Hen weekend on Sado Island Part 3: Relishing all that was quirky

I must say that of all the places I’ve visited in Japan, Sado Island came in first as being the most quaintly quirky.

There were the usual stuff like temples and pretty gardens:

But there were some off-the-wall sutff here…

You could take a short ride on one of these barrel-like boats steered by little old ladies. Don’t ask me why they were decked out in these costumes while driving the boats. They had strong arms and awesome balance, I must say!

Not only that but they also provided these hilarious signs to tote around while you take pictures. Mine read, netsuaichyu (feverish love or being very much in love). My friends carried signs like satchou (big boss), uwakijyuu (in the middle of an affair), and futsukayoi (hangover) and we had a laugh snapping pictures of each other.

Then we visited a gold mine museum that showcased the ins and outs of the cash cow that financed the Tokugawa government during the Edo period.

There were human-like robots that could speak and move — creepy…

And gold in every souvenir you can imagine:

Gold soap.

Gold lotion — I think this is essence water that acts like a toner.

Gold flakes on manju (Japanese rice buns with sweet bean paste).

Some kind of egg jelly dessert.

Black sesame rice cakes which were super yummy though they looked like square-shaped rocks.

And huge gold rice crackers.

We also strolled through an ancient fishing village that was really just residential and had the odd tourist shop or café.

We wandered into a café with a garden that had these shrubs with weirdly shaped leaves:

And I tried mozuku, avery slimy seaweed, for the first time.

I think there was some lemon juice in it or vinegar so the taste was actually refreshing but the texture….it was too gross for me to down the whole bowl. To think I used to gobble up shirako (fish testicles)!

Alright, alright, I know you guys have been waiting for the food pix…

Sushi fit for a veggie queen! From left to right: tamogoyaki (egg roll), inarizushi (fried beancurd skin), and kapp-maki (cucumber rolls).

Soba…again?! Are you surprised by now?

But it was really good al dente tempura soba…

My set came first before the others’ and they got food envy, “I should’ve ordered the soba!”

And a hearty Japanese buffet brekkie — iinaaaaaa….

Many thanks to all who came on the trip. I felt lucky to have renewed old friendships and forged new ones on this gorgeous corner of Japan. Mata, ne (see you again)!

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