Sado Island - 2 or 3 nights?

Hello,

My wife and I are traveling to Sado Island in late April. We will be taking the ferry from Niigata to Ryotsu and staying in Ryotsu. We plan to do some laid back sightseeing there, and our only plan so far is taking the bus northward up the coast for a day trip. Would you recommend 2 or 3 nights there?

Thanks!

One night enough.

One thing to keep in mind is that, with islands, once weather forces ferries to be canceled, you will be stuck. Ferries are rarely canceled unless a storm hits the sea, but once it does hit the sea, it can even affect the day after until the tide gets calmer.

So if I were you, I'd allow myself an "extra" night, or I would keep my later schedules flexible so that, if it so happens that I get stuck on the island, I won't have to ruin plans that were supposed to follow.

That said, I'm an island-goer and I always need at least 3 nights on the most remote islands and just doing nothing. But some people are even okay with day-trips. It's really up to you. The wonders of islands are always in its remoteness, though.

The gold mine makes for an interesting trip, both for the scenery on the route and the mine itself. Late April it should be quite nice.