Mar. 3rd is "Girl's day" called Hina Matsuri (dolls festival) in Japan. Households with girls display their Hina Dolls to pray for the happiness and healthy growth of their children.
Aikawa town in Sado prospered from the beginning of the 17th century to the late 20th century along with the development of Sado Gold and Silver Mine.
People of many kinds of professions moved to Aikawa from many parts of Japan to make a fortune and brought in colorful cultures and traditions which led to create an unique Sado culture and tradition.
During this time of year, hotels, sightseeing spots, cafes, shops and even private homes exhibit their Hina Dolls for the public and visitors can enjoy walking in the town admiring dolls from different eras.
In this tour, we walk around Aikawa town and visit places where Hina Dolls are displayed.
With diverse historical backgrounds, there are many kinds of Hina Dolls in Aikawa, some of them from the Edo period or older, the others are made by modern craftsmen.
FYI, No.1 At some hotels and restaurants, you can enjoy special "Hina Doll Festival" lunch.
No.2 This is a walking tour in Aikawa, but some of the places are accessible by taxi.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Aikawa Tourist Information Center
Varieties of Hina Dolls displayed in Aikawa town
Ending Point
Aikawa Tourist Information Center
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee
transportation fee for the guide (1000 JPY)
Taxi fare from place to place if necessary
Booking should be made 3days in advance.
Hello! My name is Fujiko Maeda. I'm a national-licensed tour guide. I was born in Sado Island, off the coast of Niigata Prefecture. I once worked in tourism industry for about 10 years when I lived in Tokyo. Now I'm a persimmon farmer but when time permits I'm happy to guide you here in Sado mainly but also other places, too. We have a lot to offer like beautiful nature, historical sites, local specialties, traditional performing arts, festivals, islanders smiles and so on.
If you'd like to know real Japanese lifestyle, please visit Sado.
I'm sure you'll be satisfied.
Let's explore Sado or other wonderful and beautiful places with me!
Also, if you have any questions about Sado or Japan as a whole, please don't hesitate to email me.
Marie R.
“10 stars if it was allowed”
We booked a one day tour with Fujiko to be shown around Sado before self exploring the following day and let me tell you, she blew our socks off with stories, laughter, surprise spots, and a wealth of knowledge. She was overly impressive and it seemed like anywhere we went, she knew someone. Even at our hotel! (and she lives 30mins away from where we stayed). Equally impressive is her schedule and work ethics (land owner, former farmer of rice fields and persimmon orchard), tour guide, weekly shifts at a small historical village, and taking care of two residences. She had a fun and lively vibe to her and by the end of the tour we shared hugs and photos of the day. So many highlights to mention, from the itinerary she created for us, to the surprise spots at local shops and markets for goodies and fruit snacks. Highly recommend Fujiko for both Sado and other Niigata tour guide services!!
Fujiko M.
Hi Marie san and Tim san, I can't say nothing but thank you so much for writing such a wonderful review of the tour with 10 stars!! It was such a nice encounter and I was so happy to be your guide. Not only telling about Sado but I also enjoyed general conversation with you. What I like about being a tour guide is that I'd like to be a "go-between" between my guests and local people. Today, you are on your own and I hope you enjoy interacting with other wonderful Sado locals! Please enjoy the rest of the Japan tour and hope to hear from you in the near future! Best regards, Fujiko
Heike E.
“Auf den Spuren den Lachses in Japan”
Es war ein interessanter Ausflug im Zeichen des Lachses. Sehr schön war auch, eine ruhige und nicht so sehr touristische Stadt zu sehen. Fujiko war sehr pünktlich, sowohl sie als auch der Fahrer waren sehr an unserer deutschen Kultur interessiert.
Fujiko M.
Hello Heike san, Thank you very much for writing the review of the tour. I feel happy that you enjoyed the quiet yet history-rich Murakami city. Please explore more about Japan more in the future with your wonderful friends! Best regards, Fujiko
Justin K.
“Customised tour of Sado Island”
Fujiko is an excellent tour guide and we enjoyed ourselves very much as we got to take a deeper look at different parts of Sado island. She has a great command of English, explains the context of Sado's history, development and other interesting tidbits of information very well. She was also accommodating to fit in many places of interest in our day tour of the island. She is friendly and will take on any question you ask her with pleasure. We highly recommend her. (:
Fujiko M.
Hi Justin, Good day to you! Thank you very much for writing such a wonderful review of the tour. It was a cold autumn day but the weather was beautiful and I guess you could visit the places you had in mind in this 6&1/2 hour tour. Sado Island is much different from Singapore even tough the area is about the same. I hope you could refresh yourselves in a tiny still unknown island!! Please stay healthy and happy:) Hope to guide you in the near future. Fujiko
$35/ per person