Onogame is home to Japan's largest colony of the tobishima kanzo (Loropetalum nipponense). This is where the yellow flowers often appear on the cover of the Niigata Sado edition of Rurubu.

The Sado Ganzo Festival is held every year in early June, when the 'tobishima kanzo' is at its best. This year the festival was held on 8 June. A friend from Sado drove us to the Sado Ganzo Festival site.

Ono turtles are now in large view, near the entrance to Negai village. Follow the guidance of the attendant here and parallel park. The parking lot in front of Ono Turtle is already full. However, it is only a few minutes' walk from here.

When I arrived at the venue, the entertainment stage had already started. Many spectators and a number of large buses were parked in the car park in front.

In front of the venue, local schoolchildren were trying their best to raise money for 'Kanzo Conservation'. They donated only coins, but when they did, they cheerfully said "Thank you very much!" They greeted us with a cheerful "Thank you!

The key is the canker flower, but it is not quite at full bloom yet. It is not clear whether it was too early or too late.

Up close, it looks like this. Incidentally, the 'Ono Turtle' can be seen in the background.

At first glance, it looks like a mountain, but it is actually a giant monolith. The information board describes it as "one of the three largest monoliths in Japan". The summit can be reached in about 20 minutes one way.

While enjoying the entertainment on stage, a good number of people proceeded to the canopy of cankerberries and went straight up to the summit of Ono Turtle. My friend who gave me a ride also went towards the summit of Ono Turtle.

Meanwhile, on stage, the first performing art, Harikoma (Harikoma), was being performed. These are the members of the Noura Harukoma Preservation Society.

'Harukoma' is another traditional art form passed down from place to place on Sado Island. It has been handed down to each village as a celebratory dance. It is a dance with a slightly cheerful atmosphere. It was also featured in the film Fly! Dakota".

Next was 'Nanaura Jinku' from Aikawa. This was enthusiastically performed by the members of the Nanaura Min'yo Study Group, who had also appeared at the 'Yoinomai' held the night before in Kyomacho, Aikawa.

The traditional art of Ondeko, a representative of Sado, will also be performed. This year's Ondeko will be performed by the people of Kamiamezu. The powerful performance, the sound of the drums and the shouts echo through Onogame.

Following the Kamiamezu Onidaiko was the Children's Onidaiko, performed by the local Washizaki Children's Association. The children, who are in primary school age, have been practising day and night to carry on the traditional performing arts of the area. The enthusiastic performance by the children was met with thunderous applause from the audience.

Following the children's onidaiko was, to the surprise of many, a 'hula dance'!

In fact, these are regular visitors to the 'Sado Kanzo Festival'. They are all from Sado Island. Hula dancing against the backdrop of a cluster of canzos. This was a strange match.

After this, the entertainment stage was still going on, but before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I was quite satisfied as I was able to see the Kanzo flowers and even 'Onidaiko' and 'Harukoma'.

There are also food stalls on site, where you can also eat. The atmosphere is that of a normal local festival. However, it is rare to find an event that brings together so many performing arts from all over Sado Island. In fact, I got the impression that there were probably a few more spectators from within Sado Island than tourists from outside the island.

Now, it is lunchtime, and my friend who came back from the summit of Onogame said, "There is a place I really want to go", so we left Onogame and headed towards the Outer Kaifu Coast.

The destination is a 30-minute drive from Onogame. National Guest House Kaifu-so. The inn is located on a hill by the sea, with a panoramic view of the Outer Kaifu Coast from the guest rooms.

The restaurant is open for lunch, so they wanted to come here once. The menu is "curry" only, and reservations are required except on Sundays.

Haifu-so has recently started offering a full course of authentic French cuisine, which is also attracting a lot of attention. (French courses are basically only available during the off-season from November to March. However, other times of the year are also negotiable, as long as it is not during the peak season).

When it comes to lunch at an inn serving authentic French cuisine, expectations are inevitably high.

Even though it is OK on Sundays without a reservation, there seems to be a limited quantity, and above all, today is a busy day for the 'Sado Ganzo Festival', so it might be sold out... I was worried about that, but when I went in, I was told that it was OK.

We were shown to a normal, guest room at the inn. They are not shown to a dining room or a large room, but to a private room each.

The menu includes curry and curry sets, plus handmade French bread. The curry can be served in large portions. The set includes a choice of several drinks.

I ordered a normal serving of curry and a drink. Rice with... red rice?　For a moment I thought, no way. Of course it wasn't red rice, but a blend of Sado rice and ancient rice.

The roux was neither too hot nor too sweet, but rich and mild. The meat was so tender that at first I thought "chicken?" (My acquaintance thought it was beef.) When I asked him about it, he told me it was pork. (An acquaintance thought it was beef.) When I asked him about it, he told me it was pork. They say they cook the meat for at least six hours to make it tender.

Vegetables and other ingredients are also slow-cooked for a long time and are blended into the roux.

The staff who greeted us and the owner were very amiable, polite and explained everything to us. We were told that this curry is the same as that served at the famous Western-style restaurant Shiseido Parlour in Ginza.

Also, occasionally, "omelette rice" is added to the menu on some days. Not only during the kanzo season, but if you come to the Onogame area, why not enjoy lunch at Kaifu-so? (Except on Sundays, please make a reservation or enquire in advance.)

Spotlight.

Mya arenaria oonogai (subspecies of soft-shelled turtle)

• Onokame: Sado ni koi koicha - Self-governing Sado Island tourism information website: http://sadokoi.com/area/onokame.html

Kokusaikyugakudaikyugakushasei Hafu-so

• National Guest House Kaifu-so official website: http://kaifusou.com/