Sado Island

On a rare wet morning, we went to the Sado Gold and Silver Mine Museum which explained the history of mining on the island via four videos. Then we went to the Gold Mine, walking down passageways on duckboards and seeing working models of the activities in the Mine. It was well-presented.
We also saw ruins of the Mitshubishi mining facility.
We went to the reconstructed Office of the Magistrate with its many rooms of tatami flooring and sliding doors. Next door was the reconstructed Seriba where separation of the gold and the silver was done by crushing, milling and sluicing.
We went to Konpan-ji which had a 5-step pagoda, shrine and peaceful garden with few visitors.
After a visit to a sake distillery and shop, we went to Tokinomori Park to see the Toki-crested ibises. There is a breeding programme and release into the wild. The ibises turn pink in the breeding season. We saw a few in the fields.
Back at the ryokan, I went to the rooftop onsen before going out for a sushi dinner.
Lunch was in a building in a conservation area with a sea-view.Read more