Fishing Tower: Bora Machi Yagura on Anamizu Bay

The itinerary starts with the morning market.

Wajima Asaichi (輪島朝市) is the city’s top draw. Believed to date back over a thousand years, it is open almost every day of the year. The venue, Asaichi-dori (朝市通り) street is chock full of attractive local products; fresh seafood, vegetables, lacquer ware, and a vast range of souvenirs. Local specialties, such as shiosenbei, (salted rice crackers,) or egaramanju, (rice cake with bean paste inside and yellow-dyed rice grains outside), are perfect snack for the road trip. Most vendors, including cheerful old women affectionately called obachan, can’t speak English, but you can still understand what they are saying via gestures and broken of English. Enjoy shopping and mingling.

Pay a visit to a postcard-worthy village with terraced rice paddies and temples.

Drive less than 11 kilometers (7 miles) on Route 249 to Shiroyone Senmaida (白米千枚田), terraced rice paddies. Local farmers developed these rice terraces over 1300 years to enhance the productivity of slope fields. Widely considered the most picturesque scenery in Noto, Shiroyone Senmaida is a feast for the eyes. Cruise up Route 249 north, and turn right to get on 40 that connects with 277, and then take the left hand fork on 278 to Kanakura District (金蔵). Nestled on the hilly area of Wajima city, this pastoral district with terraced rice paddies and temples is truly off the beaten path. Rest at Yorimichi Parking Kanakura (寄り道パーキング金蔵), a homely shop and resting-place.

The list of Oku-Noto’s must-see goes on.
But it’s about time to be back.

Stay on 278 north for a few kilometers and turn right to get on 40, then right again at Goriwake (五里分) Intersection onto 6 south. This lesser-used road winds through the paddy field surrounded hills, and leads you to Ushitsu Port (宇出津港) located at the middle of the stretch of uchiura. As we’ve mentioned on previous pages, uchiura features calm and graceful coastlines in sharp contrast with dramatic sotoura. Enjoy the difference.
The Ushitsu port is one of the busiest fishing ports of the peninsula. During the days of Abare Matsuri (see page 28), a well-known kiriko matsuri, the normally quiet streets of this old fishing town really come alive. Pop in Divai (ディヴァイ) , a cosy nook near the port, for a pizza and chat with the English-speaking young owner. If you skipped Divai, as you are pressed for time, stop by Malga Gelato (マルガージェラート) on the way to Anamizu Bay (穴水湾) and grab an ice cream instead.
The coast that runs along Anamizu Bay is really calm. It has some coves including Nakai Cove (中居湾), where you’ll find a wooden tower, called Bora Machi Yagura, standing on the crystalline water. Local fishermen sit on it waiting for bora (mullet) to get caught. It’s an old-style of fishing which requires a lot of patience.
Keep on Route 249 as it hugs the coastline. Roll down the window, and you may feel the ocean spray on your face. You might see one or two-car trains chugging by as the local railway, Noto Railway, runs parallel to the road. Although this is a road trip, not a rail trip, let’s check out a couple of old wooden stations for a fun. Noto Kashima Station (能登鹿島駅) offers a stunning view of land and sea, and its platform transforms into a cherry blossom tunnel in mid-April. Located near the marina, Nishigishi Station (西岸駅) makes you feel as though you have travelled back in time with its nostalgic atmosphere. Cafe Youho (カフェ遊帆) is just around the corner of the station.
It’s about time to say goodbye to Noto. Turn right at Hamada Minami (浜田南) Intersection onto 23 and get on Noto Satoyama Kaido at Yokota (横田) Interchange.