Monday, July 25, 2005
Kodo Earth Festival at Sado IslandCategories: Adventures
It’s coming up soon! I got the info together for my friends who want to go, and then once I sent the email off, I thought it might be useful for people generally, so here it all is.
Dates 2005:
Fri 19th to Sun 21st.
Which means that you leave Tokyo Thursday 18th, 11:33pm and get back to Tokyo Monday 22nd early evening sometime.
Indigo Girl shows us what its all about...
Getting there:
The easiest thing for the super organised and planning well in advance types is to book a space on the Kodo bus. Details on website, but there are only 2 buses (?) and they sell out months in advance.
The train is an easy alternative. The only thing you need to buy in advance is your train ticket to Naoetsu. The rest you can get along the way. Catch the train from Ueno at 23:33 on Thursday night. Ask for: Ueno to Naoetsu - Super Express Noto, Aug. 18, 23:33. The tickets cost Y7230 one way.
The train wasn’t crowded last time so there is probably no rush on this, but this is Japan, get your tickets earlier rather than later. You arrive at Naoetsu at 4:15am, drag your weary butts into a taxi over to the port (short trip) and then wait around until 7am for the ferry. It was surprisingly cold last time, but a smooth ride and we all slept most of the way there. The ferry arrives at Ogi at 9:30am. It is probably a good idea to buy your return ticket for the 10:20am ferry on Monday there and then.
Just got details (Thanks to Rukie and Aya) on a bus from Ikebukuro departing from the in front of Sunshine Prince Hotel @ 23:45 and arriving in Naoetsu in front of Ito Yokado @ 5:45. It costs Y9450 for a RETURN ticket (one way=Y5250). On the way back, they have one departing @ 13:00 from same depot (Ito Yokado). The company is Seibu-Bus. You would have to hike it from the ferry to the bus stop to make it by 13:00… If you think the bus is an interesting option, there are more links for the highway-bus database in English here and in Japanese here.
There are other travel options including a shinkansen in the morning of the 19th; if you are interested, please check the official website. Due to the possibility of typhoons delaying the boat, I don’t think its a good idea to book your shinkansen tickets (I don’t know the JR policy on typhoons delaying connections and the replacement of tickets… if you do know, care to leave a comment about it?), and there are a lot of ways to get home anyway. I think last time we got a local train to Echigo-Yuzawa and transfered to the shinkansen from there, which was quite a bit cheaper than getting it from Naoetsu, and took quite a bit longer too. We got a seat in the unreserved section tho…
Drums and impromptu bursts of drumming everywhere!
The events:
There are three major events and many minor events. If you are interested in doing one of the workshops then you should check the website and enrol as soon as possible as they sell out very quickly, and there will be no places available once you arrive.
If you are interested in only the major events then the price per concert is about Y5000 each, but an adult 3 day concert pass is Y13 000. The three main concerts are on the 19th, 20th and 21st. Buy your tickets when you arrive on the island. The Earth Celebration Information Center where they are sold is right near the port (map), and you can pick up maps, bus timetables, programs, and other info then too.
It’s totally, 100% worth going to all 3 concerts. They are held in a huge auditorium-like park, you can see from anywhere and dance on the sides. Bring groundsheets, and cushions to sit on if you like but the camp chairs will have to stay at camp. You will be told to put your camera away each and every time you pull it out.
View from the highest campsite.
Apart from all this there is a Fringe which includes lots of stalls selling drums (of course!), clothes, artwork and a general assortment of the weird and wonderful. Its a good place to get some unusual craft items, so bring some shopping money if that’s your thing. There are also food stalls too, quite a good variety offering one dish for about Y500. Last year the big hit was the Brazillian deep-fried pastry pocket that held ground beef and cheese… I don’t think those calories will ever go away. But it was hard to go past the Monpan, even if the line was long. There was some vegetarian food, Indian and Thai as usual. We usually ate two dishes for an evening meal. There are also bars and restaurants on the island, but we never quite made it, usually catching the last bus (around 11pm) back to the campsite for fireworks, poi and more drums.
The accomodation:
Camping folk - the campsite was overflowing last year, and it is possible to make reservations in Japanese. The number for Sobama Campground: Tel.0259-86-2363. After picking up the concert tickets from Earth Celebration Information Center, grab a bus (the bus stop is right out the front door) to Sobama Beach. Check in with the campground owners to pay and get your spot, or an un-allocated one. The camping fee was about about Y1200/tent/night (however a one-person tent is 600y) and an administration fee of Y300/person/night (Thanks Luke and Aya!). The campsite is great tho, fires ok, beach right there, (coin?) showers and bus stop too… no worries mate. BYO fireworks.
(I have heard that camping gear is rentable from stores like L-Breath and the like, does anyone know if this is true?)
Non-camping folk, please make arrangements as soon as possible! It would probably be best to contact the Ogi Tourist Bureau: Tel.0259-86-3200, I am reasonably sure that they will have an English speaker there to help you out.
Firedancer draws a crowd at the fringe.
Transport on the island:
You can get around pretty easily by bus (one every hour) and/or hitchhiking especially between Sobama and Ogi (see map). I have also heard that you can rent bicycles on the island and get around that way. If you have a car, you can take a car across on the ferry and there is no problem with parking around the campsites but parking in town is a BIG hassle. Take the bus. And if you have empty spaces in your car, find someone to fill them.
Things to do:
Beach, onsen, temples, bike riding, awa odori on Sat night, photography, workshops (if you made reservations), gold panning, hiking, bath tub boat rides, um, lots of stuff! Me personally, i go for fringe, fire, alcohol, camp cooking and beach. Oh, and photos!
The weather:
Well, its typhoon season, and we had a typhoon the morning we went over last time, and despite having to wait for the water to calm down so that the ferry could cross, the crossing itself was smooth (I think they have to wait for it to be really calm because they carry cars across...?). It was really cold that morning after the typhoon, maybe one set of warmer clothes would be a good idea. Bathers are a definite must, and the water is beautiful and clean. Just pretend the tetra-blocks arent there. Most of the time it was a comfortable, not too humid, high-summer temperature, evenings too. Campers be careful tho, it got quite cool sleeping in the early hours of the morning (sleeping bags recommended) but stinking hot as soon as the sun came up (as usual...). It rained all day the day we left tho, so the ponchos came in handy…
Most of this info came from the official website and last years’ experience. If there is anything else you need to know (eg banking, entrance order colour cards, or how to send your camping equipment there and home again, saving your back a great deal of potential pain!), you will find it here.
Wanna come?
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