I had the pleasure of a very memorable homestay experience on Sado Island (Sado ga Shima / 佐渡島), a relatively small island (approx. 330 square miles / 855 square KM) with a population of around 70,000. It is located off the northwestern side of Tohoku, Japan's main island and resides in the Sea of Japan between mainland Niigata Prefecture (新潟県) to the West and and Russia to the west. (Not in the middle, of course. It lies within an hour's boatride of Niigata shores.)
Here are a few (non-digital, scanned) photos I took during my time there. Please forgive me for the quality of these pics. I took these with a disposal camera purchased on locale.
Here's the type of boat I took from Niigata to the Sado. Very smoooooth. 
Yes, this scenery still exists.
No gold chains, so don't call me "goomba".
I had some rather profound snorkling experiences off this beach, encountering the largest (and deadliest) jellyfish I've ever seen.
Are you also thinking SADAKO??
