Japan's Outlying Islands - 5 Picturesque Spots On Sado Island, Niigata

Niigata prefecture's Sado Island is the second largest outlying island in Japan (save for the 4 islands in the north) and is a remote resort island full of beautiful scenery. But this island is still relatively unknown to both Japanese and international tourists.

Today, via the magic of Google Street View, let's travel to Sado and see some of the picturesque spots that await visitors here.

1. Bearing a Close Resemblance to Northern Fjords: Senkaku Bay

One of the most famous spots on Sado Island is Senkaku Bay, which gained popularity as an underwater park that makes the absolute most of its own natural beauty. Thanks to its scrupulous maintenance, this park is completely safe for even a Sado beginner to visit and enjoy.

The 30m high cliff radiates an impressive power. While the 360 degree panoramic view available from the observation deck is stunning, the landscape when viewed from the pleasure cruise looking up from the sea is almost overwhelming. If you have the time in your schedule, by all means, please join the cruise and see it for yourself.

Senkaku Bay Ageshima Park
Address: Niigata, Sado, Kitaebisu 1561
Phone: 0259-75-2311
Website: http://ageshima.eek.jp/ (Japanese)

2. Michelin Recognized Beauty: Onogame

This 167m tall monolith projecting out from the sea towers over the landscape. The magnificence of this scenery was awarded two stars by the Michelin Green Guide Japan.

Around June vast swathes of daylilies blooms on Onogame, turning this monolith into a rich, yellow landscape as far as the eye can see, which makes for a jaw-dropping contrast with the blue of the sea around it.

From Onogame it is also possible to see another monolith, known as Nitsugame. The swimming areas off the beaches of Nitsugame are known for their incredible transparent waters, which has seen them recognized among the Top 100 Swimming Areas of Japan. In this Street View panel, you can see that the daylilies are just about to bloom.

Onogame
Address: Niigata, Sado, Negai
Phone: 0259-63-3111
Website: http://www.niigata-kankou.or.jp/sys/data?page-id=8985

3. Scenery Straight from an Ukiyo-e: Yashima and Kyojima

There is an exceedingly calm beach area located in the sea off Sado. With interconnecting stones surrounding it in the background, this traditional vermilion Taikobashi bridge stands over the peaceful waters here. It almost feels as though you have stepped into the world of an ukiyo-e painting when visiting this area.

The landscape here is best when viewed from the island itself, or if you take the popular Sado Tarai boat (a washbasin shaped boat), and view it from the sea.

Yashima and Kyoshima
Address: Niigata, Sado, Ogi
Phone: 0259-63-3111
Website: http://www.niigata-kankou.or.jp/sys/data?page-id=9986

4. Enjoy Nature 900m Up: Tennen Sugi Promenade

The natural cedar trees which have grown under severe weather conditions on Sado Island are quite different from those found elsewhere in Japan.

Unfortunately we can only guide you to the entrance of this promenade via Google Street View, so please refer to this short movie to see more of the Tennen Sugi Promenade (the Natural Cedar Promenade). You will be able to see this pathway at the 1:20 minute mark.

This promenade can be easily reached by car and is very carefully maintained. It goes without saying though that the course isn't an easy one, so visitors should make sure to dress appropriately and wear comfortable footwear when walking.

Tennen Sugi Promenade
Address: Niigata, Sado, Ishina
Phone: 0259-27-5000
Website: http://www.niigata-kankou.or.jp/sys/data?page-id=10218

5. The People of Sado's Legacy: the Sado Tanada

Tanada are terraced rice paddies that fit into the natural landscape of an area. This idyllic terraced rice paddy is one of the highlights that blends itself into Japan's naturally mountainous landscape.

This tanada is called Iwakubi Shoryu Tanada, and is one of the representative terraced rice fields of Sadojima. As the shape of many of these paddies is unstructured, it is difficult to use standard machinery to work the land, which means that any rice cultivation done here is done entirely by hand. Sado's mountainous tanada have thus been recognized as a World Agricultural Heritage, and the Sado Tanada Conference has been established in order to best preserve these fields and way of life.

In addition to the Iwakubi Shoryu Tanada, there are also the Katano, Kitakatabe, Saruhachi, Tsukifuse, Ogura Senmaita, and other tanada, each of which has its own distinct charms.

Sado Tanada Conference
Address: Niigata, Sado, Chigusa 232
Phone: 0259-63-3761
Website: http://sadotanada.com/ (Japanese)

In Conclusion

What do you think? Sado is a charm-filled place, with natural wonders and sights too numerous to mention completely in a single article. There are many places here that cannot be seen by Google Street View, so if you have the chance to visit, please do so and enjoy these picturesque landscapes for yourself.

** This article was translated from the Street View Media by LIFE STYLE article: Sado: The Charms Of An Outlying Island Resort Via Street View (Nature Section).