- Event
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Festival
Mano Park Cherry Blossom Festival
One of the best cherry blossom viewing spots on Sado Island, with 2,000 cherry trees in bloom. The cherry blossoms are illuminated at the peak of the blooming season.
Kuninaka area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming) Sado Okesa (folk song and dance) Ryotsu Jinku (folk song) Aikawa Ondo (folk song and dance)
Sado Kanzo WEEK (scheduled for 6/9)
In June, the area around "Onogame," the symbol of the Outer Sea coast, is filled with as many as 1 million tobishima kanzo flowers, 500,000 in number, in full bloom. The cluster is said to be the largest in Japan, and is famous as one of the most scenic spots on the Sea of Japan. The local people perform Kaifu drums, Onidaiko drums, and Sado folk songs.
Ryotsu area -
Sports
Sado Toki Marathon 2023
The course offers a magnificent view of the blue ocean and snow-capped mountains. The event will also feature a running class with professional running coach Tetsuhiko Kim as a guest speaker.
Ryotsu area、Kuninaka area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming) Sado Okesa (folk song and dance)
Sadokoku Ondeko Dot-com
Sadokoku Ondeko Dot-com showcases symbolic local performing arts of Sado such as Sado Okesa (folk song and dance) and Ondeko (demon drumming) under one roof. Every year around twenty five groups of local artists participate in this event, and it is so popular that it attracts more than 10,000 spectators. You can enjoy local entertainment, passed down over generations, from various areas in Sado without having to travel around. You will also find food stalls selling Sado specialties like seafood caught fresh off the coast of Sado, and Sado's local Japanese sake.
Ryotsu area -
Traditional art Aikawa Ondo (folk song and dance)
"Yoi-no-mai" Dance Parade through Kyomachi Street
Kyomachi Street was Aikawa's main street in the early Edo Period (early 17th century), when the Kinzan gold mine flourished. The historical street, where there used to be merchants' houses, is dimly lit with lanterns, and groups from both inside and outside of Sado parade through the street, dancing the Aikawa Ondo folk dance. All accompanying music is played live, and dancers slowly proceed, accompanied by the blue-tinged song. You can see the slow procession of elegant dancing within the grounds of the Sado Commissioner's Office, too.
Aikawa area -
Festival
Kozan Matsuri
This festival is held to appreciate the miners' hard work and to pray for further prosperity of the gold mine. The attractions include: a Shinto ritual at Oyamazumi Shrine, familiar to locals by the name "Yama no Kami" (the god of mountains); an Okesa dance and song parade; and fireworks, all of which are delivered mainly in the town centre of Aikawa. Kozan Matsuri is one of the three major festivals in Sado, along with Ryotsu Tanabata Matsuri (Star Festival) and Kawabiraki, and Ogi Minato Matsuri.
Aikawa area -
Other
Kodo Sado Island Performances in Shukunegi (2023)
World-renowned Kodo, Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble, presents an annual performance series in Sado, which will take place in the nostalgic setting of the small, Shukunegi Community Hall. Don't miss this opportunity to experience these amazing musicians up-close, only at this time of year!
Minami Sado area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming) Lion
Minato Festival
Dubbed "Wakamiya-san," Hachiman Wakamiya Shrine is extremely familiar to locals in the Ryotsu Minato area. The annual grand festival is held on the 5th of May every year. Along Wakamiya Street, fisherman's good-haul banners (used to indicate a good catch) are hoisted and flutter, creating a colorful backdrop for this distinctly heated, port-town festival. Ondeko (demon drumming), shishi (lion dance) and a portable shrine, bounced and shaken by its bearers, parade around the street. A Sagariha musical performance troup and a float with musicians on it also travel around the neighbourhood. In the precinct of the shrine where many people await, the portable shrine makes its slow and steady return. The highlight is the heatedly bounced portable shrine in the parade.
Ryotsu area -
Sports
2023 Sado Long Ride 210
Sponichi Sado Long Ride is a representative cycling event in Japan which boasts 3,000-plus participants. There are five routes ranging from those for novice riders to professional athletes. The largest number of riders take part in Course A, which is the longest route at 210km, and goes around the entire island of Sado. Riders cycle along this highly challenging, up and down course while appreciating the stunning coastline views. Introducing the S Course, designed for highly seasoned cyclists. Part of this course sends cyclists through mountainous terrain. Some of the charms of this event are the warm cheers from local spectators and the goodies provided at local aid stations.
Kuninaka area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming) Harigoma (spring foal dance)
Chokokuji Temple Peony Festival
Located in the Hatano area, Chokokuji Temple is an ancient temple which was built in imitation of Hasedera Temple in Yamato (present-day Nara Prefecture). It is known for its peonies as well as the Rabbit Kannon statue housed there. Elegant peony flowers burst into bloom along the front path, in front of the main hall and all around the temple grounds.
Kuninaka area -
Traditional art Bonfire (takigi) Noh Performances
Tenryo Sado Ryotsu Takigi (bonfire) Noh Performance
Ryotsu Takigi Noh has been playing a role in maintaining the tradition and quality of Sado's Noh performances, obtaining instruction and cooperation from Mr Honma (head of Sado Hosho School). You can see Noh performances in the magical atmosphere of the Noh stage in Shiizaki Suwa Shrine which faces Lake Kamo. Enjoy the traditional art of Noh, developed by the community.
Ryotsu area -
Sports
2024 SADO Island Long Distance International Triathlon
This competition features several courses set amid the landscape of the entire island of Sado, and attracts 2,000 participants from both inside and outside of Japan. The A-type (long distance) race boasts the longest bike course (210 km/130.5 mi) in Japan, going around almost the entire island. Driving is discouraged on the day of this event so that traffic is minimal, freeing up the roads for runners and bikers, and enveloping them in the supportive cheers of spectators and 5,000 local volunteer staff.
Kuninaka area -
Festival
Earth Celebration
This year marks the 36th anniversary of the summer festival that has been held by the taiko performing arts group "Kodo" since 1988. For the first time in four years, an overseas artist has been invited! This year, on the 36th anniversary of the festival, we will be welcoming an a cappella chorus group from South Africa, "The Voices of South Africa," as our guest performers. Live performances will be held on three consecutive nights, each with their own distinctive style! There will also be a variety of other programs. For more details, please visit the official website.
Minami Sado area -
Festival
Ogi Port Festival
This festival began when rice was offered to Kisaki Shrine as a prayer for safe voyage in the days when Ogi Port was a port for loading gold and silver. Shinto ritual entertainment, small lion dances, large lions, and devil drums, as well as Shukunegi chit-chit-chit-chit-chit, and others make the rounds of the gates. Ogi Okesa" and "Mikoshi" also make an appearance. As the last summer festival on Sado Island, the night sky is decorated with a large display of fireworks.
Minami Sado area -
Other
Donden Highland Ceremony of Yamabiraki (opening of the mountain)
The Ceremony of Yamabiraki celebrates the start of the season for climbing Mt. Donden and is to pray for safety. Mt. Donden is a treasure trove of wild plants, where alpine flora such as the Japanese wood poppy [Shiraneaoi] and rhododendron, rarely seen at this height of 900m above sea-level, grow naturally. At this event, a Shinto ritual takes place at a viewing deck where many trekkers visit in the high season.
Ryotsu area -
Traditional art Bonfire (takigi) Noh Performances
Kasuga Shrine Takigi (bonfire) Noh Performance
Kasuga Shrine is considered to be the birthplace of Noh performances in Sado. This Noh stage was built by Nagayasu Okubo, a former Noh actor and Deputy for Sado (later the first Commissioner of Sado), and it was the site of the first ritual Noh performance dedicated in Sado. The present-day stage was transferred, to where it now stands, from the Hamochi area, by volunteer members of the community in 2006. Besides the mysteriously beautiful Takigi Noh, Sado's local performing arts, such as the folk songs "Sado Okesa" and "Aikawa Ondo" are also presented.
Aikawa area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming) Lion Dance Ryotsu Jinku (folk song)
Ryotsu Ebisu Festival (6/16)
The Ryotsu Ebisu Festival is held on June 15 and 16 every year. It is an annual festival of Suwakata Shrine, the town guardian of the barbarians, and the Ryotsu barbarians shopping street is the center of the festivities. The festival includes a large portable shrine procession, onidaiko (omikoshi), kodomo onidaiko (children's onidaiko), shishi-mai (lion dance), otsutome-mai (maiden dance), and yorogi-ha (downhill dance). Ryotsu Jinku," a traditional Japanese folk dance, is also performed in a relaxed atmosphere. (Contents are subject to change)
Ryotsu area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming) Big Lion Tsuburosashi
Hamochi Festival
Hamochi Festival is the annual festival of Kusakari Shrine and Sugawara Shrine. Two kinds of daikagura (a traditional dance performance using props), which are Daigakura Tsuburosashi and Onimai Tsuburosashi, are performed from place to place. A group of Ondeko (demon drumming) and a portable shrine go out into the town, and three Ojishi (big lion) walk powerfully around the streets of the area. There are also a brass band and an Okesa dance parade, organised by children and students, with villagers' spontaneous participation enlivening the festival. Ritual Noh performances are delivered at the Noh stage in Kusakari Shrine in the evening.
Minami Sado area -
Traditional art Bonfire (takigi) Noh Performances
Shoboji Temple Candlelight Noh Performance
At Shoboji Temple, a Noh play is performed in memory of Kanze Motokiyo (Zeami), who was exiled to Sado. You can see a Noh performance in the mysterious light of candles, in the main hall of the temple where Zeami is said to have stayed. Before the performance starts, join the tea ceremony named "Haisho no Tsuki (moon viewed from the place of exile)" presented in the Omotesenke style. Enjoy a cup of maccha green tea prepared with the deep-sea water pumped up in Oda, Hatano, where Zeami landed on Sado Island. On this occasion, a special seminar is also held, and the ritual mask "Beshimi" (a mask with its mouth clamped firmly shut), a Niigata Prefecture's Designated Cultural Asset, is displayed to the public.
Kuninaka area -
Traditional art Bonfire (takigi) Noh Performances
Daizen Shrine Takigi (bonfire) Noh and Sagiryu Kyogen Performances
The Noh stage on the grounds of Daizen Shrine is said to be the oldest one still in existence in Sado. It is one of the four Noh stages in the Kuninaka area where Noh performances have been regularly held. The Noh stage features kagami-ita (a back wall) with a painting of a pine tree and the sun. Noh is performed every year, dedicated to the gods, along with Sagiryu Kyogen. Kyogen is usually performed as a comic interlude between Noh acts, and there are three schools: Okuraryu, Izumiryu and Sagiryu. Sagiryu has been passed down in only three places in Japan: Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kanzaki City (Chiyoda-cho), Saga Prefecture, and Sado. Kyogen steadily declined in popularity during the Meiji Period (1868-1912), and Sagiryu Kyogen in Sado once ceased all together in the middle of the 20th century. In the 1970s and 1980s, a successor of Sagiryu Kyogen was discovered in the Mano area, and it was reinvigorated thereafter. Today, the Sado Sagiryu Kyogen Study Group has been striving to pass down and spread the art form.
Kuninaka area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming)
Sado no Bon "Shishigajo Matsuri"
Held in the Sawata area, Sado no Bon "Shishigajo Matsuri" is a festival featuring a mikoshi (portable shrine) parade carried by children, Bon dancing and Ondeko deity mask dance, among others. (Bon is the time when the spirits of the ancestors return home.) The fireworks show set to music, "Firework Fantasy," is popular for the dynamics of launching at close range. Fireworks are set off in rhythmical patterns in sync with a wide range of music.
Kuninaka area -
Traditional art Sado Okesa (folk song and dance)
夜のさざえ拾いと民謡鑑賞
Minami Sado area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming) Bonfire (takigi) Noh Performances
Ushio Shrine's Annual Festival-eve Noh Performance
Ushio Shrine is a historic shrine connected with the ancient IzumoTaisha Grand Shrine in Shimane Prefecture. It is familiar to locals, who call it, "Katagami no Tenno-san." The sophisticated and dignified Noh stage is one of the largest in Sado, and it has one of the longest histories of Takigi (bonfire) Noh performances here. On Tenno Festival Eve, a bonfire Noh performance is dedicated at the Noh stage. Ondeko (Deity mask dance) of the Katagami and Agata areas are also dedicated. The festival day features ritual dances of miko (shrine maidens) and daikokumai (a celebratory comic dance performed with a mask of daikoku, the god of wealth). A mikoshi (portable shrine) parade also takes place, and an Ondeko group goes from door to door.
Kuninaka area -
Traditional art Bonfire (takigi) Noh Performances
Kusakari Shrine Takigi Noh and Sagiryu Kyogen
The Noh stage at Kusakari Shrine is thought to have been built before the early Meiji Period (late 19th century), and there remains a record of Noh performances held here in the late Edo Period (mid-19th century). Noh has been performed continuously, and it is dedicated to gods at the Kusakari Shrine's annual festival (Hamochi Festival) on the 15th of June every year. Bonfires illuminate the stately Noh stage and invite you into the subtle and profound world of Noh.
Minami Sado area -
Festival
Sado Ogi Taraibune and Sazae Matsuri (tub boat & turban shellfish festival)
Sado Ogi Taraibune and Sazae Matsuri is a great way to while away a day at Ogi Minato Park. Also offered is a tub boat riding experience. Entertain yourself with the variety of performing arts shown on the stage. The festival offers free okijiru (Alaska pollack soup) service, and stalls selling Sado specialties, tuna, and grilled turban shellfish. An annual festival highlight is the popular "Grab Turban Shells" game (for a charge).
Minami Sado area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming) Big Lion
Akadomari Festival(Oto Matsuri Festival)
Akadomari Festival is an annual festival presented by Shinmeisha Shrine located at the heart of the Akadomari area. This event marks the start of the summer festival season in Akadomari, where festivals are very popular. Two Ojishi (big lion) parade through the streets, and likewise, a team of Ondeko (demon drumming) travels from door to door. The spoken messages delivered in front of each household are also a sight to see (and hear!). A pair of demons dances face-to-face, accompanied by the cheerful music of the flute and taiko drum. Children, clad in happi coats with the sleeves tucked up, also appear as "small demons" and dance in turn.
Minami Sado area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming)
Hatano Matsuri and the Annual Grand Festival of Kumano Shrine
Hatano Matsuri takes place on the 15th of October every year, and is the annual festival of Kumano Shrine, the tutelary shrine of the Hatano area. Two Ondeko (demon drumming) groups visit each of the households in the area. Since the Hatano district stretches far and wide, and there are about 600 households within the area, Ondeko groups set off surprisingly early: at midnight!! They return to the shrine late at night on the 15th, so they are, literally, drumming door to door from the beginning of the day until the end. During the festival, you can see traditional yabusame and a mikoshi parade, too. The Hatano area is totally enveloped in the atmosphere of an autumn festival.
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Hakusanmaru Matsuri
Hakusanmaru is the first fully-restored sengokubune (large wooden freight ship) in Japan, and is on display at the exhibition hall of Sado Island's Ogi Folk Museum. Once a year, many people, including locals and tourists, pull the ship out from the hall to the front space, and exhibit it with a gigantic sail (approx. 270 square metres) billowing in the wind. The sail is raised accompanied by Kiyari (a work song), and is well worth experiencing. Anyone can join and pull the ship out of the hall at the festival, and once it's out, you can board the ship and look around for free. The highlights of the festival include performances of traditional folk arts, and stalls selling local specialties.
Minami Sado area -
Traditional art Ondeko (Demon Drumming)
Aikawa Festival
Aikawa Festival is the annual festival of Uto Shrine, the tutelary shrine of the Aikawa area. With over 400 years of tradition, it is one of the largest village festivals in Sado. After rituals at the shrine, a portable shrine is paraded through the town, while a taiko team, a Mamemaki dancer dancing to the beat and a lion go from house to house. The climax is in the cumulation of lights around 9 pm, when the portable shrine returns accompanied by lanterns hanging from long poles, to the main shrine, itself surrounded by strung up red and white paper lanterns. It is a scene that makes you feel the weight of history.
Aikawa area -
Traditional art Bonfire (takigi) Noh Performances
Tenryo Sado Ryotsu Takigi (bonfire) Noh Performance
Ryotsu Takigi Noh has been playing a role in maintaining the tradition and quality of Sado's Noh performances, obtaining instruction and cooperation from Mr Honma (head of Sado Hosho School). You can see Noh performances in the magical atmosphere of the Noh stage in Shiizaki Suwa Shrine which faces Lake Kamo. Enjoy the traditional art of Noh, developed by the community.
Ryotsu area