The best way to discover little-known sights and make even familiar places feel brand new,

is to go exploring by bicycle.

Today we're visiting Sado Island, home to around 50,000 people.

This island was once the source of immense wealth, thanks to its rich gold deposits.

Wealth that nurtured a surprisingly sophisticated island culture, much of which still thrives today.

Everyone needs a foundation,
a support to help them through life.

Ready! Go! Go!

This voyage of discovery will get pretty physical at times.

I had to be rescued.

Remembering the old wisdom of their ancestors,

people on Sado are working to restore the natural beauty of their island.

I want to bring back the sight of Sado's
crested ibis in the sky at sunset.

Come with us now, on a 250-kilometer ride around Sado Island.

That's seriously high.

Sado is an isolated island off the west coast of Japan.

Here's our cyclist, scanning the horizon for his first glimpse of the island.

Hi, it's Paul again, starting another tour for Cycle Around Japan.

Paul Imperatrice is from New Zealand.

A fascination with Asian culture brought him to Japan in 1991.

He runs his own language school in Tokyo.

And this is the first time I've come close to the island.

It's much bigger than I thought it was. Large hills.

And it seems to have some kind of white mist around it making it a little mysterious.

But it looks like it's going to be a solid ride.

Paul sets off from Ryōtsu Port, the gateway to Sado for visitors.

Off on another great adventure.

Paul will start this three-day ride by cycling right round the island's coast.

After the fishing ports of the south, he'll tackle the west coast,

which has the hardest cycling and the most spectacular scenery.

He'll then ride inland through the Kuninaka Plain, where most of the island's rice is grown.

Finally, Paul will climb up to a mountain viewpoint looking out over the sea.

Well, that sea is really beautifully clear.

Vivid blue, and green mountains.

The Sea of Japan being a lot smaller than the Pacific, but it's amazingly blue.

The route circling the island's coast is about 210 kilometers long.

Beautiful rocks.

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

And there's no one here.

Oh, they're growing rice, right down to the sea's edge.

On this mountainous island, rice farmers make use of every available bit of land.

I wonder what he's catching.

Oh look, there's some small boat-type thing.

Oh, that's really weird.

- Good morning!
- Hello!

What is that boat?

It's called a hangiri, or rice tub,
because that's what they were made from.

They were invented to fish for turban shells
and abalone. We still use them for that today.

Located where warm and cold ocean currents meet,

Sado is blessed with an amazing variety of fish.

Hangiri have been used here for a long time.

They were originally made by cutting large wooden tubs in half.

The islanders invented this kind of boat so they could fish in very shallow coastal waters.

- I made this one myself. Come aboard!
- Looks amazing.

Don't worry if it leaks a bit.

Kaneko Keiji is a skilled maker of hangiri.

He uses them to take visitors on trips to explore Sado's coast.

All set? I'll take you for a little cruise.
Here we go!

Very nice.

These shallow coastal waters are the result of an earthquake

that caused the seafloor to rise over 200 years ago.

These waters became too shallow for boats,
so they cut wooden tubs in half to use instead.

Normal boats can't get into places like this.

They'd get stuck on the rocks.

Can you pass me that thing?

This box will let Paul see underwater.

- What am I looking for?
- Turban shells. Look, there's one.

Under the oar.

These shells are what hangiri fishers mainly seek.

Now I'll teach you how to paddle the boat.

Hangiri use a unique paddling technique.

Watch carefully how I do it.

From neutral, I'll first go right. I angle the paddle
45 degrees and push to the right.

Now back to neutral, 45 degrees,
push to left. Give it a try.

This is gonna be fun.

- Hello there!
- Hello!

This is Izawa Ayaka. She's new at this,
only been doing it two years.

To help Paul enjoy the hangiri experience, Kaneko has invited his favorite assistant to help.

Grab the water with your paddle,
then you'll start moving quickly.

Left, right, left, right...

Now you're moving.

Paul is just starting to think he has the hang of it...

...when Kaneko announces a race between the three of them.

Ready! Go! Go!

I'm heading in the wrong direction.

Where am I going?

Paul! What are you doing?
That was exhausting.

I had to be rescued.
I'm so tired I can't paddle any more.

Kaneko started this hangiri tour business in 2016.

These boats, so familiar since his childhood,

were on the verge of disappearing as less people were fishing.

While working for a pleasure boat company, he taught himself how to construct hangiri.

Kaneko's outgoing personality ensured his new hangiri tours quickly became popular.

I have fun, meet all sorts of people
as I introduce them to nature.

Working the hangiri boats was how I met Ayaka,
and now I've met Paul too.

For me, the hangiri is an amazing tool
to bring people together.

- Hangiri power.
- Hangiri power!

An island tradition, reborn for today.

Beautifully clear.

Paul has heard that a nearby hill has a spectacular view of the ocean, so he heads inland.

The first thing he passes are rice paddies.

Amazing. They've gone to all this effort up the top of this hill

to find this little amount of flat land and they've put it to use like this.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle.

These rice terraces probably date back nearly 400 years.

Oh man, this is steep.

Oh dear.

This looks like a good place to stop. Wow.

That is incredible.

Look at that.

Lime green through the dark green and off into the deep, blue sea.

What a spot.

That's a lot of effort on a bicycle but it's definitely worth it.

Wow.

A lot of rice is grown on Sado, and it's used for things other than food.

Well, I've made it to a school.

It looks very much like an old school.

It looks like an old school.

The shoes... Exactly the same.

A little bit different there. But basically a school.

- Hello! Is anyone there?
- Hello!

I'm Paul.

I'm Obata Rumiko.
Welcome to our sake brewery.

Obata Rumiko's family have been sake brewers for over 130 years.

This building is known as Gakko-gura, or school brewery.

It was an elementary school before Obata converted it.

This was originally a science lab.
We converted into a fermentation room.

- We have to put on special gear to go in.
- Show me the way.

As a special favor, Paul is allowed right into the heart of the brewery.

- I hope I'm not interrupting your work.
- No problem. Come in.

This sake is made from rice grown here on Sado.

The brewery also offers lessons in sake making.

Its highly skilled artisans will teach enthusiasts of any level of experience.

They get many students from abroad too.

- Hi, I'm Paul.
- I'm Fabio from Brazil.

Very nice.

- Have you been coming here for a long time?
- No, this is the first time.

It's interesting because I have studied a lot about nihonshu, about sake.

- So this is the first time you've been to Sadogashima?
- Sadogashima, yes.

- It's amazing.
- What's your impression of the place?

It's beautiful.

Every day, I come to the Gakko-gura and I can see all the nature surrounding, and yeah, it's fantastic.

Obata planned this unique brewery to show visitors to Sado

the deep connection between her sake and the island itself.

What a view! I'd never be able to concentrate
on lessons, always looking out the window.

You're right.

There's a beautiful view of the night sky too.

- The stars look even better with a glass of sake.
- Sounds wonderful.

Obata was the second daughter in a sake brewing family.

As a young woman she disliked the island life, and left to work for a film distribution company in Tokyo.

But then her father's health failed, so she returned to Sado to help out.

She was then 29.

Utilizing her experience working in Tokyo,

Obata started developing new products and expanding the business overseas.

Seeing foreign customers awed by Sado's natural beauty made her appreciate the charm of her island home.

Sado is a treasure island, a special place.

I came back thinking I should change things,
bring it up to date.

But eventually I realized that the real appeal of
Sado is simply the island itself, just as it is.

Driven by a desire to convey the charm of her island, its nature, history and culture,

Obata has created sakes that have won international awards for excellence.

What about the future for Sado?

Rather than innovation, I think we should
build on the island's existing special qualities.

I hope to attract more visitors, from overseas too.

That way we can create a future with more
opportunities for our children.

Tonight, Paul will stay at a ryokan that's over a century old.

The cuisine naturally features seafood from the fertile waters around Sado.

Paired, of course, with a fine sake from Obata's brewery.

There's nothing better than sake and fish.

Here we go.

Wow, very smooth.

Very, very, very smooth.

And, quite an earthy taste.

Flying fish are in season just now, and absolutely delicious.

Unbelievably fresh. Wow.

It's so clean, it's so well-prepared. Absolutely amazing.

I'll refuel with this, enjoy myself, and have another great day tomorrow.

Cheers.

The air is very fresh.

And I'm cutting up into the hills, off the coastline I've been running across.

Paul is making a short diversion into the mountains to see something special.

Wow.

Look at that. That's huge.

Mining for gold began on Sado around the year 1600.

This was one of the major sites.

The discovery of gold brought large numbers of laborers to the island,

and also many samurai to act as administrators.

Sado became immensely prosperous.

Eventually, however, all the ore was extracted, and by 1989, the mines shut down.

And you can see from the size of it, the amount of development that they've done.

That's huge.

Paul's now nearing the northern end of the island, and is about to face his biggest challenge.

I've finally come to the "Z Switchback," something all us cyclists know about.

Named for the way it looks like a letter "Z" when seen from below,

this strenuous climb has an elevation of about 130 meters.

I can't remember what part of the letter I'm up to now.

Again. Another switchback.

Oh, we're heading into the tunnel.

Woah.

That's seriously high.

Straight off.

Nearing the northern tip of Sado, an enormous rock shaped like a turtle appears up ahead.

Wow, that's huge. What a statement.

167-meters high, this rock has long been worshipped by locals as the abode of a god.

Paul has completed his circuit of the island.

He's now turned inland, to ride across the Kuninaka Plain.

Here, rice paddies stretch almost to the horizon.

Paul's here for a reason. There's a special spot he wants to visit.

There we go.

Starting to move. Oh, here he is.

Very quick work. Wow, they make really quick work of getting one of those.

They're really sturdy. They're really strong.

Good appetite.

Sado Island is the only place in Japan where the crested ibis can be found today.

This facility breeds and helps conserve these rare birds.

It's very popular with both islanders and visitors from outside.

These two were just born this year.

How old are they now?

- They were born in May, so two months.
- Amazing how big they've grown.

My name is Paul.

Have you been doing this work long?

I've been working with these birds for 33 years.

Veterinarian Kaneko Yoshinori was the first person in Japan to successfully breed a crested ibis in captivity.

I see it's now a big project,
but what was it like at first?

When I started, there were still two birds left on Sado,
the last remaining anywhere in Japan.

Until the 19th century, crested ibis were common throughout Japan,

but overhunting and environmental degradation led to their extinction.

Kaneko and his colleagues imported a mating pair from China,

but it proved extremely difficult getting them to breed.

When a chick was finally born in 1999, they had to figure out everything by trial and error.

I didn't know anything about raising them,
not even the kind of food they'd need.

So when the first was born, I was in a cold
sweat wondering how to look after it.

The mildest stomach upset kept me up all night.

The pressure was tremendous.

By 2008, their efforts had paid off,

the birds were breeding well and they could release 10 crested ibis into the wild.

The birds continued to increase in number, and today there are more than 500 living around Sado Island.

The islanders themselves have played a large part in ensuring the return of Sado's ibis population.

Hello there.

This is Saito Shinichiro.

- Hello.
- Good day, my name is Paul.

For the sake of the birds, Saito grows his rice
using the least amount of chemicals possible.

When we lost all our ibis before, it was agriculture
that put the final nail in their coffin.

The overuse of pesticides killed off their food,
so they couldn't survive.

I farm using minimal pesticides,
to help the ibis population continue to recover.

Crested ibis eat insects, frogs and other small creatures.

Reducing chemical use allowed the rice paddies to recover and teem with life

as they did back in the heyday of the ibis.

It required much more manual labor,

but Sado's farmers remain determined to prioritize these vital ecosystems.

One of the older farmers told me about
the beauty of the crested ibis in the sunset sky.

We're all happy to change our farming methods
if we can bring those days back.

Everyone needs a dream, and it's is fun to work
toward realizing your dreams.

It's a lot more work, but I think we all enjoy it.

In the old days, there were so many the farmers saw
them as pests that harmed their crops.

We're a long way from having that problem again.

I hope to be remembered as the one
who brought the ibis back.

Sado Island rice is gaining popularity nationwide as an eco-friendly brand.

With the return of the crested ibis, Sado's future is looking bright.

We're surrounded by mountains,

but there's a cool breeze.

This is a pretty established building.

I'll just drop in.

It's an amazing house and courtyard.

I'm not sure if it's...

It sort of looks like a temple.

What a beautiful building.

Wow, that's a stage. Noh theatre stage.

Oh, hello!

I hope you don't mind,
but this place looked so beautiful.

- My name is Paul.
- I'm Saito Michie.

Saito Michie is a Noh performer.

Noh is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama

in which actors wearing masks sing or chant their lines.

Noh was a favorite entertainment of the samurai who came to Sado during the gold mining era.

It took root as part of the island's culture.

Today, there are still around 30 Noh stages on Sado,

with plays put on by islander amateurs in their spare time.

In the old days, you had to chant well before
they accepted you as a full member of society.

Saito began seriously practicing Noh in her twenties.

She became a teacher herself at the age of 64, and continues to star in local performances.

Getting married, raising children, life is hard.

Noh helped me throughout - the challenge of
mastering a fresh story and character every year.

We all need a strong support to see us through life,
and for me, Noh has been that pillar.

There's one activity Saito currently focuses much of her energy on.

This is the Noh class she teaches at a local elementary school.

Turn the fan out, then bring it back to your chest.
And round your arms a bit more.

The number of performers has declined as the population ages,

and Saito hopes these children will ensure the future of the island's Noh tradition.

Try to make a more rounded, gentle shape.
Imagine you're holding an egg.

- What did you play today?
- I was a drunken demon.

- Was that fun?
- It was great!

I like how she doesn't just teach techniques.

We also learn the history of Noh,
and all its deeper meanings.

They're all so serious about practicing.

This class has been going for nine years now,
and I've always tried to make it fun.

The children are very committed, and I'm happy
to see them get good enough for the stage.

It gives me great pleasure to see the future
of Noh on Sado in these kids.

Saito's greatest role might be to save the tradition of her island birthplace.

It's Paul's last day on Sado and he's already getting close to his goal.

He'll end the trip at a lookout point high up in the center of the island.

Oh man, this hill just goes on forever.

Sado once was a very beautiful, rich land.

And like all other countryside areas of Japan, it suffered some sort of decline in the last 20 or 30 years.

But the Sado people, maybe because it's an island, maybe because they have a limited area and also a limited population,

but they've all worked together to utilize what they have here, the beautiful nature, the longstanding culture.

Sado, for me, has become a real jewel in the Nihon Sea, in the Sea of Japan.

I did it!

I really didn't think I was going to make that one.

Wow.

I really didn't think I had it in me to do that.

I decided to die trying.

I'm so glad I didn't stop.

That was as much as I could do.

A fine end. A fine end to a beautiful trip.

I recommend everyone should come to Sado and enjoy it for its nature and its culture.

You won't be disappointed. I will definitely come back here for more.

An island of treasures, cultural and natural gems that will shine

as long as there are people here on Sado to treasure and care for them.