Yay Sado!, part 1

~The trip to Sado Island on Tuesday was a lot of fun, even though I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 6 am (please don't kill me) after a refreshing three-hour nap. My bad sleep habits notwithstanding, I was more than alert enough to take plenty of pictures for your amusement. Here is a map of Sado Island for your reference:

The island is located 70 km off the coast of Niigata prefecture, and I didn't feel like paying for a plane, so...

Above: As you might guess from the picture, this is the ferry that took me to and from Sado Island. The weather was a bit rough, but I managed to distract myself by pretending to be a pirate and saying "Avast, ye scurvy dogs!" to the crew. I don't think they understood. They probably thought I was insane.

Above: First view of Sado island, just as the rain was clearing up. The island is a sort of miniature Japan: mountains in the middle, with people living mostly along the coast. I was on a package deal that included the ferry trip and a bus tour around the island.

Above: An amazing five-storied pagoda, part of the Myosen-ji Temple. This intricately-carved structure took two generations of carpenters 30 years to complete in the 19th century. You may recognize the person standing in front of it.

Above: A sort of gateway-structure leading into the temple area. Sure, the architecture is interesting, but what really confused me was when I went inside, looked up, and saw...

Above: Wards to keep away evil spirits? Graffiti? Collectable trading cards? "Kenji was here"? Does anyone know what these are?

Above: A pleasant garden in the middle of the temple.

Above: I'm told that having a picture taken of yourself under a cherry tree is traditional. Again, notice the mess these trees make!
Above: I couldn't resist testing out my camera's 'macro' function. Or maybe I just like taking pictures of flowers.

Above: This picture is blurry (it was taken through the window of a moving bus), but I love the sight of the snowy mountains climbing into the clouds, with a small town at the foot. Very picturesque; I'd like to live in a place that looks like this.

Above: The next stop on the tour was the Sado History and Legend museum, with what has got to be the coolest signpost in the world.

Above: Outside of the museum was a pond, and someone about to fall into the pond. In case you can't tell, he's fake, but in MORTAL PERIL!

Above: A tiny island in the pond...apparently inhabited. I wonder how much the rent is for this family.

~The museum itself consisted of several animatronic exhibits of moving, talking figures. Of course, I barely understood a word of it, but I was provided with a paper that described, in English, what each exhibit meant.

Above: Empress Keiko, wife of Emperor Juntoku; she was born (and later deified) on Sado Island. Her husband (the Emperor) was later exiled to Sado Island, where he died in 1242; he has a tomb on the island, which was unfortunately not part of the tour.

Above: Nichiren, a Buddhist monk who was exiled to Sado Island (that's what the island was for back then). In this animatronic scene, the samurai is about to decapitate Nichiren, when suddenly lightning flashes, miraculously spelling a word, which Nichiren began to chant; the samurai was afraid to kill him after this.

Above: Two old drunk people apparently telling jokes (try finding that in an American history museum). While the animatronic figures spoke, the Japanese people in our tour group would burst out laughing every so often. The woman is petting a cat which would meow loudly every few seconds. I thought that was funny.

Above: One of my favorite exhibits in the museum. It's the legend of a poor couple who own a failing restaurant. Their pet cat decides to help them...

...and transforms into a beautiful woman, whose entertainment makes the business thrive!

Above: After the animatronics, there was a small section of traditional exhibits. This unusual statue depicts a Japanese Crested Ibis, an endangered species found only in China and on Sado Island. There are only a few hundred left in the world, and as-yet-unsucessful efforts are underway to breed them back to sustainable levels. The bird is the symbol of Sado Island; the name of the bus tour I was on was the 'Ibis Tour'.

Above: Another ibis. Shiny.

Above: This scary-looking fellow was guarding the door to the gift shop. But he was nothing compared to what was next...

Above: Gyaaahh! It's almost as if they want to scare people away from the gift shop! "Flee now, mortals, lest your wallets be drained of cash!"

Above: Mmm, lunch! I wasn't sure what everything was, but you know (say it with me now), "Rice is always nice!"

~Tomorrow, Yay Sado!, part 2. Actually, tomorrow I'm taking a trip to the city of Kanazawa, so as usual, I'll take pictures to share with all of you, my adoring readers. Oyasumi!