Jutting out of the middle of Japan from the north coast lies one of the most secluded parts of the country: Noto Peninsula. Thanks to its abundance of rugged coastlines, untouched cedar forests, and one of the nation’s favorite styles of lacquerware, the peninsula is one of the prides of Ishikawa Prefecture.
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While it’s rare to find Noto Peninsula on a list of the top places to visit in Japan, this most certainly isn’t due to a lack of attractions in the area. Mainly due to limited public transportation, much of the region is relatively undiscovered which makes any trip to the peninsula an authentic experience of rural Japan. Best explored by car, the main road running through the peninsula follows mountainous routes through forests and along spectacular coastlines with secluded typical Japanese houses along the way.
Following Route 249 through the west of the peninsula promises views of rugged cliffs, interesting rock formations, and temples as well as a number of beaches which range from somewhat quiet to completely isolated. While the east coast of the peninsula is more populated than the west, the surrounding and inland areas are left to grow free with thick forests covering rolling hills for kilometer upon kilometer.
While the wild nature is, of course, one of the main draws to Noto, there are also a number of small cities and fishing villages in the area including Nanao, the largest city on the peninsula known for its lacquer Buddhist altars, Noto City, and Suzu. One of the largest and most visited of the cities is Wajima, which is found halfway up the peninsula in the Okunoto region. This port city is best known for its local morning markets and its Wajima-nuri lacquerware, a colorful material used to make kitchenware that is most commonly black and red and decorated with gold engravings. The ever popular Wakura Onsen hot springs lie at the base of the peninsula within Nanao City; the area has gradually grown into a small development made up of traditional ryokan which encompass the famous natural hot springs.
Surrounded by the ocean from all directions and an abundance of uninhabited land, it is no surprise that a typical Noto diet consists mainly of fresh seafood and mountain vegetables with the fishing and agriculture industries flourishing in this area. On top of its delicious fresh oysters, the peninsula also prides itself on its kaisen-don, a dish made up of a variety of raw fish served with rice, and ishiri fish sauce, a unique blend of squid intestines or sardines depending on the region. Salt production is equally thriving in the area thanks to the surrounding Sea of Japan with stores all across the region selling bags of the freshly extracted salt as well as a number of salt-infused products such as ice cream and cookies.
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