[Meeting Grandmother's Memories and Japan's Original Scenery on Sado Island]

Last summer, I visited Sado Island, the birthplace of my late grandmother, for the first time. Sado Island is the largest remote island on the Sea of Japan side and is accessible by ferry from Niigata Port. It is a popular tourist destination known for its rich nature, mine ruins registered as a World Cultural Heritage site, and historical townscapes. Crossing over to the island by ferry under the strong sunlight, the deep color of the sea and the rugged rock surfaces—different from those of Honshu—give one the sensation of having arrived in a different country.

My grandmother, born in the Taisho era, was born and raised in Shukunegi at the southernmost tip of Sado Island. Shukunegi is a port town that flourished as a port of call for Kitamaebune ships, which connected Hokkaido and Osaka through commerce from the Edo period to the Meiji era. Today, more than 100 wooden-walled private houses remain, and it has been designated as a national “Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.” Walking through the nostalgic houses with the warmth of wood and the maze-like alleys, I felt as if I had wandered into the era in which my grandmother lived.

At the port extending beyond the private houses, I also rode a “hangiri” (tub boat) made only of cedar and bamboo. The boat, rowed slowly and steadily by the boatman, did not sway as much as expected. Enveloped by the pleasant sea breeze, I was able to quietly engrave in my heart the scenery that my gentle and hardworking grandmother must have also seen. In the early Showa era, my grandmother moved to Otaru City in Hokkaido, which was booming with pre-war prosperity. However, a peaceful time still flows through the streets of Sado Island, preserving the original scenery of Japan that makes one think, “I want this to remain forever.”

On the island, precious mine ruins still remain in their original form, such as Japan's largest gold mine, registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2024, and the Kitazawa Flotation Plant, known as the “Sado Island's Laputa” for its otherworldly appearance. Its appearance, covered in vegetation, is beautiful even in its decay, and its overwhelming scale tells the story of the prosperity of that time. Sado Island, visited for the first time, was a beautiful land where the past and present gently intersect. It is a place I would heartfully recommend to many people.

You can also see products made on such Sado Island at our Otaru Showroom. Honma Kazuo Shoten's Straw Pot Stand (straw trivet) is a traditional trivet made using straw left over after harvesting rice. Since they are all made by hand, the texture of the woven straw differs one by one. Please hold them in your hands and see the differences at the Otaru Showroom.

Honma Kazuo Shoten's Straw Pot Stand *Prices will increase on March 1, 2026 due to rising raw material costs.
https://www.shokunin.com/en/honma/nabeshiki.html
Otaru Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/otaru.html

References
https://www.visitsado.com
https://www.kitamae-bune.com/about/main/