hopping back to Niigata, then over to Sado Island

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But backtracking to the beginning (Niigata). I got back there from Nagano via 2 shinkansen – Nagano to Takasaki where the Nagano line crosses with that to Niigata (the Joetsu line) then from Takasaki to Niigata – all this takes only 2 hrs or so – I only had a 7 min. wait there. In Niigata stayed at another Dormy Inn – I had stayed at one in Akita and thought it pretty good for around the $55 mark. However this was likely a recon job and was not as sparkly and new as the other one. It did however have a 10^thfloor hot tub bath with a view (if you stood up – and it wasn’t night). It was quite nice – spoke to in the change room an English speaking guy from Kurgystan (sp.?) but who was I think living in Italy. Just as well someone showed me how the electronic locker via a keypad worked to store your room key securely while in the bath. You simply selected one that was vacant then created a PIN for it to unlock it. This was OK when he was showing me but when I came to unlock it (the scripts all being in Japanese) it took a few random keyjabs at characters to work out what worked to open it again.

That afternoon I had taken the short bus ride down to the ferry terminal to both reserve my ticket on the jetfoil and also to visit the nearby Toki Misse observation deck. The return jetfoil (which takes just over an hour) does cost about $125 and as I was yet lacking accommodation (but it was to be Sunday night) could have been a very expensive day trip if nothing to be had. I booked a return date on Tuesday on the assurance that the return was readily changeable to another date/time. Then walked along to the 31 storey Toki Misse tower, which has both a convention centre on lower 3 floors, then a few floors for a Hyatt hotel I think, then offices, then the free observation deck on the 31^st floor. This obviously gives you a nice view over the river to the western part of the city and around generally. Like the Tokyo Met tower, great that taxpayer money is able to give something back for free. In Tokyo there about 3 paying towers – the original Tokyo Tower, the newish Skytree (just past the sumo stadium) and another somewhere I think.

Next morning, 2 June got the bus down to the ferry and boarded the jetfoil about 10 mins before “takeoff” at 10am. They actually refer to it as takeoff as the hull is about 1.2m. above the water when it is zooming along at max. 80kmh (there is a digital speedo in the cabin). There is Boeing branding on it so maybe is actually a jet. It was dead flat so it was very smooth. Nothing much to do but watch the yankee baseball on the TV on the way – there are a number of Japanese players in the US major leagues but they are pretty mad on the game anyway.

After a little over an hour we arrived at Ryotsu terminal and that there is where the accommodation etc search started with the very nice lady at the tourist Information counter. I said I would like something in Aikawa – on the western coast, as the final night of a traditional singing/dancing procession – then return to Ryotsu so I could be handy to the jetfoil for return to Niigata. Fortunately the bus tour she organised for me was able to pick me up in Aikawa and drop me in Ryotso where she had organized the 2^nd hotel – perfect. So all I had to do was get the cross-island bus no.1 to Aikawa, which took just over an hour thru the middle of the flat part of the island where most people live. Found my way to the local information centre and they had been prewarned to ring my hotel the Yamaki and they would come and collect me, which they did. At the hotel it was still only 2pm – they are pretty religious about checkin times, generally 3pm, but I was happy to fill in time somehow. Asked about a bike and they had one of those fancy new electric battery for additional power ones. As I had never tried one this was a new experience. It had 3 levels of electrical boost, and off of course – and what he did not actually show me, the conventional 1-2-3 gears by twisting a ring. So off I went and struck a slight rise immediately. The motor does give you quite a kick I must admit so obviously useful on the hills. So explored the rocky coast for about 10km or so to the south. Got back about 5pm and needed a shower to freshen up then lounge around til prebooked dinner at 6pm. I had a table all to myself with a huge selection of various sashimi fish and prawns and a whole crab to crack up, not to mention a very nice squid dish in a covered pan over a small flame. And some cold sake to fire it all away.

The Aikawa Yamaki Hotel, at Aikawa, is on the Western side of Sado island off Niigata. It’s a Japanese tatami style room. It even had wifi in the foyer (bit untrad to have a LAN outlet in a tatami room I guess!). The 6^th floor room had a seaview and included dinner and breakfast, as per usual in a ryokan, for about $110 which was not bad.

I had organized dinner for 6pm so I could join the hotel shuttle which took a group Japanese tourists and me to the Yoi-no-mai dance parade at the Kyomachi village in a hill area above Aikawa. I was very lucky that this was on 1 and 2 June so I was able to catch the last night of an exclusive Sado Island folk tradition. The somewhat unique V-shaped straw “bonnets” which the women dancers wear appear on almost anything to do with Sado – like the Toki (the pink crested Japanese ibis). In fact I later bought a piece of printed cloth with both of them on it, along with a couple of other traditional scenes. We were dropped at the top carpark it turned out and then effectively followed a downhill path to where the various dancing processions started.

There were several groups of these basically consisting of about 12 women in traditional costume and those bonnets. They do the simple side to side movements and claps of the dance with varying stages of mournful singing called okesa I believe, accompanied by a hand-drum and a couple of koto type stringed instruments at the back played by men. It is quite hypnotic and moving in its way amd I consider myself very lucky to have been able to see it.

At the end there was an area of drinking and revelry. Then I headed back up the hill path thinking this was a very long way to walk back, as most of the fellow group on the bus were elderly ladies. Fortunately a local guy (whose name I forget and could not get the knack of pronouncing) started a conversation in English. He had studied English conversation for a few years and I struggled to follow him sometimes. Anyway we reached the carpark and no bus. No doubt explained to the Japanese where they would be picked up at the bottom but not to me. Fortunately he had his car (back down at the bottom) so we walked down there and he gave me a lift to the hotel – knew where it was but could not recall the name (all these Jap syllables blur into one another). He dropped me off – then returned a few mins later (fortunately I was still in the foyer on my Ipod) with a couple of heated up convenience meals so we could consider chatting. Just what I needed, some hamburger and fried meat etc after a very full dinner 3 hrs previously! (but had to be polite and over-consume). Turned out he lived only 300m. from the hotel – well his Aikawa house, as he has one at Ryotsu as well. Must do OK out of fishing for crabs and shrimp then.

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Photos

Sado Ryotsu ferry terminal
traditional dancers sign

Sado tsunami warning sign
look out kiddies!

Sado shinto cemetery nr Aikawa
on my bike ride

Sado procesh hats
so bit hard to see where you are going

Sado beer lines
it's a festival so always driniking