Off the Beaten Path in Japan: A Few Days in Sado Island

Let's start with a confession. Passing through Tokyo for less than 24 hours en route to Sado Island on a first trip to Japan is like stopping in Manhattan to get to Orr's Island in Maine. A remote destination typically doesn't top new visitors' must-do lists of iconic cities, sites, and landmarks.

But given the over-touristed realities of major Japanese attractions that are impacting tourism-related policies and practices, I quickly learned that ticking off the major boxes of only-in-Japan experiences would be within remarkable reach of Sado Island. Admittedly, Sadogashima, as it’s known in Japanese, isn't the easiest place to reach, nor is it the most Western tourist-friendly. (I was in the fortunate position of exploring Sado with a local who is a fluent English speaker.) That said, the approximately 330-square-mile land mass that looks like a lightning bolt in the Sea of Japan deserves a place on the itineraries of confident and seasoned travelers — especially those comfortable driving on the left side of the road — willing to journey to a place that functioned as a key wealth-building resource for the shogunate. Additional geo-political intrigue: Sado’s relative isolation explains why it was also an exile colony.

Given the well-documented pleasures of intra-Japanese transportation, getting to Sado Island is a joy in and of itself. The western city of Niigata is a few hours away on the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo Station; from there, it’s a quick taxi or bus to the jetfoil ferry for the hour-plus ride to Sado's terminal on the eastern shore (the car ferry takes about twice as long). The island’s population, which peaked around 1950, now hovers around 50,000 full-time residents — less than half the number it had mid-century — due to the island's largely agricultural economy and slow pace of life that don’t always appeal to younger generations.

Awash in lush landscaping and a thriving ecosystem (somehow bugs and frogs here struck me as part of nature's sublime composition and did not irk me in the slightest, a big change from my usual reaction) Sado is well known to domestic tourists. Most come to see the UNESCO World Heritage-recognized gold mines, to bob along in taraibune tub-boats (as seen in Spirited Away) and to appreciate its prized rituals and performances, including onidaiko drumming. But the relative lack of foreigners means its villages and countryside are clear of the throngs that fill the streets and sites of destinations like Kyoto.

Most activity is clustered in the villages dotting the southern coast, with vast rice fields filling in the fecund valleys between the east and west coasts and nature reserves in the north. Aikawa Town, the island's historic hub, is closely tied to the mines. These resources were initially discovered in 1601, a moment that dovetailed with the Edo Period and shogunate from 1603 through 1867; the UNESCO designation was formalized in 2024 following a series of complex conversations. The Sodayu Tunnel tour, in which 72 animatronics (I can't help but flash back to Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland) demonstrate the innovative analogue technology that powered a notoriously challenging industry. (To put it mildly, mining was not easy.) This attraction is located below the striking split mountain massing called Doyu-no-Warito that's become a visual symbol of Sado's mining past.

Down the road, the decaying concrete tiers of the decommissioned Kitazawa Flotation Plant facility, built in 1938 to modernize the mine's production capability, compose a striking rewilded ruin, especially in the peak of summer when plant life consumes this vestige of industrialization. Seeing it from above while standing in the gardens of Sogenji Temple, where jushoku (head priest) Fujiki Taiho graciously offers Zen meditation experiences, is a powerful reminder of nature and humanity's converging forces.

Closer to the coastline on the west side, the canopy-covered Haneda Street commercial corridor is a much quieter version of its former, more bustling self. For an inveterate shopper such as myself, however, observing the astonishing art of Japanese retail culture in all forms — from 7-Eleven to specialty shops to luxury flagships to grocery stores — is essential. While browsing through a clothing store, I stumbled upon a hefty, rust-colored cotton/linen dress sewn on the bias, with quarter-length sleeves and delicate gingham detailing around the pockets and collar. It has since become a staple in my wardrobe as I try to refine the middle-aged look of wearing unstructured clothing that comes off as tailored and carefully intentional, and not just lazy. Unsurprisingly, striking this balance seems effortless for Japanese women.

Sado's past and present coexist in the clusters of human-scaled buildings, homes, and historic sites perched on the steep inclines of the Aikawa district and along pedestrian-scaled passageways like Kyomachi Street. Nipponia hospitality group has undertaken the ambitious restoration of wood-framed machiya townhouses that further tell the story of the mining industry intertwined with Sado Island's social and cultural heritage. The presence of machiya-style homes indicates the influence of exiles from Kyoto, too. Nipponia Sado's lobby (and headquarters of sorts) occupies a former ceramics factory in Aikawa Town that has been adapted into multi-room accommodations that beautifully blend a strong historic preservation ethic with contemporary comforts. A decommissioned kiln has been repurposed as a kitchenette counter in one room, for instance.

Restored houses in the surrounding slopes are a perfect encapsulation of the island's pre-World War II residential building styles and master craftsmanship. This investment and mission take on a certain urgency, given how many sit vacant. The Jishoro house, located opposite the bell tower that after two centuries still marks the time once or twice daily when rung by hand, is under the same roof as a cafe with a mesmerizingly tranquil ocean view. The two-bedroom Samon Machi house built during the twentieth century Showa Period, with tatami mat-covered flooring and an outdoor bathtub next to the rear deck (plus a washer/dryer), is a short walk uphill. Guests can arrange to have breakfast delivery composed of miso soup and onigiri made with salty, sea air-kissed Sado rice paired with local ingredients (sweet pickles with cucumber and bitter melon) and the marinated mackerel preparation aji no nanbanzuke. The morning meal feels all the more holistically of its place when you spot a flying heron and praying mantis. In contrast, the Sado National Park Hotel Oosado blends elements of Western hotels with conventions of Japanese hospitality, including an indoor/outdoor onsen and suites that accommodate beds and ample room to sleep on tatami mats.

Meticulous attention to detail, pride, and care applies to food and all forms of craft. Standout meals at small restaurants include the mom-and-pop operation Sushi Hatsu and Kushiyaki Kinpuku, where yakitori master Fukushima Masaharu serves the 10 or so customers who sit around his binchotan-fueled setup. These spots instantly fill up when he opens at 5 p.m. Portraits of Charles Mingus and jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani reveal Masaharu-san's love of jazz, which provides the soundtrack as he grills specialities like sasami (chicken topped with ume shiso) and other proteins in the intimate, well-worn space. Guests are invited to choose a sake cup from a basket of individually unique mumyoi clay cups, a gesture that brings together multiple cherished traditions of Sado.

Sado's five active sake breweries are an extension of the island's rice cultivation expertise. Obata Sake Brewery occupies a school house in the Kuninaka area, complete with jaunty visuals that illustrate the process and slyly reference the campus's original use. The gakkogura (roughly translated as "school brewery") is tucked behind a cafe where the ocean vista and earthy aesthetic vaguely reminded me of Big Sur's Nepenthe. For more sake immersion in another part of the island, guests can reserve a sampling of limited production sakes and learn about subtle flavor profiles while sitting around the handmade live-edged table at Kato Shuzoten shop and tasting room.

Because nothing on Sado exists in isolation from anything else, mumyoi-yaki pottery made from mumyoi clay derived from the particular mineral mix of the metal mines is another subtle expression of the island's beauty. Buying Sado-shaped chopstick rests, sake cups, plates, and other distinctly rust-hued ceramic wares at Kitazawagama workshop and gallery situated next to the Kitazawa Flotation Plant gives visitors that now all-too-rare feeling of buying souvenirs not easily found elsewhere in our e-commerce-powered world. Other local artisans like master ceramicist Nagayanagi Shuichi keep this endangered physical heritage alive. Less rarified gifts from the island come in the form of the ubiquitous gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins and bars sold at Sado Kinzan's gift shop and ferry terminal.

Being an expat on Sado Island seems to be a particular kind of existence, in which being in the company of your erstwhile countrymates is likely rare. And yet for all its isolation and cultural retention, immigrants from within diverse regions of Japan and other parts of the world have left their respective imprint. In the Kuninaka area, French chef Gilles Stassart and his wife Tomo operate La Pagode restaurant across the street from Myosenji Temple's pagoda, where a magical cluster of trees over the centuries enclose a noh performance stage and Daizen shrine. Stassart imported a wood-fired oven from France, and the couple's gardens and fowl flock seen around the property provide many of the ingredients for a menu that changes daily and incorporates Japanese, French, and Italian influences. Lunch might feature a magenta-hued shiso-infused cold drink, local oysters, fresh green salad, and pillowy gnocchi followed by a perfect espresso ristretto in a casual space with idiosyncratic and chic decor touches.

At the island's southern tip within the historic Shukenegi Village, Japanese chef Kikuchi Takeshi cooks French-inflected, seasonally attuned alchemy as part of his multi-course tasting menus at O-Ryori Anaguchi. Nestled in an historic freight shipping magnate's residence, the second-floor residence above the restaurant and enchanting garden remains intact, serving as a museum-like showcase of exceptional craftsmanship. Shukunegi Village's winding, compact streets built around the Shukojigawa River merit a wander before or after lunch. The Triangle House fills a wedge-shaped corner formed by tight canals, and a cemetery where the shrines and relics will make many Westerners deeply rethink our distanced relationship with the departed.

From here, it's a short drive to the taraibune (tub-boat) experience at Yajima-Kyojima, where the traditionally female drivers deftly navigate wood barrel fishing vessels into calming waters. (Yes, it's touristy, but also really fun.) A walk over the red lacquered arched bridge leads to the former home of Tsujiro Yamamoto, a Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, which recently reopened to the public. The repaired structure originally built by Meiji craftsmen is a visual poem in natural materials, where found components like driftwood take on an artful purpose. This project isn't about recreating an immaculate time capsule, but instead embraces the passage of time. Without knowing any context, I thought it was a low-key contemporary art installation. In a major American city, social media would fuel a steady audience; here, this quiet ingenuity stands in harmony with its surroundings, without any obvious signage to direct potential admirers.

Back in Aikawa, New York City native Marcus DeSoto has turned T & M Bread Delivery into a bakery with a cult following for their wild fermented breads and pastries, thanks also to pop-up markets around Japan. "Having lived on the island for nearly 30 years, my wife Tomoko and I eat endless amounts of local, seasonal vegetables and fresh seafood. These greatly contribute to our culinary creativity," he says. "We realized how lucky we are to share life on this beautiful island." Take Marcus's word for it and see for yourself.

A Note About Getting Around: If renting a car by the ferry terminal isn’t an option, Visit Sado can assist travelers with taxi reservations, and the website offers three- or five-hour private taxi packages. Bus travel is for the more intrepid types; even if it’s not convenient, safety is not a concern here. And generally speaking, Google Translate is obviously an incredible and invaluable resource.