Noto, Ishikawa - A City of History

This video, titled "Noto, Ishikawa Tourism PR Video" (【石川県能登町観光PR】心あばれる), was created by "Noto Town."

Noto, Ishikawa, in the Hokuriku region of Japan, is a town with more than 1,300 years of history. It's a small town that boasts the gentle coastline of Uchiura, facing Toyama Bay (富山湾, Toyamawan) and the Mt. Hachibuse (鉢伏, Hachibuseyama), where precious ancient beech forests remain.
The town has a long history, prospering from dolphin hunting in the Jomon period (14,00 B.C. to 400 B.C.), and worshipping the god of agriculture and marriage, also known as the god of mountains.
Please enjoy the video of the countryside, Noto, where history and culture are still alive today.

From Noto to Wajima - Japan's Famous Agricultural Heritage Sites

Photo：Ishikawa Prefecture, Shiroyone Senmaida

In June 2011, Noto, Ishikawa was registered as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).
GIAHS is a system under which the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognizes areas with globally important traditional agriculture, forestry, and fisheries as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
To date, 57 areas in 21 countries have been recognized by the organization.
In Japan, there are 11 areas that have been certified.
In particular, the Shiroyone Senmaida Rice Terraces of Wajima are attracting attention as one of the most representative terraced rice fields in the Noto region.

Sightseeing Spots in Noto

Source :YouTube screenshot

The video introduces some sightseeing spots in Noto, Ishikawa, where you can see the beautiful natural scenery of Japan.
Notoro Trolley is a small railway that runs from Koiji Station to Sogen Tunnel, a distance of about 350 meters. It's shown at 1:05 in the video.

From 1:36, you can see “Roadside Station Sakuratoge.”
There's also “Salvia Road” with roughly 40,000 salvia plants on a 4 km stretch of road from the roadside station towards Suzu.
You can see the bright red salvia in full bloom in the video.

At Koiji Beach which can be seen at 2:05, there's the "Happiness Bell" which is said to bring happiness when rung by couples, as well as strange rocks and a torii gate built into the sea.
This place is known as “Love Road.”

Noto is famous for blueberries and strawberries as well. As shown at 2:21 in the video, you can experience blueberry and strawberry picking as well.

At 2:33 a festival in Ishikawa Prefecture is introduced.
The Tomobata Festival is designated as an intangible folk cultural asset of Ishikawa Prefecture.
There are large flags, five colored streamers and boats with Tairyo-bata moving in formation.
At 2:51, we see the Sode-Kiriko and Kozare Festivals, where portable shrines and giant lanterns are paraded through the town, and fireworks are set off at night. From 3:11 in the video, the “Ushitsuno Abare Festival” is introduced.
As you can see in the video, the portable shrine is knocked to the ground and thrown down into the river to be purified by the gods.

Other festivals in Noto Town, Ishikawa, include the Koiji Fire Festival, the Niwaka Festival, the Shiromaru Hikiyama Festival, and the Yanagida Festival, which excite a lot of people.

Other Sightseeing Spots in Noto, Ishikawa

Photo：Wajima, morning market

There are other sightseeing spots in Noto, Ishikawa, such as 543.6 m tall Mt. Hachibuse, which is the second highest mountain in Okunoto, with a rare ancient beech forest, Torii Shoyu Soy Sauce Shop, built in 1908, which is listed as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan, Wajima Morning Market, where you can enjoy seafood and fruit from Noto, Mitsukejima, also called Gunkan Island due to the 28 meter tall rock that looks like a battleship ("gunkan" means battleship in Japanese), Chirihama Nagisa Driveway, the only beach in Japan where you can drive on the sandy shore, Ganmon, which is a cave created by the erosion of waves over a long period of time, Notojima Aquarium, where you can see fish that live around Noto, such as whale sharks, Rokkosaki, Tsukumo Bay, Mawaki Archaeology Museum, Mantenboshi, Matsunami Sake brewery, Yanagida Botanical Park, Concert Noto, Mawaki Site, Prefectural Notokenmin Tennis Center, and more!
We hope you enjoy these sightseeing spots when you visit Noto!

Don’t forget about the food when you visit Noto, either!
There are many excellent dishes such as "Noto-don," using plenty of fresh seafood, "Kanazawa curry," which is popular nationwide, "Hanton rice," which is an omelette with fried fish on top, "Kanazawa oden," whose rich broth is to die for, "Komatsu udon," which was praised by Matsuo Basho, "Kaga crab rice," which uses the Kahako crab caught at the local fishing port, "Hakusan hyakusen," which is a healthy set meal, and "Kaga parfait," which is a locally produced sweet.

Hotels in Noto, Ishikawa

There are hot springs and popular hotels in Ishikawa, such as Wakura Onsen and Lamp no Yado Ryokan.

The area around Kanazawa has many luxury hotels and is a great place to stay because of its easy access to tourist spots.
One of the lesser-known places to stay is a campground on the coastline.
You can enjoy camping under the beautiful night sky.

Summary of Noto, Ishikawa

Photo：Bentenjima in Koji, Noto-cho, Hōsu District, Ishikawa Prefecture

Noto is a popular sightseeing area in Japan.
This video, made from the perspective of someone enjoying life in the countryside, introduces various sightseeing spots in Noto, Ishikawa.
Which one caught your eye?
You can enjoy the ancient history, elegant Japanese tradition and culture of Kagahyakumangoku, the fisheries and agricultural resources nurtured by the ever-changing climate, and beautiful beaches.

You can enjoy your own way of life in Noto, “The Home of Your Heart.”

【Official Website】Noto Town Hall
https://www.town.noto.lg.jp/www/normal_top.jsp

【Official Website】Noto-cho tour guide - Noto Peninsula | Noto-cho, Ishikawa sightseeing portal site
https://notocho.jp.e.ala.hp.transer.com/