When to travel?
Ishikawa has a harsh winter, with less sunshine than other places, with lots of snow. On the other hand, in summer, comfortable and dry days can be enjoyed.
Best season: Apr-November
Snow activity: Dec-Mar
Cherry blossom: Apr
Foliage: Nov
Events / Festivals
June: Kanazawa Kaga Hyakumangoku festival (金沢加賀百万石まつり), Kanazawa
Jul: Ushitsu Abare festival (宇出津あばれ祭), Noto 能登町
Jul: Shiotsu Kagaribi Love festival (塩津かがり火恋祭り), Nanao 七尾
Jul: Noto Island Koda fire festival (能登島向田の火祭), Nanao 七尾
Aug: Osshobe festival (おっしょべ祭), Komatsu 小松
Touristic spots
Capital city: Kanazawa (金沢)
With its attractive scenery like in Kyoto, Kanazawa is called as Little Kyoto and it is attracting so many tourists every year. Shinkansen bullet train is expected to open in the spring of 2023, so that the access to the city will be much easier.
Komatsu (小松)
It is the second city of Ishikawa after Kanazawa. There is Komatsu Airport which has domestic and some international flights. Some nice touristic sites are available around the city, too. Katayamazu Hot spring (片山津温泉) is only about 10 km away from the city.
Wajima (輪島)
This is the main city in Noto Peninsula with lots of tradition and culture. Wajima Nuri (輪島塗), a lacquer ware, which represents Japanese tradition is produced in this city. To be recognized as a real Wajima lacquer ware, the process has to go through a lot of strict regulations. The city is also an access point to some of the touristic sites in Noto peninsula.
Shiroyone Senmaida (白米千枚田)
Between the narrow coastline and the mountain, people in Ishikawa have been growing rice. It literally means thousand rice fields, but there are actually 1004. The smallest rice field is only 0.2 square kilometers. The harsh terrain would not arrow machines to cultivate the field, so that everything is done by a manpower.
It is always good to check the season, as during wintertime there will be no rice in the field, the best time may be before harvest, which is in fall.
Rokkou Cape (禄剛崎)
Cape of Noto peninsula. Along with Senjoziki (千畳敷), the area is full of nice views. What is special about Rokkou Cape is that we can see sunset and the sun rise from the same place.
Noto Kongo (能登金剛)
This is a 30 km coastline of Japan Sea, where there are full of amazing views. The wave of Japan Sea is very rough and after thousands of years, the rocks got sharpened.
Chiri Coast (千里浜)
This is the only beach that cars and buses can drive on. The road is about 8km long. Because the sand of this beach is about half the size of other places, the ground gets harder when it is wet. This is why it enables vehicles to drive on the beach.
Wakura Hot spring (和倉温泉)
Known as luxurious hot spring in Japan. The location is also very convenient for the people who continues to Noto peninsula, too. The hot spring is facing to the Nanao Bay (七尾湾), which is easy to access to the fisherman’s Warf.
