Visiting Sado Island in Winter

I visited Sado Island to meet our potters, Watanabe Tozo and Shimizu Ken. The island lies off the coast of Niigata prefecture and was formed by submarine volcanoes. For me, getting to Sado Island is like travelling overseas, because it takes 6 hours from my hometown by car and ferry. My first destination is Niigata prefecture, which has 3 ports leading to Sado Island: Naoetsu, Akadomari and Niigata. Each day, only 1 to 2 ferries are available, and it takes about 2 to 3 hours to reach the island.

During winter, the Sea of Japan turns very wild and unstable, and the waves often rise up to 6m high. On the day I travelled, it was a little stormy too, and the waves were up to 4m high. On the ferry, I felt as if I were at the bottom of a washing machine.

When the winter season sets in, there are obviously fewer tourists visiting Sado Island. On the contrary, it is the best season of the year to indulge in fine seafood on the island. Due to the stormy conditions of the Sea of Japan in this season, many fish take refuge in the bays of Sado Island. These fish feed on plankton in seawater with a very high mineral content. This is because the Osado and Kosado mountains are abundant in iron. The minerals flow into the sea through the rivers; hence, the fish and other sea creatures around the island have a very rich flavour.

Sado Island is also famous for agricultural products such as mushrooms, persimmons, pears, apples and bamboo shoots. For the same reason that the seafood is tasty on Sado Island, the agricultural products also have a very rich taste, owing to the abundance of iron in the soil.

One morning, I had a wonderful opportunity to accompany the son of the innkeeper to catch octopus. In Japan, we eat octopus in many styles, such as sashimi, sushi, deep-fried and in salads. I had heard countless times that the native octopus of Sado Island is very tasty. Fortunately for the people who live on Sado Island, there is no need to buy octopus from shops; they can simply catch it at the beach whenever they need it. The catching method was pretty simple, as all we needed were two bamboo sticks. First, we attached colourful dangling strings to one of the sticks and a sharp hook to the other. Then, we jiggled the colourful strings in the tide pool in front of the rocks to lure the hiding octopus out from beneath them. I did my best to learn and follow the local people's tactics, and kept dangling the strings in front of one rock after another. Suddenly, an octopus emerged from its hiding place and startled me. I panicked a little, as I had not learned how to catch it. I considered it beginner's luck, as I spotted an octopus earlier than the local experts. With great excitement, I tried to hook the octopus, but I kept missing. I wondered whether it would be possible to catch it at all; however, the octopus was so voracious that it kept going after the strings, even though my hook had scratched its tender flesh many times. Finally, I managed to catch one, and it became my sashimi meal. The octopus of Sado Island was indeed very tasty and unforgettable.

An octopus is hiding under the rocks in the tide pool

He was an octopus master

In ancient times, Sado Island was formed by submarine volcanoes, which brought about mountains very rich in iron. This abundance of iron is shared among the clay, the agricultural products and the sea creatures alike. Staying on Sado Island and having the luxury of tasting its flavoursome local food, I was able to experience the relationship between our bodies and minerals.

To learn more about the clay of Sado Island, please see About Mumyoi of Sado Island. Our handmade teapots from Sado Island are available in our Sado Mumyoi collection.