Sado Kisen, NEXCO East Japan Niigata Branch, and Sado City will renew the “Sado Island Golden Pass” and “Sado Island Golden Plan” for discounted travel to Sado Island, starting April 1.
This product combines an expressway excursion pass and round-trip car ferry ride for ETC vehicles. The “Sado Island Golden Pass” combines a round-trip pass from the Tokyo metropolitan area to Niigata Prefecture with free rides on expressways within the prefecture, and the “Sado Island Golden Plan” combines a round-trip car ferry ride to Sado Island with lodging (or transportation only), for a fixed price of up to 4 days.
With this renewal, all expressway sections in Niigata Prefecture have been made available as excursion areas, making it easier to enjoy sightseeing not only on Sado Island but also in the prefecture. In addition to the expansion of the Ken-O Expressway’s service area, some sections of the Tohoku Expressway and Joban Expressway have also been made available. Accessibility from Saitama, Ibaraki, and Chiba prefectures has been improved.
The usage method has been changed from the conventional round-trip type to a “round-trip + round-trip type” and the fees have been revised. Fees are now 9,500 yen for standard cars and 7,600 yen for mini cars and other vehicles. The new system is a flat-rate system that can be used for a maximum of four days, and the price has been set to make it easier to use than before.
Car ferry services are available on the Niigata – Ryotsu and Naoetsu – Ogi routes, and include the cost of transporting a vehicle (3m or more but less than 6m). A 1,000 yen discount is available for both plans with or without overnight stay when combined with the Sado Island Golden Pass.
In addition, special offers for users include preferential treatment at tourist facilities on Sado Island and gifts of local specialties for those who respond to questionnaires. In addition, E-NEXCO points will be awarded and a campaign to increase ETC mileage points will be implemented.
Advance reservations are required, and applications are accepted on the NEXCO East Japan “Dora Wari” website.
© Source travel watch