After the Earthquake: Travelling in the Noto Peninsula

After the Earthquake: Travelling in the Noto Peninsula

In the afternoon of January 1, 2024, a large 
earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula bringing widespread damage and the loss of many lives in 
the region. Reconstruction is ongoing but that doesn’t mean that the area is completely 
off limits to tourists. On the contrary, the peninsula is brimming with local culture 
and activities, and experiencing them is one way visitors can support the region. The Noto Peninsula is less than an hour north of Kanazawa and extends about 100 kilometers into the 
sea. The epicenter of the earthquake was here and, only 9 months later, the peninsula was 
further hit by torrential rain leading to landslides and widespread flooding. All across the peninsula, reconstruction works are underway and more and more signs of recovery can be seen. Over at Wakura Onsen, a popular hot spring resort town in the Noto Peninsula, the Soyu Public Bath reopened its doors to the public three months after the quake. Hot spring accommodations 
and local businesses are also slowly rebuilding and working towards reopening. While not everything may be open, visitors can still enjoy the region’s traditional 
crafts, rugged coastlines and fresh seafood. So with that in mind, this is traveling in 
the Noto Peninsula after the earthquake. Here’s the plan. From Tokyo, I’ll take the shinkansen to Kanazawa where I’ll swap 
to a local train for Nanao Station. There, I’ll take part in an activity and have lunch 
before hopping back on the train for Anamizu where I’ll get picked up for a countryside stay. The next day, I take the bus from Anamizu to Wajima where I’ll rent a bike to 
sightsee around the town. For many years, Nanao was an important port of 
call for traditional Japanese merchant ships, known as Kitamaebune that connected Osaka 
with Hokkaido. This led to a flourishing shopping street, Ipponsugi-dori. The 
street has a history of over 600 years and is lined with a number of historical shops. 
The earthquake caused considerable damage here, but many of the shops have since reopened 
for business in temporary buildings. I’m at Takazawa Candle Shop, the only remaining 
Japanese candle maker in the Noto Peninsula and I’m really excited to experience this tradition 
for myself by joining an activity. Let’s go! There are two activities you can do here, one is making a Japanese candle, and the other 
is painting one, like what I’ve done! Did I mention that the Noto Peninsula is famous
for its delicious seafood? Well for lunch today, I’ve ordered a seafood set that you grill 
yourself, and I’ve got some dried fish, prawns, scallops, squid and some 
clams. Itadakimasu! Ohhh it smells really good! To continue deeper into the Noto Peninsula, I’m 
jumping on the Noto Railway, which reopened just four months after the earthquake. The journey between Nanao and Anamizu, the terminal station and my destination for 
today, takes about an hour. The train travels along the coast so we’re going to be able to 
see some beautiful scenery of the bay. To experience a part of local life, I am 
picked up from the station and driven to a small farming village where I’ll stay 
in a traditional Japanese house for the night. The train ride offered coastal views, 
and here we have its companion countryside farmland surrounded by hills and mountains. Shunran no Sato is a collection of farmhouses where visitors can have a homestay experience. 
In addition to experiencing the village life like chatting with the owners, another part of 
the charm is using the local lacquerware dishes, a traditional craft I will see tomorrow. But first, dinner. I’m staying in an old farmhouse tonight, and for 
dinner I’m having a meal cooked by the owners of the house. Itadakimasu. Good night! Wajima was one of the hardest-hit cities. Not 
only did the earthquake topple many buildings, but it also caused a large fire, which 
destroyed a considerable part of the city center including the site of a 
famous local morning market. It was quite shocking and sad to see the 
damage that Wajima suffered on the news, but now that I’m here, I’m looking 
forward to exploring the downtown area, and I’m going to do so by bike. The Wajima Asaichi or morning market was one of the biggest in Japan, hosting 
around 150 shops on a daily basis. However,  the large fire destroyed the street where the 
market was held. The goal is to rebuild the area, but in the meantime, the morning market has a 
temporary home here at the Power City Wajima Wai Plaza. While the number of sellers has been 
greatly reduced, the hospitality and warmth of everyone remains undefeated. I think I’m going for these two completely different chopsticks and 
that’s what makes them unique. The next stop on my route is an art studio to 
see Wajima’s most famous traditional craft. Wajima lacquerware is known throughout 
Japan for its beautiful finish. Here, visitors can see artisans at work and 
learn about the traditional craft. The process of creating traditional Wajima 
lacquerware has over a hundred steps. A simple piece of wood gets shaped, treated, 
sanded, painted multiple times with lacquer, and decorated, before it can be sold. With these 
multiple steps and the time taken for Japanese lacquer to dry, it takes about six months to 
create a simple bowl from start to finish. Just when you think that things look normal, here you can see on my left and right, temporary housing for those who 
lost their homes in the earthquake and floods. Now this really puts things into perspective for me 
that we’re still in the midst of rebuilding, but this is just the new normal. My final stop before I leave the Noto Peninsula is at Mebuki. This is a special 
restaurant project launched by chefs in the region after the earthquake with the aim 
to showcase the region’s best ingredients as well as create a space where locals, as 
well as visitors to the town, can gather. I’ve ordered the sashimi set for lunch, and all 
the seafood you see on my plate is local and seasonal. I can already tell that this is going 
to be so good because you can see a bit of the fat on the fish. I’m gonna give it a go. Leaving the peninsula, I’m touched by the warmth and resilience of the locals I’ve met. Recovery is ongoing but the region continues to be full of cultural activities and beautiful 
landscapes to enjoy. To know more about this trip, see our article here or to watch more content 
about Japan, click on our other videos here. Thanks for watching! Happy travels.

Read more about the Noto Peninsula: https://www.japan-guide.com/ad/travel-in-noto-peninsula-after-earthquake/

The Noto Peninsula is a remote region of Japan that remains unexplored by the majority of overseas visitors. Despite being hit by a strong earthquake on January 1 2024, the peninsula is not completely off limit to tourists. In fact, the region’s traditional crafts and local cuisine still survive and this, combined with the warm hospitality of the locals, makes it a worthy location to put on your next Japan trip itinerary.

This video was made in collaboration with Noto DMC.

*Video Credits*
Host: Raina Ong
Videographer: Aimee Gardner
Produced by: Stefan Schauwecker
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*Chapters*
0:00 Intro
1:41 Trip itinerary
2:03 Nanao
2:37 Takazawa Candle Shop
4:03 Noto Shokusai Market
4:52 Noto Railway
5:30 Shunran no Sato
6:53 Wajima
7:30 Wajima Morning Market
9:19 Wajima Kobo Nagaya
11:29 Mebuki
12:03 Outro