The Earth Celebration festival runs from 18th -20th August so after the Onsen near Watarase we had 3 nights to enjoy before our ferry booking from Niigata would take us onto Sado for the morning of the 18th

We were lucky to hit upon a spa town called Kusatsu where we visited an art gallery exhibiting the paintings of Kataoko Tsurutaro who was an actor, comedian, boxer and also a talented painter. The hot springs of mineral water cascading down the mountainside created a water pathway for visitors to enjoy the healing waters whilst walking the mountainside.

Leaving Kusatsu we had a fascinating drive through the mountains to the craft village of Takumi No Sato driving through alpine like ski villages, the highlight was sighting a monkey munching its lunch at the side of the road ( the first wildlife sighting of our journey) Historically the village was a collection of four closely located villages that had merged into one in 1906. The concept of a craft village came from showcasing traditional crafts and skills that continue to this day.

We decided to visit a renowned cosmos park which disappointingly was not as spectacular as we had hoped as they were not in full flower but the views were worth the drive.

With time to spare we visited a nearby museum of sports memorabilia and art work at the Ikeba art museum in nearby Minamiuonuma.