This small coastal village once prospered as the center of shipbuilding industry during the Edo era.
After the Meiji Restoration, the industry fell into decline due to the overall Westernization and the development of other transportation networks like railways.
The village was once almost forgotten.
However, the descendants stood up to restore the legacy of their ancesters and have been working hard to keep it.
Building the exact replica of the old Edo-era sailing ship shows their enthusiasm and solidarity.
In this tour, we stroll in the village, visiting one of the ship owner's house called "Seikuro" which is open to the public.
You can see the skillfully built houses by ship carpenters.
Then we visit Sado-koku Ogi Folk Museum which houses the exact replica of the old sengokubune ship called "Hakusan-maru", thousands of folkcrafts, household utensils, ship carpenters tools and more.
Shukunegi was registered as the district of the Groups of Traditional Buildings.
Once you step inside, you are in the maze of Edo era.
* Special notice: "Seikuro" will be closed until Mar.31
Sado-koku Ogi Folk Museum will be closed on Mondays until March, 2016
Also closed from Dec.29 - Jan.3 for new year holidays.
*Special choice: If some of the facilities are closed, we can go to Iwayasan Cove nearby to see 88 stone statues
for a short pilgrimage.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
at the bus stop of Shukunegi
old buildings of Shukunegi
ship owner's house, Seikuro
Hakusan-maru, replica ship
Ending Point
at the bus stop of Shukunegi
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee
entrance fee of "Seikuro" 400 yen, Sado-koku Ogi Fork Museum 500 yen
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.
Claire M.
“Fun day with Fujiko”
Fujiko went above and beyond to make our day at Niigata a success. She made sure that we had a taxi waiting for us at the pier, took us to some interesting and historical sights and shared many stories. The communication before, during and after the tour were exceptional. Her knowledge of the history and geography of the area added many details. A great day! Highly recommend Fujiko if people are coming to the area!
Fujiko M.
Hello Claire san, Thank you very much for giving me such a wonderful review of the Niigata tour. It was good that I could find a taxi company which accepted the booking one day before the tour. You had good luck! The weather was with us, too. I feel grateful if you could learn about Niigata, still unknown city for foreign tourists, has rich and interesting history. It was also a good exercise with a lot of walking! I'm sure beer tasted very good at dinner. Please enjoy the rest of the cruise. Thank you again to all of you. Best regards, Fujiko
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
$54/ per group