Nanao (Japan)



Nanao (七尾) is the largest city in the Noto Peninsula, the northern part of Ishikawa, Japan. This quiet city has few tourist attractions, but offers several amazing views of nature as well as an honest glimpse into the simple country life of Japan. The hot spring town of Wakura Onsen is also within Nanao city limits, but covered in its own article.

Understand
Nanao was once the economic, cultural, and political capital of Noto province, in what is today known as Ishikawa prefecture. Though it has a history dating back to 718, little remains of the city's past.

The modern city of Nanao was established in 1939, and was expanded in 2004 to include several surrounding towns.

Climate
The climate of Nanao is much like the rest of Ishikawa prefecture - wet and unpredictable. Though the rainy season lasts from July until August, Ishikawa is notorious for its cloudy weather and sudden rain showers all year round.

Summer tends to see more sunny days with temperatures between 25-30°C, while winter is somewhat mild, rarely dipping below 0°C. Snowfall tends to vary year by year, but one can expect at least a few blizzards in the winter months.

Spring has the mildest weather, where winter has melted and flowers (especially cherry blossoms) start to bloom, and it's not yet as hot and humid as summer will become.

Tourist information site
The tourist associations of Nanao City and Nakanoto Town jointly maintain a bilingual guide site.

By train
Nanao is on the JR Noto Line and has local trains coming north roughly every hour from Kanazawa via Tsubata. Limited express trains from Kanazawa stop at Nanao on their way to the JR Noto Line terminus, Wakura Onsen. Nanao is also the terminus of the private Noto Railway to/from Anamizu to the north, and the station shares both lines.

By plane
Noto Airport a small airport. All Nippon Airways from Tokyo-Haneda are offered twice daily.

Komatsu Airport is a larger airport than Noto's, and it offers flights to/from a variety of destinations including: Haneda, Narita, Sendai, Fukuoka, Naha, and Seoul. There is an airport bus that goes to Kanazawa station and takes about 40 min and costs ¥1130. From Kanazawa station it's 1.5 hours and ¥1,280 by local train to Nanao.

By car
Travelling by car is the easiest way to navigate Nanao and its surrounding areas. Coming by car from major cities via expressway, Tokyo is 5 hours away, Osaka is 4.5 hours, and Nagoya is 4 hours.

Entering via express toll roads:
 * Get off the Hokuriku expressway at Kanazawa East IC (金沢東IC) and take the Noto toll road (能登有料 Noto yūryō).
 * You can enter Nanao at any one of four toll road exits: Uwadana Yada (上棚矢駄), Nishiyama (西山), Tokuda Otsu (徳田大津), or Yokota (横田).

Entering via local roads:
 * The #159 and #2 roads head into Nanao from the south.
 * The #1 heads south-east from the upper Noto into Nanao.
 * The #160 heads into Nanao from the north-east.

By bus
While the bus does go most everywhere around Nanao, it should be avoided if at all possible. It's slow and relatively expensive compared to the train. One out-of-the-way area the train cannot go is the scenic Notojima. You can take a bus (能登島交通 Notojima Kōtsū) there from either Nanao or Wakura stations.

Get around


As many of Nanao's best sites are spread across the city, by car is the most efficient way to travel. However, it's certainly possible and definitely rewarding to take a bicycle around to the many scenic spots found on and off the beaten path in Nanao. Those looking for a challenge can make a day out of cycling to the top of Joyama (Nanao's old castle ruins) to take in the view of Nanao city and its bay, followed by a trip to Wakura Onsen to soak in one of its many famous hot springs.

For trips outside of the city the train is a viable option, with trains leaving roughly hourly going both north and south from the centrally located Nanao station. Take care not to board anything but a local (普通 futsū) train, or else you might end up on a train that skips your desired stop and have to pay more for a ticket. Buses are also available at the station, leaving for various destinations at approximately the same intervals.

See






Do






There are several good public onsen in Nanao, outside of Wakura Onsen.



Buy




Eat
Nanao has a variety of restaurants offering both Japanese and Western-style foods. While chain restaurants such as Coco's and Mos Burger are available (both at Bay Mall), there are a plethora of small, out-of-the-way restaurants located in alleys or side-streets that are just as good if not better. Taking a walk around the winding streets between Ribbon street and the main road leading to the Wharf at dinner-time will prove that point!

It's worth mentioning that Nanao is famous for its fresh fish and as such offers some of the best sushi in all of Japan. Three local fish are buri (Yellowtail), tai (sea bream), and maguro (tuna). If you get a chance, you should try these at one of the several sushi shops around Nanao.



Drink
There are many decent hole-in-the-wall bars to be found all over Nanao, and prices tend not to fluctuate too much from bar to bar.



In addition, there are at least a dozen snack bars in Nanao which are easy to find (or avoid, depending on you're fancy). Look for strange, flowery names like "Misty", "Venus", or "Mona Lisa".

Sleep
Nanao has two business hotels and a scattered handful of small inns. If you desire more than just an average stop-over in the Nanao area, Wakura Onsen specializes in ryokan (Japanese-style inns), and has several that would impress any visitor - including Japanese.

Northbound

 * A relaxing stay in Wakura Onsen is only one stop away north via the Noto Railway Nanao Line in Nanao station. Tickets are ¥180 and the ride takes just 5 minutes.
 * The last stop on the Noto Railway Nanao Line is Anamizu. Though buses are available, if you wish to go further into the Upper Noto Peninsula, to places like Wajima or Suzu, a car is the best way to travel.



Southbound

 * Trains leave bound for Kanazawa or Komatsu roughly hourly via the JR Nanao Line. Local train tickets are ¥1,380 and take approximately 90 minutes to Kanazawa. Buses with similar times and prices are also available from Nanao station.
 * Noto Kararibi Limited Express trains bound for Kanazawa make round-trips from Wakura Onsen 5 times daily. If you are in a rush to get to Kanazawa, this train only takes an hour from Nanao (but more than doubles the cost of a ticket). This train pass IR Ishikawa Railway line but all charges are valid with JR pass if you don't stopover at IR line stations.
 * Tokyo may be accessed via transfer at Kanazawa.