5 Best Sights in The Japan Alps and the North Chubu Coast, Japan

This tiny port town on Sado's southwest coast is famous for taraibune, tublike boats used for fishing. You can be paddled around the harbor in one by old ladies in traditional attire for a small fee. Taraibune can also be found in the village of Shukunegi on the Sawasaki coast, where the water is dotted with rocky islets and the shore is covered with rock lilies in summer.

The island's most scenic route is the roughly 30-km (19-mile) Osado Skyline Drive, which snakes across the mountains from Ryotsu to Aikawa. If you aren't using a rental car, you must take either a tour bus from Ryotsu or a taxi from Aikawa to Chiguse, where you can catch a bus for the return trip. (You can do the route in reverse as well.) It's particularly beautiful in autumn foliage season.

This mine was once the most productive in Japan, producing gold, silver, and copper for the Tokugawa shogunate. After closing in the late 1980s, it has been preserved as a historical museum. Part of the mine's 325 km (250 miles) of underground tunnels, some running as deep as 1,969 feet, are open to the public. For a steep fee, you could don Mixed Reality glasses for a 30-minute walk in the Dohyu Tunnel, to see how Edo-period slaves worked the mine in appalling conditions. A cheaper option is to pay for tech-free access to parts of the Dohyu and Sohdayu tunnels. The mine is a tough 40-minute uphill walk or a five-minute taxi ride (about ¥900) from the bus stop at Aikawa. Three daily Nana-Ura Kaigan buses let you off at the Sado-Kinzan-mae bus stop.

Glass-bottomed boats operate sightseeing cruises around Senakaku Bay, offering views of the fantastic, sea-eroded rock formations and 60-foot cliffs. You get off the boat at Senkaku-wan Ageshima Yuen (Senkaku Bay Ageshima Island Park), where you can picnic, stroll, and gaze at the varied rock formations offshore. From the park, return by bus from the pier to Aikawa. To reach the bay, take a 15-minute bus ride from Aikawa to Senkaku-wan Ageshima Yuen Mae bus stop, where you catch boats for the 40-minute sightseeing cruise. The one-way cruise boat runs mid-March to late November. It's also possible to enter the park without taking a cruise. Once there, you could also try several hands-on activities, including fishing with a bamboo rod (¥550, 30 minutes) and preparing dried squid (¥1,500, 40 minutes).

Once known for building small wooden ships to traverse the waters between Sado and Honshu, laid-back Shukunegi is a great place to see traditional buildings that date back more than a century. From Ogi, you can reach Shukunegi by bus or by bike. If renting a bike in Ogi, ask for an electric assist model to help power you up the steep hills between the two towns.