After a few pleasant days in Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, we set out for a round across the country. Or plan was it to follow the sea and sea where it will take us.
Ishikawa Prefecture is located on the west coast of Japan's largest island, Honshu, and is nestled along a long stretch of coastline on the Sea of Japan. Our little excursion takes us to the Noto Peninsula, and we were hoping to drive around it by following the coastline as much as possible.
Driving in Japan is actually a very pleasant thing, especially if you are not in a hurry. The maximum speed on the mostly tolled highways is only 100 KM/h and due to some distances between the cities, a trip can sometimes take a while. At least for Central European standards. But we were not in a hurry, quite the opposite, we wanted to take it rather easy and see and explore as much as possible.
The Noto Peninsula offers a lot of nature and coastline, but the somewhat remote area is definitely worth a visit. And for this reason we wanted to go around the whole peninsula and look around a little, as we had just had been to the city and we were quite eager for a bit of nature and tranquility.
And from this trip are today's pictures, I hope I can bring across a little of the mood that at that time was so surprisingly pleasant for us.
After leaving Kanazwa, we immediately headed towards the sea, and then kept going slightly north. Our first stop was a beach, more precisely the Chirihama beach, which has something very special to offer. If you take a look at the sign at the roadside, you might already have a little idea.
That's right, this beach can be accessed by car and you can drive on a mile long sandy beach road and then you can even park your car right next to the water. The sandy soil seems to have been compressed quite a bit here, so cars and other motor vehicles can easily drive down here. A somewhat different experience with a nice fun factor. In the summer the cars will probably line up here all the way to the horizon, when everyone then jumps out of their vehicleand right into the water and enjoys life.
And on we went, with some short stops to explore a little the interesting looking coastal landscape. On the shore, some intriguing caves invite you to enter and take pictures, even a rough coast has its charming sides.
In Shintoism, the gods live everywhere in nature, in trees and in springs, but also in mountains and rocks. On these offshore rocks there is a small shrine, and a ceremonial straw rope connects these two sacred places. However, probably only a few of us will have the lucky opportunity to climb on these rocks and to be allowed to sent their prayer.
We kept going until we arrived at the next highlight, the Shiroyone Senmaida rice paddy terraces. Here at the northern end of the Noto Peninsula, hardworking hands have created a very special landscape.
Over 1,000 small rice fields nestle on many terraces along the Sea of Japan. The Shirozyone Senmaida are among the most beautiful and famous of the many other rice terraces in Japan.
On some small paths you can explore the many small rice fields located right next to the sea on a hill, the average size of a rice paddy is only about 20 square meters.
Since the rice fields are very small and all have different shapes, no machinery can be used here for cultivation and all work must be done by hand, quite unlike the normal rice fields in the plains of the country.
These wonderful green rice fields form a beautiful and distinct contrast to the colors of the sometimes calm and sometimes wild sea. A really great place, which immediately invites you to walk and climb among the fields and to take countless photos. If you ever make your way to Ishikawa Prefecture, I can only recommend that you stop by the Shiroyone Senmaida as well.
The sky and also the sea showed its many sides and faces during this day, sometimes wild and gray and then again quite gentle and blue. The sea temperature was not quite inviting for a first swim yet, but of course we were dipping our feet to check out the water.
And the water here in this corner of the country was also really clear and clean, and the beaches weren't as full of flotsam and trash as they can be in other areas here in Japan. Unfortunately, a lot of garbage from our great civilization ends up in the rivers and eventually in the oceans, and much of it can also be found here on the long coasts of Japan over and over again. And that's when I wonder if we humans will never learn.
At the end we have a picture of the Rokkosaki lighthouse, which in former times was showing the sailors where to go. The lighthouse was completed in 1883 after two long years of work and is now one of the most important lighthouses built in the Meiji period, and preserved since then. In 2017, Rokkosaki Lighthouse, standing on a 50-meter cliff above the sea, was declared a "Lighthouse of Love".
This brings us to the end of our excursion around the Noto Peninsula. I hope I could share with you a little bit of the atmosphere which we encounters at this corner of Japan, here on the west coast of this still so fascinating country. I'll be back soon with new impressions and pictures from the land of the rising sun, so please check back here again.
γΎγγ matane
[//]:# (!pinmapple 37.426455 lat 136.999470 long Noto-Peninsula - A very special hidden gem on the Westcoast of Japan d3scr)
Hiya, @ybanezkim26 here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #1267.
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Man, I miss Japan. Thank you for sharing these awesome photos.
i hope you can visit here again some day. Thanks for stopping by!
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Hi, I have manually curated your content as you have posted a photo that I found interesting. Your post will be included in my Photophile series of posts in my blog. Keep on sharing great photos!
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thanks you
Spectacular view, All the photographs are just stunning, everything looks so fantastic. Thanks for sharing. I also love photography a lot, Travel, Capture and Explore the mighty Himalayas on my Mountain Bike.. do drop by when you are free.
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Yes they do. I have seen the ones in Bali as well, great place