Noto Peninsula & Wajima

A peninsula jutting into the Sea of Japan with terraced rice fields by the sea, Wajima lacquerware and salt fields; the rural landscapes of Oku-Noto are the highlight of any Ishikawa road trip.

The Noto Peninsula, in northern Ishikawa Prefecture, juts about 100 km into the Sea of Japan. It is divided into Kuchi-Noto in the south (Hakui, Nanao, Wakura Onsen), Naka-Noto in the middle, and Oku-Noto at the northern tip (Wajima, Suzu, Noto Town). The peninsula is designated a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System as "Noto's Satoyama and Satoumi": the seaside terraced rice fields of Shiroyone Senmaida, agehama-style salt fields where seawater is still hauled and spread by hand, villages enclosed by magaki bamboo fences, Wajima-nuri lacquerware with a thousand-year tradition, and the summer and autumn Kiriko festivals featuring giant lanterns together make up some of Japan's most rustic coastal scenery. The west coast, Sotoura, has wave-carved Sea of Japan cliffs (Noto Kongo, Sosogi), while the east coast, Uchiura, faces the calm waters of Toyama Bay (Tsukumo Bay, Mitsukejima, Koiji Beach, Wakura Onsen). Important: on January 1, 2024, the Noto Peninsula was struck by an M7.6 earthquake, followed by torrential rain that September, and Oku-Noto was severely hit — the Wajima Morning Market district burned down, Mitsukejima and Sosogi's Mado-iwa rock partly collapsed, and Sojiji Soin temple and most ryokan in Wakura Onsen were damaged. Reconstruction is still under way; some facilities are temporarily closed or operating from new locations, and roads may be restricted, so be sure to check official information from Ishikawa Prefecture and the local municipalities before you go. The best season is May–Oct: rice planting at Senmaida in June, Kiriko festivals Jul–Sep, and golden rice fields in October; winter is snowy and windy, but brings winter yellowtail (kanburi) and kobako crab. Getting there: the Noto Express bus from Kanazawa Station to Wajima takes about 2–2.5 hours, or fly to Noto Airport (from Tokyo Haneda); the JR Nanao Line runs to Wakura Onsen. Public transport on the peninsula is scarce, so a self-drive loop is recommended. Allow 2–3 days: day one for Kuchi-Noto (Keta Taisha shrine, Noto Kongo, Wakura Onsen), day two for Wajima and Senmaida, and day three for Suzu and the Uchiura coast.

Top sights

• Shiroyone Senmaida Rice Terraces – Over a thousand small paddies cascade down to the sea on the Sea of Japan coast. They symbolise the “Noto Satoyama Satoumi” World Agricultu…
• Wajima Morning Market – One of Japan's three great morning markets, with a thousand-year history, where fishwives set up stalls selling dried fish, seafood and lac…
• Mitsukejima Island – A sea stack about 28 meters tall, shaped like a warship and a landmark of Oku-Noto. Much of it collapsed after the 2024 earthquake.
• Wakura Onsen – A seaside hot spring town with a thousand-year history, facing Nanao Bay and known for the famous ryokan Kagaya. It is gradually reopening…
• Wajima Museum of Urushi Art – A rare museum devoted entirely to lacquerware, systematically presenting the techniques of Wajima-nuri, with over a hundred steps, and its…
• Wajima Kiriko Art Museum – Displays dozens of Noto kiriko festival lanterns, the largest up to 15 meters tall, letting you experience the grandeur of the Noto festiva…
• Rokkosaki Lighthouse – A white stone lighthouse at Okami on the northernmost tip of the Noto Peninsula, where you can watch both the sunrise and the sunset over t…
• Noto Kongo Coast (Ganmon) – About 30 km of sea cliffs along the Sotoura coast, highlighted by the sea-eroded Ganmon arch, Kigu Rock and the Yase Cliffs.
• Agehama Salt Fields (Suzu Ensdenmura) – The only place in Japan where the five-century-old Agehama method of hand-made salt production continues. At the salt field village you can…
• Notojima Aquarium – The only aquarium on the Sea of Japan coast that keeps whale sharks, with dolphin shows and penguin parades. A great choice for families.
• Sojiji Soin Temple – The origin site of Sojiji, the head temple of the Soto Zen school, a seven-century-old Zen temple in the town's temple district that is sti…
• Sosogi Coast & Tarumi Falls – A coastline of strange rock formations on the Sotoura side. In winter, strong winds blow Tarumi Falls back upward, and the former landmark…
• Magaki Fence Villages of Ozawa – A seaside village where houses are enclosed by bamboo fences 4 to 5 meters high, called magaki, a distinctive landscape built to shield hom…
• Koiji Beach – A calm coast on the Uchiura side with a tragic love legend. The island of Benten-jima in the sea and the Koiji Bell on shore are favorite s…
• Cape Suzu (Seiiki no Misaki & Blue Cave) – A headland at the tip of the Noto Peninsula known as a 'power spot', with a cantilevered observation deck and a Blue Cave lit to glow deep…
• Keta Taisha Shrine – Noto's top-ranked shrine (ichinomiya), famous for matchmaking, with an ancient primeval forest behind it, the Irazu no Mori, which has been…
• Myojoji Temple – The Hokuriku head temple of the Nichiren school, home to Noto's only five-story pagoda. Ten buildings in its compound are designated Import…
• Ipponsugi Street, Nanao – A 600-year-old shopping street in Nanao, lined with wooden machiya townhouses and traditional shops, where splendid bridal noren curtains a…
• Tsukumo Bay – A winding, sawtooth-shaped chain of small coves on the Uchiura coast, known as “Japan’s ria coast,” with glass-bottom boat tours.
• Nanao Castle Ruins – The ruins of a Sengoku-era castle, one of Japan’s five great mountain castles, with well-preserved honmaru stone walls and views over Nanao…
• Noto-Kashima Station (Noto Sakura Station) – An unstaffed station on the Noto Railway whose platforms are covered by a tunnel of cherry blossoms. Known as “Noto Sakura Station,” it is…
• Chirihama Nagisa Driveway – The only coastline in Japan where ordinary vehicles can drive directly onto the sand, about 8 km long, with superb sunsets over the Sea of…

Where to eat

• Shinpuku Sushi – Ranked No. 1 for sushi in Wajima on Tabelog, serving sushi made with that day's Noto seafood on Wajima lacquerware; reo…
• Mebuki – A recovery canteen opened by Michelin one-star chef Hayato Ikehata with local chefs affected by the disaster, serving h…
• Orizzonte – A popular Italian restaurant near Wajima Morning Market that kept serving wood-fired pizza and pasta from a temporary s…
• Okina Kissa – A Wajima kissaten open for more than 50 years, famous for baked pasta and firm, old-fashioned caramel pudding, and reop…
• Umibe no Somamichi – A Japanese restaurant run by lacquer artist Akito Akagi, relocated after the 2024 earthquake to the seaside at Shikasak…