There are many regions around Japan that strike me as aggressively isolated - Wakkanai in Hokkaido, Ama in Shimane, or Muroto down in Tokushima, for example - and while I have a hard time personally, subjectively recommending them to folx interested in akiya way out there, I totally get the allure.
Ishikawa’s northwestern most reaches for sure has that isolation going on for it, as well as the Sea of Japan thing, which is always enticing from a culinary perspective. Years ago, when I first took a closer look, I discovered Notojima, an island within the peninsula, where the lands come to an end. Where the fish flock in abundance. Where the tiled roofs are alarmingly black.
Now, for those who pay attention, this area probably looks familiar. Ishikawa Prefecture, particularly the Noto region, was hit by a major quake on January 1st, 2024. It is still recovering as of this writing.
The disaster brought the region into the spotlight, and there’s a decent amount of press buzzing about the area’s reconstruction. Some pro-, and some roundly in the anti-, but whichever camp you fall in or in between, it’s impossible to deny the allure of Ishikawa, and its northern reaches including Notojima provide a particularly fine taste of the local cultures.
Fair warning - you’ll probably want a car. Some of the regions have no train access, so if you want to take full advantage of the recommendations here, you’ll need either your own car or be a bus enthusiast.
Provided that doesn’t throw up any barriers, what are you waiting for? Go explore!
The Accommodation: Nattaya
I’m so glad to see Nattaya (aka Naritaya) up on Agoda now - when I first stayed there, they definitely weren’t and required phone reservations. Which, for me, was part of the allure. But I’m sure the couple who runs it are just as sweet, their homemade food is just as good, and the rooms just as cozy as when they were digital ghosts.
The Experience: Enden Seasalt
This was an accidental experience, which often I appreciate most. Driving back from a visit to a lighthouse, we drove past some of the practitioners sling seawater in great, sweeping arcs over the flat saltbeds they had set up, and decided to drop in. We ended up getting a pretty great tour of the establishment from a Dutchman who apprenticed there, and some excellent seasalt for the next few months.
The Restaurant: Noto Shokuzai Market
Still my favorite roadside seafood barbecue in all of Japan, which still strikes me as kind of audacious, as an American, but regardless jeez do I love quasi-DIY establishments like this. Drop in, get a taste of the catch of the day, and take a load off.
That’s It For Now
You better believe I have many more recommendations than this for Ishikawa as well as other places, but hey, 3 listings (1 restaurant, 1 hotel, 1 experience) is the format of the newsletter for the time being and I’m sticking with it. If yr curious about further details or other locals, though, drop me a line, glad to discuss.
And, as ever, sharing these posts around is always appreciated, so if you’ve got a spare moment and a charitable bent, feel free to send this around.