Sogetsuro – Machiya Stay on Sado Island
Scheduled to open in October 2026
Experience the timeless charm of a historic port town house, and begin your journey through Sado’s nature, history, and culture.
Sado Island, in the Sea of Japan, is where rich nature, history, and culture come together—home to the World Heritage Site “Sado Gold Mines” and the crested ibis.
In the historic streets of Ryōtsu Minato, a traditional townhouse carrying the “Zenji” name since the late Edo period will open in 2026 as “Sogetsuro.”
Private guided service of Sado are now available for booking ahead of the opening.
【Architecture & History】
The building that houses this inn is a machiya in Ryotsu Minato, with documentary records dating back to 1813 (Bunka 10), when it was already known by the house name “Zenji.”
As one of the town’s prominent figures, he helped sustain the trust and prosperity of the local community.
By 1843 (Tenpo 14), the family had also joined a fishing industry cooperative.
Building upon wealth accumulated through fishing, the Zenji family gradually expanded and shaped the house into its present form from the late Edo period through the Meiji era, making it a representative machiya that symbolizes the prosperity and development of this historic port town.
【Features of Your Stay】
A Journey Through Sado Beginning with Documentary Film This inn is operated by Asian Documentaries, a streaming platform specializing in documentary films.
Since spring 2026, we have established a base on Sado Island and have continuously produced documentary works focused on Sado’s rich history, culture, and natural environment.
Here, your journey begins by discovering Sado through documentary films.
Once you step onto the island itself, you can not only visit the real locations featured on screen, but may even have the opportunity to meet the people who appeared in those films face-to-face.
From imagined experiences through film to authentic encounters in real life—this is the beginning of a new and deeply meaningful style of travel.
Farm, Forest & Fishery Experience Inn
Sogetsuro is an experiential inn where guests can deeply engage with Sado’s abundant natural environment and local way of life through agriculture, forestry, and fishery experiences.
Hosting only one group per day allows for fully personalized immersion.
For example, guests may enjoy a private cruise to oyster farming rafts on Lake Kamo, experience satoyama agriculture that coexists with the Japanese crested ibis, or step into the port town to directly explore traditional fishing and forestry culture.
The places once introduced through documentary films are no longer just images—they become real-life experiences, guided by local fishermen, farmers, and residents who bring those landscapes to life.
In addition, guests can enjoy freshly harvested or locally caught ingredients in the on-site café or kitchen, experiencing Sado’s sustainable lifestyle through taste, sight, and hands-on participation.
Rates & Stay Information
| Guests | Rate |
|---|---|
| 1 guest | JPY 36,000 |
| 2 guests | JPY 36,000 |
| 3 guests | JPY 46,000 |
| 4 guests | JPY 56,000 |
| 5 guests | JPY 66,000 |
| 6 guests | JPY 76,000 |
Minimum stay: 1 night. Rates may vary between peak and off-peak seasons.
Accommodation bookings are being prepared. Once bookings open, you will be able to check availability and rates before reserving.
Stay and payment information
Check-in and rates
Check-in: 15:00. Check-out: 10:00. Minimum stay: 1 night. A solo stay costs the same as a two-person stay: JPY 36,000 per house, per night, including tax.
Children of elementary-school age and older are charged the adult rate. Preschool children sharing existing bedding stay free, up to one child per adult. If travelling with preschool children, please contact the property before booking or paying. We will confirm acceptance, any charges for extra bedding or children beyond the free allowance, and the total party size including young children in advance.
Payment and confirmation
Accommodation is payable only by online credit card, in full at the time of booking. Your reservation is confirmed only after successful payment. Unpaid or failed payments do not confirm a reservation.
All displayed prices include tax. Card processing fees are borne by the operator; no card surcharge is added.
Additional services
Experiences, meals, BBQ and other additional services are charged separately after we confirm that they can be arranged. Actual expenses incurred during guided tours are planned to be settled using a card terminal.
Cancellation, changes and refunds
No fee 15 or more days before arrival; 20% at 14–8 days; 50% at 7–4 days; 100% at 3 days through the arrival day or for a no-show. For cancellation of the entire stay, the fee is based on the total tax-inclusive accommodation charge for all nights. Dates are calculated in Japan Standard Time, with the check-in date as day zero.
Refunds equal the amount paid minus the applicable cancellation fee. The same cancellation percentages apply to additional services. Please contact the property before changing dates, the number of nights or the number of guests.
Weather-related transport cancellations
Cancellation fees are waived in full only when public transport, such as a flight or ferry, is suspended or cancelled because of weather conditions such as a typhoon or storm surge, making it physically impossible to reach the property.
Please provide a cancellation or suspension certificate issued by the transport operator, or a screenshot of its official announcement. Cancellations made at your own discretion before the transport cancellation is officially confirmed remain subject to the normal cancellation policy.
Damage, excessive soiling and prohibited conduct
If intentional or negligent conduct by a guest, including intoxication or misconduct, causes significant soiling (such as vomit, blood, excrement or dye stains) or damage to rooms or furnishings, the guest will be charged the full actual cost of restoration, including specialist cleaning, deodorising, disinfection and replacement of linen or equipment.
If such soiling or damage prevents the next guests from being accommodated and requires the room to be taken out of service, compensation equivalent to the accommodation charges for the closure period will also be claimed.
Smoking indoors or anywhere on the premises outside designated smoking areas incurs a fixed special cleaning and deodorising charge of JPY 50,000, plus compensation for the period the room is out of service.
Business name on receipts
株式会社アジアンドキュメンタリーズ 佐渡事業所 湊月楼 (Asian Documentaries Corporation — Sado Office, Sogetsuro)
Experiences and meals for your stay.
Optional services for your stay. All require advance reservation, and all prices include tax. Open each section for details and prices.
Experiences
Optional experiences to add to your stay. Advance reservation is required, and experiences are available for two or more participants.
- Farming, forestry and fishing experience with a Sado documentary director
- JPY 15,000per person · tax included
- Oyster fishing experience on Lake Kamo
- JPY 15,000per person · tax included
- Japanese culture: kimono experience
- JPY 10,000per person · tax included
- Japanese culture: tea ceremony
- JPY 5,000per person · tax included
- Photography by a professional photographer
- JPY 10,000per hour · tax included
Dinner ingredients
Dinner ingredients are available by advance reservation. These are ingredients, rather than a prepared dinner.
- Sukiyaki
- JPY 3,500per person · tax included
- Shabu-shabu
- JPY 3,500per person · tax included
- Yakiniku
- JPY 3,500per person · tax included
- Seasonal hotpot
- JPY 3,500per person · tax included
- For alcoholic drinks, visit Tsukamoto Saketen, a three-minute walk from Sogetsuro. Taste and purchase your own favourites there.
- One instant noodle serving, such as Raoh, is provided free per guest.
Lakeside barbecue garden
Staying guests can reserve exclusive use of the Sogetsuro barbecue garden on Lake Kamo free of charge. Advance reservation is required. Fuel and any ordered ingredients are charged separately.
- Fuel
- JPY 2,0002 gas canisters · tax included
- Barbecue ingredient set · reservation required
- JPY 3,500per person · tax included
- Free equipment: one gas barbecue stove and tableware for six. Please wash the tableware on site and return it after use.
- Also included: six chairs, a table, a cooler box, two LED lights for nighttime use and a sunshade tent.
- You may also purchase and bring your own ingredients.
- Free transfers to and from the barbecue garden are provided in the inn’s Hiace.
Private interpreting and sightseeing guide · reservation required
JPY 56,0007 hours in one day · tax included
- Available in Japanese, Chinese and English.
- Hiace transfers are provided without a transfer service charge. Parking and fuel are charged at actual cost.
Private guides serve one group per day. Staying guests have priority until 14 days before the tour date.
Walk Sado Like a Local
To truly discover Sado, it takes more than visiting its famous sights.
It means listening to the stories of the people who live here and experiencing the stories rooted in the island.
At Sogetsuro, our Taiwanese and Thai guides offer private tours exploring Sado’s nature, history, and culture.
From the World Heritage Site “Sado Gold Mines” to the historic streets of Aikawa, port-town landscapes, and the traditions woven into island life, we explore Sado according to your interests.Rather than simply following a fixed sightseeing route, walk, see, listen, and meet the people of the island.
Experience Sado as a traveler, while stepping just a little into the life of the island.
Sado Private Guide
- One group per day · 1–6 guests
- Approx. 7 hours
- Free Private transportation by HiAce
- Guide fee: ¥56,000
From Sado Gold Mines and Aikawa to Ogi and Lake Kamo, we take you to places where you can experience Sado’s history, culture, and nature, tailored to your interests.
Getting to Sogetsuro
Niigata Station → Niigata Port
Take a Niigata Kotsu bus on the Toki Messe / Sado Kisen route and get off at “Sado Kisen,” or take a taxi to the Sado Kisen Terminal at Niigata Port.
Bus timetable and stops (Japanese) ↗
Niigata Airport → Niigata Port
Take the direct mini-shuttle or a taxi to the Sado Kisen Terminal at Niigata Port. Check Niigata Airport’s official website for the shuttle timetable.
Shuttle timetable ↗
Niigata Port → Ryotsu Port → Sogetsuro
Sail from Niigata Port to Ryotsu Port on a Sado Kisen car ferry or Jetfoil.
Sado Kisen timetable (Japanese) ↗
After disembarking, Sogetsuro is approximately a 10-minute walk (700 m) from Ryotsu Port Ferry Terminal.
Address: 39 Ryotsuminato, Sado, Niigata, Japan
Please enter from the road on the Minato Central Park side. The entrance is not on Honmachi-dori.