to let people know the time until around 1871, but it then went silent. The bell recently began striking again, in the morning and evening. The brick wall is part of a former court building, and the inside serves as the Sado Hangamura (print art) Museum.

A jizo (stone statues dedicated to local deities) hall is located on the Nashinoki Pass on Prefectural Route 65 (the former Akadomari trunk road), which passes through the Kosado Mountains from Toyota in the Mano area. There is a jizo statue installed to wish for children's convalescence, and small statues of migawari jizo (who takes the place of people) dedicated as tokens of appreciation after prayers have been answered. The number of jizo statues, also called Koboshi (young Buddhist monk), adds up to thousands, and they surround the hall. Jizo Festival is held annually on 24 August. Locals stay overnight there chanting Shingon mantra the night before.

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.

An ancient temple tucked away in the back of the Shukunegi village, Shokoji Temple was founded in 1349 as the first Jishu School temple in Sado. On the Sanmon main gate, there still remains a munefuda [an inscription related to the building], written in 1717, and this gate is one of the oldest pieces of architecture in Shukunegi. Shokoji has been enshrining the Tokai Benzaiten (literally means sea-crossing goddess of the sea), since the olden days. It has continuously been worshipped as a guardian deity protecting against shipwreck, and as a goddess of artistry. A master artist, Mahori Hogan Yoshitaka, donated his painting entitled "Tokai Benzaiten" to the temple. Shokoji Temple is one of the temples on Sado's Seven Gods of Fortune pilgrimage route. Within the temple precinct, there is a graveyard of Shuzo Shibata, a Shukunegi-native who studied Western Studies in the late Edo Period (early 19th century), and later drew an elaborate world map.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.