Sado-ga-shima Island佐渡島

One of Japan's largest islands, Sado-ga-shima Island has an interesting history. Its culture can be witnessed in unique traditional arts and entertainment.

Sado-ga-shima Island is located 45 kilometers west of the city of Niigata, in the northern part of the Chubu region. Apart from the four main islands, it is the biggest island in Japan, with a periphery of around 227 kilometers and an area of about 857 square kilometers. The island consists of two parallel mountain ranges, the Kimpoku and Kunimi Mountains, and between them lie the Kuninaka Plains. Together they form a part of Sado Yahiko Quasi-National Park.

An aristocratic culture flourished on the island beginning in the 8th century, through the activities of the people who were exiled there by the government for having lost in a political rivalry or to oppress them for their political ideas and activities. Also during the Edo Period in the 17 and 18th centuries, samurai and trades people who mined gold created a culture unique to the island, including some traditional arts and entertainment such as Mumyoui-yaki (clay pottery), Sado-okesa Dance, Sado-Noh (classic Japanese musical drama) and puppet plays.

Sado-ga-shima Island has many attractions, such as the Sado Gold Mine that offers a reproduction of gold mining activities in the 17th and 18th centuries complete with miniatures and electric powered dolls. Other attractions include Senkaku Bay with a beautiful view of the precipitous cliffs, Lake Kamo-ko where you can enjoy cherry blossoms in spring, and Toki-no-mori-koen Park where you can see Japanese crested ibises, a protected species.