Sado Island Part 2: Foodies unite!
In Part 2 of the Sado Island series, I will introduce some of the local festivals which focus on the specialties of the island, as well as some of the delicious food you’ll get to eat. Not sure if you can tell from the title but I really love eating. If you can’t, read on and then you’ll understand.
Local festivals to enjoy
Sado Island has a lot of festivals which are well-known all over Japan and worldwide, such as Earth Celebration. For something a little more local, here are two other festivals that you should check out.
Himezu Squid Festival (姫津イカまつり Himezu Ika Matsuri)
Delicious grilled squid and squid yakisoba. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
Himezu (姫津) is an area in Sado Island which is known to haul up a lot of squid. At this festival, there are all kinds of squid themed food such as squid croquette (イカコロッケ ika korokke), squid yakisoba (イカ焼きそば ika yakisoba), grilled squid (焼きイカ yaki ika), and squid sashimi (イカ刺身 ika sashimi) just to name a few. There are even unique experiences such as taking a ride on a squid fishing boat, and even squid filleting.
The aftermath of the squid filleting experience. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
A squid fishing boat. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
One of the highlights of this festival for me was the game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. Anyone who would like to join in can do so by throwing your hand up in the air with either rock, paper or scissors. The number of people will eventually lessen as only winners will proceed to the next round till there is one person left. And that one person was me!
Me with my prize. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
I walked home with a box of fresh squid (20 squids) to take home that day. It was truly an exciting and interesting experience which I feel that more tourists should get to experience.
Himezu Fishing Port (姫津漁港)
Address: 306-1 Himezu, Sado, Niigata, 952-2134
Date: 1st Sunday of July
Time: 09:00–14:00
Admission fee: Free
Akadomari Beef Festival (赤泊牛肉まつり Akadomari Gyu-niku Matsuri)
Premium Sado beef ready for grilling! (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
Meat lovers will definitely enjoy this festival. For a very reasonable fee, enjoy free-flow Sado beef and vegetables such as onions, peppers and carrots on a charcoal grill and eating to your heart’s desires. Sado beef is considered a luxury and the price can rack up to quite a fair bit if you were to purchase the meat from a supermarket due to the island not having an abattoir on the island. The cows are shipped to Niigata for slaughtering and then shipped back to the island.
Atmosphere of the festival. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
What’s a local festival without any games? A ticket issued to you before entry is numbered for the purpose of lucky draw. There are a range of prizes from Sado milk to cheese to meat. Again, I was lucky enough to walk home with a set of yoghurt and cheese made from Sado milk.
A picture of my win! Yoghurt, drinkable yoghurt, and cheese. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
This is definitely one festival you do not want to miss if you’re ever on the island. Do note that reservations are necessary.
Akadomari Ex-Fruit Sorting Grounds (赤泊旧選果前広場)
Address: 937-1 Tokuwa, Sado, Niigata, 952-0706
Date: 1st Sunday of July
Time: 11:30–14:30
Admission fee: ¥5,500/Adult, ¥2,700/Child (Age 11 and below)
What to eat
Sado Island is blessed with many delicious food and seasonal delights. The seafood here is exceptionally fresh and there are a variety of local fruits to enjoy. Niigata Prefecture is known for rice, and Sado Island is no exception.
Just a peek of all the delicious seafood you can enjoy at Sado Island. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
For seafood lovers, definitely try out the yellowtail (ブリ buri), snow crabs (ズワイガニzuwaigani), oysters (カキ kaki), and squids (イカika) which Sado Island is well-known for. And yes, because Sado Island is well-known for those seafood, there are festivals dedicated them. There is the Winter Yellowtail Festival (寒ブリまつり Kanburi Matsuri), Akadomari Crab Festa (赤泊カニフェスタAkadomari Kani Fesuta), Lake Kamo Oyster Festival (加茂湖牡蠣祭り Kamoko Kaki Matsuri), and the earlier-mentioned Himezu Squid Festival.
Grilled oysters. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
Winter Yellowtail which Sado Island is famous for. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
Snow crabs
Singaporeans love to eat crabs and this is one place you definitely do not want to miss. There is an all-you-can-eat crab buffet. With no time limit and two bottles of your drink-of-choice, enjoy eating all the snow crabs to your heart’s content.
Zuwaigani is served. Ask for a “refill” when you are done with this tray. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
If you are unsure how to eat the crabs, the restaurant even provides you with a peeling guide. Come dressed in clothes you’re alright with getting dirty because things are going to get messy. Do note that reservations will be required.
The aftermath. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
Akadomari Tourist Centre (赤泊観光センター)
Period available: October to December, March to April
Address: 2206-3 Akadomari, Sado, Niigata, 952-0711
Opening hours: 10:30-18:00 (Closed on Wednesdays)
Tel: +81-0259-87-3121
Price: ¥2,200
Sushi
If you’re craving for sushi, definitely check out conveyor belt sushi restaurant Conveyor Belt Sushi Benkei (回転寿司弁慶 Kaiten Sushi Benkei), or if you want a more authentic sushi experience, Sushi Chōzaburō (寿司長三郎).
Takeaway sushi platter from Benkei. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
Benkei is one of my favourite places to go to for sushi as it is very affordable and the sushi is very fresh.
Conveyor Belt Sushi Benkei (回転寿司弁慶)
Address: 833 Higashiodori, Sado, Niigata, 952-1307
Opening hours: 10:30–21:00 (Closed on Tuesdays)
Tel: +81-0259-22-2125
Omakase sushi set from Chōzaburō. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
Chōzaburō on the other hand is somewhere to go to if you would like to watch the sushi master give a performance on slicing the seafood. Definitely slightly pricier, but you’re paying for the experience.
Sushi Chōzaburō (寿司長三郎 Chōzaburō)
Address: 84-1 Niibo, Sado, Niigata, 952-0116
Opening hours: 11:00–22:00 (Closed on Sundays, 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month)
Tel: +81-0259-22-2125
Fruits
For fruit lovers, there are Okesa Persimmons (おけさ柿 Okesa-gaki), Violette de Sollies figs (ビオレ・ソリエス イチジク Biore Soriesu ichijiku), apples, oranges (蜜柑mikan), and Le Lectier pears (ルレクチェ Ru Rekuche).
Violette de Sollies figs. (Image credit: Sado City)
Due to the strategic positioning of Sado Island (in the middle of Japan), there are fruits which normally can only grow in the North (apples) and South (oranges) of Japan respectively growing here. The persimmons, apples and figs are only available during autumn so if you’re looking to eat some deliciously sweet fruits, that is the period to visit Sado Island.
Okesa Persimmons. (Image credit: Sado City)
I really recommend trying the persimmons as they are sweet, crunchy, and bursting with vitamin C. When the persimmon season comes around, you will find me eating at least one a day. Pop by any supermarket to get your fruit fix!
Apples. (Image: Jasper Soh)
If you are interested in a wider selection fruits which have been harvested locally on Sado Island, definitely visit Yorankaya (よらんか舎). At this supermarket, not only will you find local fruits, you will be able to find all kinds of local produce.
All kinds of local produce is sold at Yoranka. (Image credit: Jasper Soh)
Yorankaya (よらんか舎)
Address: 69-1 Chigusa, Sado, Niigata, 952-1209
Opening hours: 09:00-19:00
Tel: +81-0259-63-3538
Rice
We Asians love our rice and the rice from Sado Island is fantastic. Koshihikari (コシヒカリ) is one of the best brands of rice produced on the island and is ranked “A” for its quality in Japan. The texture of the rice is very springy (もちもち mochi-mochi), has a sweet taste, and tastes good even when cold. Enjoy having the rice as part of a set meal (定食 teishoku), a rice ball (おにぎり onigiri), and even sushi (寿司 sushi).
Oni enjoying an onigiri. (Image credit: Sado City)
Could you tell I really love food? It’s really a wonder I didn’t put on too much weight during my time here. Hope you enjoyed the food post! Stay tuned for the exciting things you can do on Sado Island in the final part of this series.
How to get to Sado Island
To get to Sado Island, you will need to take a bullet train to JR Niigata Station (新潟駅). JR Niigata Station is approximately a 2-hour bullet train ride from JR Tōkyo Station (東京駅) on the Jōetsu Shinkansen Line (上越新幹線). From the station, take a 15-minute bus ride or 5-minute taxi ride to Sado Kisen Niigata Port (佐度汽船新潟港).
Purchase your ferry ticket and you’re all set to go to Sado Island. There are two options – Car Ferry or Jetfoil. The Car Ferry would take 2.5 hours to get to Sado Island while the Jetfoil would take about 1 hour.
I would definitely recommend taking the Car Ferry if you are not pressed for time as you will be able to enjoy the sea breeze and occasionally spot some dolphins swimming alongside the boat.
If you have purchased the JR EAST PASS (Nagano, Niigata area), you will be eligible to purchase the SADO-NIIGATA PASS which costs ¥5,000 and will save you up to 40% as it includes round-trip ferry tickets as well as bus passes which can be used in both Niigata City and Sado Island. For more information, please click here.
For more information about Sado Island
If you would like to find out more about Sado Island, like and follow our Facebook page, or explore the Sado Tourism website.
Stay tuned for the next instalment of the Sado Island series where we explore the exciting things to see and do!
Header image credit: Jasper Soh
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- Sado Island: A miniature Japan floating in the Sea of Japan
- Sado Island Part 3: Exciting things to see and do!
- Cruising along the Sea of Japan with the KAIRI
Writer's profile:
Jasper Soh
A Singaporean living the island life on Sado Island who loves eating so much that she can probably out-eat a man. Loves the ocean and nature, and you’ll probably find her covered in dirt from rolling around in grass, or covered in sea salt from spending so much time near the sea.
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