"The Road of Money Carriage" (October 5th and 6th)

This year's event has begun again, with participants walking along the "Okaneni Road," the road that transported gold and silver produced in Sado to Edo. On October 5th and 6th, the "Okaneni Road 2024 Walk" (sponsored by the Sado World Heritage Association) was held in Sado City, with a total of about 90 people dressed in Edo period travel attire celebrating the site's inscription as a World Heritage Site, walking and traveling by bus the 38-kilometer route from the Aikawa district to the Ogi district.

At the departure ceremony on the 5th, which was held at the former Sado Magistrate's Office in the Aikawa district, Mayor Ryugo Watanabe of Sado City, dressed as a magistrate, gave a speech saying, "With its registration as a World Heritage Site, Sado Island's gold mines have become a global treasure. We would like to make use of this to revitalize Sado." The group set off in high spirits, shouting out encouragement.

Cheered on by spectators along the way, participants listened to explanations at Konpira Shrine, Christian graves, and other places along the way. At Suwa Shrine in Sawada, participants were welcomed by the sound of onigiri drums and munched on rice balls to soothe their fatigue.

Kazuya Sakamoto (35), an office worker from Kawarada Suwa-cho, Sado City, who was participating for the first time, said with a smile, "When you actually walk the trail, you understand the hardships people faced at that time. I would like to use this registration as an opportunity to liven up Sado."

The "Okanari no Michi Walk" (sponsored by Sado City) will be held in Joetsu City (November 4th), Nagano Prefecture (November 16th), and Tokyo (November 30th). We are currently accepting applications for each event, so please come along and join us.