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OGI |
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Sado's second port is tiny OGI , situated near the island's southern
tip. This sleepy fishing town is best known for its tub boats, which now
bob around in the harbour for tourists, and the annual "Earth
Celebration" hosted by the locally based Kodo drummers . But the area's
principal attraction is its picturesque indented coastline to the west
of town. You can take boat trips round the headland, or cycle over the
top to Shukunegi , a traditional fishing village huddled behind a wooden
palisade.
The tub boats , or tarai-bune , were originally used for collecting
seaweed, abalone and other shellfish from the rocky coves. Today they're
fibreglass but still resemble the cutaway wooden barrels from which they
were traditionally made. If you fancy a shot at rowing one of these
awkward vessels, go to the small jetty west of the ferry pier, where the
women will take you out for a ten-minute spin round the harbour (daily
8/9am-4/5pm; ¥450 per person). This jetty is also the departure point
for sightseeing boats (April-Nov 6-18 daily; 40min; ¥1400 return trip)
which sail along the coast past caves and dainty islets as far as Sawa-zaki
lighthouse. Tickets for both the tarai-bune and tour boats are available
from the Marine Terminal building beside the jetty.
Buses run west along the coast as far as Fukaura (5 daily; 20min), but
the ideal way to explore the headland is to rent a bicycle . After
climbing out of Ogi on the road to Shukunegi, turn right towards a
concrete Jizo standing above the trees. The statue itself isn't worth
stopping for but continue another 300m along this sideroad and you'll
find a short flight of steps leading up to the Iwaseya cave - the old
trees and tiny, crumbling temple surrounded by Jizo statues make a good
place to catch your breath. Further along the Shukunegi road, next to a
still-functioning boatyard, the Sadokoku Ogi Folk Museum (daily: March-Oct
8.30am-5pm; Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec closed Sat, Sun & hols; ¥500) is worth a
brief stop. It contains a delightful, dusty jumble of old photos, paper-cuts,
tofu presses, straw raincoats and other remnants of local life. Behind,
in a newer building, there's a relief map of the area and beautiful
examples of the ingenious traps used by Ogi fisherfolk.
From here the road drops down steeply to SHUKUNEGI fishing village,
tucked in a fold of the hills beside a little harbour full of jagged
black rocks. The village itself is hardly visible behind its high wooden
fence - protection against the fierce winds - where its old wooden
houses are all jumbled together with odd-shaped corners and narrow,
stone-flagged alleys. Two of the houses are open to the public (April-Oct
daily 8.30am-5pm; ¥400, including village map), though they're not
wildly interesting; tickets and refreshments are available at the soba
restaurant (daily: April-Sept 8am-4/5pm; Jan-March & Oct-Dec closed Wed)
beside the village car park.
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