• Freeway Diving Goods and Services
• A Hands-on Experience of Regatta in Lake Kamo   
• Trekking
• Outdoor Island "You" for outdoor activities
• Feeding seagulls on Sado Kisen
• Wild Bird Watching
• The Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center
• Fireflies or Lightening Bugs (Hotaru) 
• Raccoon dogs (Tanuki)
• Special Bulletin 

Sado is well known for its brilliant clear water and diving is among the best. Its water has unique features that are not seen in the Pacific side of Japan. Free transportation services are available: from Ryotsu Port or Ogi Port to diving locations and your accommodation. Hands-on experience for the unlicensed 13,000 yen (includes necessary equipment but not swimwear); Two boat dives for the licensed 13,000 yen (excludes regulators, other equipment and your swimsuit). A member of PADI. Note: All divers are asked to sign Liability Release and Express Assumption of Risk before diving. 

http://www.e-sadonet.tv/~freeway/index.htm (Japanese text)

Get rowing! A hands-on experience of a regatta boat in Lake Kamo is available on every Saturday, Sunday and national holidays from May 1 to Oct 31 in 2007. Experienced instructors will assist you for boating. An advance reservation is necessary. Hourly rate: 600 yen per person. Available only for a group of 4 or more.

Become one with nature. See unspoiled alpine flowers as you explore during the blooming season. Preservation of natural habitats is important to us: please mind your manners and respect the environment.  Sado Trekking Map (Japanese) is available at Ryotsu Tourist Information Center. Various alline plants are in flowers from late April to early June. For more information, call Ryotsu Information Center at: 0259-23-3300 or write e-mail to: info@ryotsu.sado.jp 

"Outdoor Island You" offers a trekking tour for groups of four or more (with a fee).  Reservations are needed at least a week in advance. For more information, e-mail to: od-you@aj.wakwak.com 

A playful way to pass the time aboard the Sado Kisen Ferry: get some snack chips or crackers and head to the stern. You will see many sea-going birds chasing the ferry (and your treats!) all the way across the Sado Strait. If you are lucky, you may also see a pod of dolphins from the deck.

Because of its geographic position, Sado Island is an ideal stopover for migratory birds that travel between the mainland of Japan and Asian Continent. Combined with resident birds, it is said that a wide range of species can be found throughout the island. 

This is the place in which successful mating of the Japanese crested ibis, or toki, has been conducted. Visitors can observe the live birds. Its renewed exhibition house, Toki-shiryo-tenjikan, displays scientific facts, preserved specimens and historical data about the ibis. Admission 200 yen.  Note: Observing the birds may be temporarily restricted due to scientific objectives. A pilot program for releasing the sample birds back into Sado's skies is scheduled in fall 2008, marking the first year for the ibis to return to wild. For more detail, see Special Bulletin. 

Japan's fireflies inhabit only very natural environments surrounded by clear water. In other words, the appearance of these insects proves the existence of unspoiled nature. You can enjoy these magical illuminations along the sidewalk in the evening, from mid June to the end the month or possibly early July.  Please mind your respect to environment when observing; lights off, no catching and no littering. A candle lantern is available for rent during the observation period.

According to numerous old legends on

Sado Island, raccoon dogs often disguised themselves as human beings and occasionally helped people in hardship. Their prominence may be due to the lack of foxes on Sado, the traditional trickster animals of Japanese lore. Some still believe that the raccoon dog is an incarnation of the divine—God blesses you if you happen to see one during your stay.