Sado Island 6th March

Dimitri says this blog needs more random amusing Japanese stuff. The problem is, I don't really notice that kind of stuff! But i did notice this:

 Yes, the hotel wall has a built in vending machine for both ice and tea, but what really amused me was that tea is free and ice costs 100yen. Japan is a topsey-turvey world.

Anyway, After so much fun snowboarding I was a bit sad to leave Naeba!

  --- Me in front of the Naeba Prince Hotel ---

It was about -18 degrees when we were snowboarding and about the same when this photo was taken while walking to the bus stop.

 

--- Yuki always wears appropriate footwear ---

 

Have you ever wondered what Japanese people wore on their feet in the snow? I had, and then this creepily-lifelike mannequin answered my question. This was in Echigo-Yuzawa station.

 

--- For this there is no explanation ---

 

--- Welcome to Niigata, where cabbages are grown in the shape of trees ---

I couldn't take a photo of the boat we were on, for the obvious reason that we were ON it, so i took a photo of the brochure, that's just as good right?

 

--- Our little Sado Island hire car---

Once we had picked up the hire-car we drove to a 'Toki' Park. Toki are these special birds. Unfortunately the ones that were alive were a little too far away for a good picture!

 

--- Midori the dead Toki ---

Next stop on our Sado island adventure was a old gold mine.

--- Some Mannequins demonstrating a Meiji era water pump ---

---More mannequins demonstrating a festival to ask the gods for the rock to become softer---

 

That was a real bar of gold, and with weighed about 12kgs. If you could pull it out through the small hole you would get a present. Needless to say it was probably impossible.

I'm feeling pretty Japanese, peace sign AND a mask. This is an Edo-era mining train, don't think i was really supposed to be in it. Again, Yuki made me do it!

 

I really love this photo. I'm not really sure why. The countryside was just so beautiful in the afternoon light, and it was so so quiet. We were almost the only ones in this section of the mining park and the rest of the country-side was silent.

 

I really love the huge variety of textures and colours that the Japanese mountains have.

After the mine we went for a drive along the far West coast of Sado Island. The sun was setting and it was so spectacular.

 

 

--- Our beautiful room, with a view of the sea ---

Then after an AMAZING dinner we were lucky enough to see some traditional Sado Island dancing.