Sadogashima 佐渡島

Located along the west coast of Niigata prefecture, this uniquely shaped island is known for its rich natural resources, marvelous rock formations and home of the well-loved Japanese bird, the Toki. It has been a real pleasure to visit and explore the island during summertime.

This S-shaped island has two mountain ranges; Osado in the northern area and Kosado in the southern area. In between these two ranges, there is the flat plains called the Kuninaka area. You would probably think this island is so small that a day-trip would be enough, but I beg to differ. The island is so full of character and was such a joy to explore. C’mon, it has mountain ranges, farmlands, beautiful coastlines, fishing villages and historical towns. Surprisingly, it even has its own ski resort! The various parts of the island have their own distinct identity and I honestly think a one-time trip won’t do this place any justice. 

The main transportation to get to the island is through a ferry ride from Niigata or Naoetsu (Jouetsu) port to Sadogashima. We tried getting on the Niigata port in Niigata City. It was a fun ride, there are times when the waves were a bit rough but sea sick medicine would be helpful.

It’s worth mentioning the other option to cycle around the island. With more and more people becoming conscious on reducing their carbon footprint, the most economical way to explore the coast (or mountains too if you prefer) is through cycling! The island tourism has been promoting their curated cycling courses to which you can choose depending on the level.  

If you want to get really comfortable, you can stay in some of the ryokans in the island. I honestly believe that ryokans are always the way to go if you want full-on service with nothing to think about. Breakfast and dinners are usually included and you can also enjoy their onsens. Some have their outdoor baths private so families or groups can enjoy.

An alternative to the cozy ryokans are the camping sites. Funny enough, the paid camping sites are quite crowded but there are tons of free camping sites around the island and there’s no one in sight. Interesting how marketing works. Anyway, the free camping sites have really nice toilets and as long as you use is cleanly, you won’t ruin it for everyone else.

We drove around the island through the coastal roads and the views were breathtaking. Not only did the rock formations, waterfalls and old picturesque fishing villages caught us by surprise, you’ll probably realize that the different areas of the island have its own distinct character too. Even within that small island, the north and south sides are really different from each other.

One of the memorable places for me is the drive up to onogame. Its in the tip of the northern part of the peninsula. On the way up there, we saw tons of sunflower fields so I couldn’t resist taking photos there. I think we were past the peak of its blossom so most of them were leaning downwards. still super pretty nonetheless.

There is a restaurant called Onogame Lodge and we had a very tasty lunch after wandering around the area. It is also possible to hike up the small peak there but it was temporarily closed due to strong winds. Wild flowers will also bloom around the peninsula depending on the time of year you visit.

In the south peninsula side, you’d probably see lots of tourist attractions about this funny looking tub-boats. You can ride on these boats and move around the coast easily. Apparently this structure was made like this to be able to maneuver around the rocky coastlines of Sadogashima. Its a very interesting piece of their island culture that existed since the late 1800s.

This side of the peninsula also has lots of rice terraces! It was really worth the drive up the winding road inside the mountain area to be greeted by such a sight. The place we went to was the Iwakubi Shoryu Rice Terrace. It has a nice view deck and being surrounded by the rice fields is kind of healing. There’s also a little cabin that you can stay in.

Sadogashima is a wonderful island to explore. I wish can come back again and explore other places I haven’t been to. I mean I haven’t seen a wild Toki yet so that’s something I’m willing to come back to. Also, did I mention there are a lot of trails around? I think I can talk about that next time.