This itinerary is part of a set of 8 itineraries that circle the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, following the coastal roads as much as possible. You can choose to only follow this itinerary, or you can combine this itinerary with as many of the other "Noto Peninsula" itineraries, and/or "Festival" itineraries, as you like and have the time for.
This itinerary covers sites from Anamizu to Notojima Island on the east and south coast of the Noto Peninsula, ending in Wakura Onsen. It should take about one-day. Once you select it and save it, you can change/customize it. If you plan to continue on, you can add other Noto Peninsula itineraries starting from Notojima. Although we recommend beginning the string of Noto Peninsula itineraries from the Kanazawa Station (MapCode: 41 558 874*22), you can begin it from other nearby "gateways," e.g. the Komatsu Airport (MapCode: 120 529 748*33) or the Noto Satoyama Airport (MapCode: 283 475 067*52). All have several rental car outlets.
ACCOMMODATIONS: There are a variety of accommodation options around Anamizu where you can spend the night, if you wish. There are less accommodation options between Anamizu and Notojima/Wakura Onsen, mostly small minshuku (Japanese style bed & breakfasts). One hotel located before the bridge to Notojima is the Noto Omakidai National Lodge (MapCode: 590 480 761*03). Wakura Onsen, in Nanao City across the south bridge from Notojima, does have a complete range of accommodations, most with relaxing onsen baths. The most famous hotel in Wakura is the historic Kagaya (MapCode: 590 305 425*52). A deluxe hotel nearby is the Matsu no Midori Ryokan overlooking Nanao Bay (MapCode: 590 305 373*74). It features a small museum in the lobby dedicated to the famous local lacquer-ware artist Kado Isaburo, as well as a beautiful tea house with a view of the bay.
You can also easily reverse the itinerary, if you wish, just by following the MapCodes in the reverse order.
48
km / 29.7
miles
-
1
hours
and
21
minutes
1.
Anamizu Station - 穴水駅
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
MapCode :
283 198 897*36
Description :
The Anamizu Station (Anamizu-eki) is a railway station in Hosu-shi (Hosu City), Ishikawa-ken (Ishikawa Prefecture) operated by the Noto Railway. The station averages about 210 boarding passengers per day. The station also serves as a bus and taxi hub.
Courtesy of Wikipedia
Address :
Omachi, Anamizu, Hosu 927-0026
0.2
km / 0.1
miles
-
(1
minutes)
2.
Flathead Mullet Watchtower - Model - ボラ待ち櫓
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Min/Max Time :
5 / 5
Minutes
MapCode :
283 228 028*85
Description :
There is a model watchtower located in front of the Anamizu Library, across from the Anamizu Station.
A 10 m/33 ft tall scaffold is set up in an inlet to watch flathead mullet. It is made of logs that are combined to form a structure in the shape of a pyramid, and there is a seat at the top. People watch the 25 m²/270 ft² net at the bottom of the inlet, and pull it to catch fish when a school of fish comes along. The origin of this traditional fishing method is not clear, but it was used from the Edo period until the end of the war. In 1889, an American astronomer, Percival Lowell, visited Noto and described the watchtower as being “like the nest of the mythological bird Roc”. There used to be more than 10 watchtowers, but they gradually disappeared due to a decrease in the number of fish, and the amount of time and labor required for fishing. Fishing has not been conducted since 1996. The watchtowers that exist today are for tourism purposes only. They are part of the Noto Satoyama and Satoumi, a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).
Courtesy of the Noto Satoyama and Satoumi Digital Archive Website.
Anamizu is home to one of the highest ranking and most popular Sumo wrestlers in Japan, Endo. The Anamizu Library has a room dedicated to his career. Both the library and the Anamizu Station across the street have Endo souvenirs you can purchase.
Endō Shōta (Japanese: 遠藤 聖大, born October 19, 1990) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Anamizu, Ishikawa. After a successful amateur career, he turned professional in March 2013, making the top makuuchi division that September. His highest rank has been komusubi. He has been awarded one special prize for Fighting Spirit, one for Outstanding Performance and three for Technique, as well as six gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He was runner-up in the September 2016 tournament. He wrestles for Oitekaze stable. He is extremely popular with Japanese sumo fans and has been regarded as one of the most promising home-grown wrestlers in sumo.
The library has a parking lot behind it or you can park in the station parking lot across the street.
The Chokujozan Raiko-Ji Temple belongs to the Shingon sect. It was founded in 814 at the Emperor Saga's request and was awarded the mountain title of "Teijozan." At the end of the Heian period, it became a prayer temple for Hasebe Nobutsura, a warlord who appeared in the Heike story, and the temple name was changed to "Raikyoji". The temple houses many treasures such as a Kanzeon Bodhisattva statue that Shinren received from Emperor Takakura. The temple also owns two ghost figure painting that are said to have been drawn by Okyo Maruyama. The garden has been designated as a Prefectural Place of Scenic Beauty. The large "Kikuzakura" (chrysanthemum cherry tree) is a hundred-year-old tree that is said to have more than 300 petals.
There are several parking spaces on the south side of the road just to the right of the stairs leading up to the temple.
The Noto Great Buddha of Longevity statue is one of the biggest in the Hokuriku region, and was constructed and sponsored by a local construction company owner. The company’s owner lived to be 100 years old and thus the statue is affectionately known as the Noto Daibutsu of Longevity.
The statue is in a park setting with various other shrines, buildings, statues, memorials, a bell, and a 3-story pagoda.
The actual location of this watchtower is in the water. Parking space is on an entry road.
A 10 m/33 ft tall scaffold is set up in an inlet to watch flathead mullet. It is made of logs that are combined to form a structure in the shape of a pyramid, and there is a seat at the top. People watch the 25 m²/270 ft² net at the bottom of the inlet, and pull it to catch fish when a school of fish comes along. The origin of this traditional fishing method is not clear, but it was used from the Edo period until the end of the war. In 1889, an American astronomer, Percival Lowell, visited Noto and described the watchtower as being “like the nest of the mythological bird Roc”. There used to be more than 10 watchtowers, but they gradually disappeared due to a decrease in the number of fish, and the amount of time and labor required for fishing. Fishing has not been conducted since 1996. The watchtowers that exist today are for tourism purposes only. They are part of the Noto Satoyama and Satoumi, a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).
Courtesy of the Noto Satoyama and Satoumi Digital Archive Website.
The Kashima Shrine is a modest little Shinto shrine tucked away in a grove of trees off the main road. You can park along the roadside, or, if you are adventurous you can drive along the narrow farm road to the shrine.
9.
Noto Twin Bridge Overlook & Rest Area - 長浦うるおい公園
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Min/Max Time :
10 / 30
Minutes
MapCode :
590 453 846*36
Phone :
076-766-2660
Description :
The Noto Twin Bridge Overlook & Rest Area consists of an elevated area with the Nagaura Uruoi Park, a panoramic observatory, a rest area with food and toilets, and some information information boards giving some background on the construction of the Twin Bridge.
The Notojima Aquarium keeps about 40,000 living creatures of 500 species, focusing on fish that live and migrate in the coastal waters of the Noto peninsula, including whale sharks. There are a variety of daily events such as dolphin and seal shows, feeding of sea otters, the penguin walk, and the sea bream performance with sound and illuminations. This is a participation-style aquarium where you can experience feeding and watching fish up-close.
The Notojima Glass Art Museum, which opened in 1991, houses nearly 400 works centered on sculptural works by contemporary glass artists from around the world. The museum holds periodic exhibitions to introduce glass works from east and west, and also holds workshops where visitors can enjoy glass close up.
The Notojima Glass Studio allows visitors to experience glass making (reservation requested) themselves in their glass factory. A gift shop managed by the glass factory offers a broad range of glass items by artisans, as well as daily use items and souvenirs.
The Suso Ezoana Kofun Tumulus is a burial mound estimated to have been built around the middle of the 7th century, at the end of the "Ancient Tomb Era." It is believed to have been the grave site of two important Nanao government officials. The andesite stones, comprising the tomb, were hand-carried from the ocean up to the top of the hill. Inside, there are two corridor-style stone chambers which previously housed wooden coffins. The ceilings of the rooms are shaped like domes, distinguishing them from Japanese tombs of that same period. This style is more typical of tombs in Kogryo on the Korean Peninsula and may have been built with the help of a Kogryo architect. The deteriorating chambers were restored by Notojima Town in 1989-96.
Next to the parking lot is the Ezoana Tumulus Museum (open daily 09:00-17:00, closed on Mondays & Thursdays) with a toilet and a modest educational display.
The Le Musee de H is famed Pastry Chef Hironobu Tsujiguchi's pastry shop in Nanao, his hometown. The shop includes a small museum with some of his art work and a cafe to experience some of his delicious confections. His main store is in Kanazawa. The delicious creations here are well worth a stop whether just to view the art or for dessert.
