Back Roads, Bike Paths & Quiet Surprises: Cycling (or Driving) Japan's Noto Peninsula

The Noto Peninsula is a curious place. Found midway along the western coast of Honshu, it sticks out into the Sea of Japan like the thumb of a hitchhiker trying to escape the shadow of the continent. Off the long arc of its eastern shore lies Toyama Bay which, at 1,000 meters deep, hosts an almost unimaginable variety of marine life. The shores exposed for eons to the winds and sands of far-off Siberia are marked by weather-worn cliffs and rock formations only Nature could dream up.

Temples sit quietly in the skirts of the forested mountains, as they have for over 1,000 years. Farms and rice fields conform to the contours of the thick green land. Coastal villages wear clothes that only time and the elements can provide.

All this, and nobody ever comes here.

Okay that’s not entirely true. Tour buses do rumble along the interior, blowing past the soul of the region up to a stretch of tourism standards along the northern coast and down to the hot springs of Wakura. Both are worthy stops on any trip to this haven at the edge of Japan. But beyond these trampled grounds lies that proverbial unbeaten path to the stereo-mythical "real Japan" that some, perhaps, are still searching for.

Today we're going to find it.

Kanazawa, Gateway to Noto

The city of Kanazawa is a great jumping off point for the peninsula. Center of power for the Maeda clan, rulers of the Kaga domain during the Edo Era, Kanazawa plays host to Kenroku-en, one of Japan's most beautiful gardens. Nearby you'll find the expansive Kanazawa Castle grounds, encircled by stone walls from centuries past and lorded over by a stately array of castle towers and gates. Add to this the bustling and aromatic Omicho fish market, the narrow stone streets of the Nagamachi Samurai District, and an early morning stroll through the Higashi-chayaTeahouse District and you may, for a while, forget all about Noto.

Take some time to get to know Kanazawa.

Then Get Out of Town

There's no poo-pooing traveling to and around Noto by car. Once you get out of the Kanazawa Crush (my name for the city's congestion, hashtag it) the Noto Satoyama Kaido highway throws you into 25 miles of ocean views and harrowing truck traffic - a truly eye-opening mix. From there the speedway turns inland, and the pelagic scenery vanishes. For more ocean views and far fewer trucks hit the off ramp, hang a left on Route 249 and roll into the rural vibe.

Cycling out of Kanazawa is, for those inclined, a much more appealing proposition. The Sai River slips quietly through downtown Kanazawa, in the middle of a wide bed boasting grasslands for animals, grassy parkland for people, and one sweet, smooth bike path that leads right out of town.

Well, almost. Beyond the path's end there is a bit of remaining suburban sprawl where you might get a final dose of #KanazawaCrush. But the good stuff is just ahead. Hold your breath and pedal like hell.

Or skip it all by bagging up your bike and hauling it into Kanazawa Station. Jump the first JR train for Nanao and get off at Hodatsu. From there it's a quick, easy ride to the beach.

Bike Tracks in the Sand

In the global community, Japan offers a thousand kinds of unique. But some spots are one-of-a-kind even in Japan. The Chirihama Nagisa Driveway is one of them, comprised of eight kilometers of hard-packed beach that you can cycle or drive on, sometimes right to the edge of the water.

Welcome to the Noto Peninsula!

North of Chirihama the peninsula offers a mix of bike paths and quiet roads that seem not to care whether you find them. Flat, narrow roads wind between the rows of salt-beaten wooden homes of innumerable fishing villages. Bike paths roll along the very edge of the land. Undulating hills lead through rough forest interrupted by fields of lettuce and cabbage and, recently, solar panels. Further on the terrain intensifies, bringing with it views that will take away whatever breath you have left after all the climbing.

Keep in mind as you take in the spectacle of the coast that additional treasures lie inland.

An unmarked bike path at the north end of the Chirihama Sandway runs along the Satoyama Speedway, passing underneath then taking you above the trucks roaring into and out of the Noto interior. After a couple kilometers the path spits you out onto the quietude of Route 293.

Ancient Place in a Timeless Land

Up ahead looms a massive torii gate, ubiquitous symbol of the countless Shinto shrines that dot the Japanese landscape. Among the grassy nothingness, this particular torii appears to have lost its way. But down that long lonely road, through the village of Ichi-no-miya and up a short hill stands the Keta Grand Shrine, a place as attractive as it is old.

The earliest mention of Keta Shrine is from a poem dated 748AD. When it was actually established is a mystery. Behind Keta Shrine is a vast forest that no one is allowed to enter, not even Shohei Otani. Years ago, however, Emperor Hirohito said screw that and went in anyway because when people think you're a god you can pretty much do what you want.

To his credit he only took a few reverent steps into the woods, to leave a poem he wrote for the real gods. (Whether his poem was any good remains unknown since no one is allowed to go read it.)

Occasionally in Japan you'll find bike paths that are numbered as if they were actual roads. Such is the case here, as Route 293 the road becomes Route 293 the bike path for the bulk of the ten kilometers north of Keta Shrine. From there it's a grab bag of side roads and scenery and that elusive untouched Japan. Pick a piece of pavement and see what you find.

Business, Buddhism & Bamboo

Kuroshima is an historic merchant district preserved from the days when trade ships circumnavigated the Japanese archipelago. Kadomike, the former home of one of the area’s wealthiest ship owners, is open to visitors and is worth the modest price of admission.

Turning your front wheel inland will bring you to Soji-ji So-in, a Buddhist temple that can trace its roots back to the beginning of the 8th Century. The story is a good one. The temple grounds are spectacular. Fork over the few hundred yen and check it out.

The winds around Noto blow fierce, particularly along the continent-facing northwest coast. To protect their homes from the fury of the elements the people here build bamboo fences three or four meters high.

The Touristed Northern Coast

Exploring Noto by bicycle takes four or five days of moderate pedaling. By car you can cover it in a day - and come away with a bunch of pretty pictures and no real idea of the laid-back feel of the place. Adequate for the Instagram crowd I guess.

But Noto's beauty is more than pixel-deep. Seeing it takes time. To this end, spending a night in Wajima is a great call, however you decide to get there.

Wajima is a fair-sized town, famed for a morning market believed to date back over a thousand years. Kiriko Hall displays the beautiful, elaborate festival floats that are pulled through the crowded, noisy streets on certain days in summer. A special form of lacquerware called Wajima-nuri is a cultural treasure you can experience with your own hands. And while there are places to eat and stay scattered all over the peninsula, Wajima hosts a number of options to accommodate the crowds that tend to descend.

If you do decide to stay the night in Wajima, plan your evening around the nightly performance put on in front of Kiriko Hall by a band of drumming, growling, shrieking ogres. Trust me on this.

East of Wajima are the terraced rice fields of Senmaida. Imagining the work that had to go into turning this hillside into a thousand and four (someone counted) narrow, irregular-shaped steps makes cycling Noto seem like nothing.

Further to the east are several “salt farms” – places where people still practice the time-honored methods of extracting salt from sea water by filling handmade conical baskets full of sea water and throwing it across their fields of dirt.

The Gentler Side of Noto

As if to punish you for all the pedaling you've already done, Noto throws this long climb in your face.

But the rise is gradual, and comes with a satisfying view of the land you’ve just conquered - and, across the street, the perfect place to refuel.

From there it’s a long downhill and a flat run out to the Noshiro Lighthouse at the far tip of the peninsula. The lighthouse stands on a flat expansive hilltop, a ten-minute walk up from the roadside Noshiro rest stop. (You’ve come this far, why not?)

After 100 kilometers of mountainous roads it doesn't take long to notice how flat the east coast of Noto is. If you've been cycling, the sudden absence of thigh-burning climbs may be a nice change, but the flat roads ahead lead through a land more frequented with people, cars, and towns. If the skies are favorable you may be treated to a view of Japan’s Northern Alps, rising stately in the distance across the waters of Toyama Bay.

Pick Your Path to the Finish

Your approach to Wakura Onsen can go one of three ways. The quickest and least interesting is to follow Route 249 along the peninsular coast and around the bay that Wakura looks out on. Much more scenic is the ride over Noto's Twin Bridge to Noto Island. As you near the far side look out over the tall trees to the right; there is often a flock of white herons scattered among the treetops screeching at each other or maybe the people on the bridge taking their picture.

Once on Noto Island you can roll straight down to the Noto Ohashi Bridge and cross back over to the mainland. From there Wakura is mere minutes away. The extremely energetic can tack on a circuit of Noto Island before crossing the Ohashi Bridge; the so-called sights are few, but that may be the point. Plus there's an island feel to the place that sets it apart from the peninsula in some abstract sense. That's what I get anyway. Your mileage along these extra thirty kilometers may vary. 

Completing the island circuit it's back across the water to Wakura.

And in Wakura is where our tour ends, because this hot spring town is as far as I've cycled on Noto and I have an aversion to talking about places I've never been. I do know the train out of Wakura will take you back to Kanazawa. I also know of a campground further south along Noto's east coast. I've camped there with my family. It's not real clean, but it's cheap and right on the beach.

Keep riding south and you'll wind up in the city of Toyama, your gateway to further adventures on this big beguiling island of Honshu.

People do go to Noto. But with most of them sticking to Wajima's north coast neighborhood and the hot spring town of Wakura, the rest of the peninsula remains largely left to the few who, by car or by bicycle, take those quiet side roads leading to some exquisite natural and cultural treasures - including that gem called the real Japan.