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| Abare (Rampage) Festival |
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 Period:
Nights of the first Friday and Saturday of July
Location: Yasaka Jinja Shrine in Ushitsu, Noto-cho, 927-0433
TEL:0768-72-2505 (Noto-cho Commerce and Tourism Division)
Access:30-minute drive from Noto Toll Road Konogi I.C.
Abare Festival is dedicated to Yasaka Shrine in Ushitsu of Noto Peninsula. The
festival is held on the first Friday through Saturday of July every year. Fire
is set to a huge wooden log-pillar at Ushitsu pier. After parading giant Kiriko
festival lanterns through the town streets, 40 giant Kiriko lanterns are gathered
at the pier to the tune of Taiko drums and bells around the fire. The men run
and dance around the fire as the flames rise and sparks fly all over the place
as the Festival atmosphere reaches its peak. The next day, 2 portable shrines
are thrown violently into the sea after they are paraded through the town streets.
After they had their 'rough sea bath', they are taken to the bonfire where they
are smashed and thrown into the fire until they become almost unrecognizable.
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| Issaki Hoto Festival |
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Period: First Saturday of August
Location: Ishizaki-machi, Nanao-shi, 926-0171
TEL:0767-53-8424 (Nanao City Tourism Division)
Access: 10-minute walk from JR Wakura Onsen Station
This is one of the biggest and most lively summer festivals of Noto where spirited
men from the area around a fishing town called Ishizaki parade through the streets
bearing Kiriko lanterns. One of the attractions of this Festival is the giant
Kiriko lantern which is 15 m high and 3 m wide and weighs almost 2 tons. It takes
100 men to carry it and parade it through the streets. As the men shouldering
these giants lanterns dance and parade through the narrow streets, the 6 giant
Kiriko lanterns dance with them. As the skies get dark, these lanterns are lighted
up and they create a fantasy like atmosphere. The Festivals continues till late
night as the firecrackers light up the skies and as the climax nears the Kiriko
look even grander as the competition among 6 giant Kiriko bearers becomes fiercer. |
| Tomobata Festival |
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 Period:
May 2nd and 3rd
Location: Ogi, Noto-cho (Ogi Port), 927-0553
TEL: 0768-72-2505 (Noto-cho Commerce and Tourism Division)
Access: 40-minute drive from Noto Toll Road Konogi I.C.
This spring Festival is dedicated to Mifune Shrine. This Festival is also known
as Mifune Matsuri. The 10 boats are decorated with 5 coloured Fukinagashi streamers.
A huge streamer which is 20 m tall and 2 m wide and is made by stringing 500 Minogami
papers is erected on the catamaran boat. This huge streamer is called Tomobata.
These boats then rove around the Ogi Bay in tune with the rallying cries of "Yo-Yo-"
and music of flutes, bells and drums. The scene which looks like a painting from
an old picture scroll is sure to take you back in time. (City's Intangible Folk
Cultural Property) |
| Seihakusai |
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 Period:
May 3rd - 5th
Location: Nanao City Street s(area around San-no Shrine, Fisherman's Wharf, etc.)
TEL: 0767-53-8424 (Nanao City Tourism Division)
Access: 10-minute walk from JR Nanao Station
This Festival is a designated as Japan's Important Intangible Cultural Property
and is widely known as "Seihakusai Dekayama Festival". Dekayama are the huge festival
'floats' that are carried through the streets of Nanao adding its own festive
colours to the Spring colours. Seihakusai is celebrated in May and is one of the
biggest festivals of Noto. This Spring Festival is dedicated to Ootoko-nushi (Sanno)
Shrine in Nanao. The main attraction of the Festival is the Dekayama or the 'huge
festival floats'. These Dekayama are as high as 12 meters and weigh almost 20
tons and the diameter of their wheels is 2 meters. Apart from the size of Dekayama,
changing the direction of huge creaking wheels with the help of ropes is another
attraction of Seihakusai. |
| Okuma Kabuto Festival |
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 Date:
September 20th
Location: Nakajima-machi Miyanomae, Nanao City, 929-2225
TEL: 0767-53-8424 (Nanao City Tourism Division)
Access: Right next to the Noto Toll Road Yokota I.C
One of Japan's Important Intangible Cultural Properties. This important Festival
is dedicated to Kuma Kabuto Arakashi-hiko Shrine which is also known as Kuma Kabuto
shrine. This Festival is also known as "20th Day Festival" since it is celebrated
on 20th of September every year. The main attraction of the Festival is towering
Wakubata, with a height of 20 m (a long banner of crimson wool attached to a tall
pole on a wooden frame) that are paraded through the town like omikoshi portable
shrines. On the festival day, Mikoshi (portable shrines) and banners from 19
suesha (branch) shrines in the surrounding area converge on Kuma Kabuto Shrine,
led by Sarutahiko Okami (a Shinto deity) and accompanied by the sound of Japanese
bells and drums. The gathering of these shrines and banner poles is an impressive
sight. It is believed that the deities enshrined in this shrine are Korean deities.
Visitors will enjoy the unique exotic atmosphere of various Festival ceremonies.
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| Wajima Taisai (Great Festival
of Wajima) |
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 Period:
August 23rd - 25th
Location: Towns in Wajima City:
Kawai-machi(Juzo Jinja Shrine),
Fugeshi-machi, Wajimazaki-machi,
Amamachi
TEL: 0768-22-6588 (Wajima Tourism Association)
Access: Near Furatto Homu (old Wajima Station)
10 meter tall festival lanterns called Kiriko as well as smaller portable paper
lanterns are carried through the town streets along with portable shrines called
'omikoshi'. At the festival climax, a special bonfire by the sea is lit, and Gohei
(decorative strips of white paper used in Shinto rituals) that fall from the top
are scrambled for by brave men wearing loincloths. It is believed that the person
who catches Gohei strips achieves success in everything he does. The giant Kiriko
lanterns are indispensable to various festivals celebrated in Noto. Wajima's festival
kirikos are especially distinctive because of their famous magnificent Wajima
lacquer coatings. |
| Nafune Gojinjo Drum |
MAP1-C1 |
 Period:
Almost everyday from July−October;
Every Saturday on May, June and November;
*No Performances from December to April.
Location: In front of Furatto Homu (old Wajima Station)
20-1-8 Kawai-machi, Wajima-shi, 928-0001
TEL: 0768-22-1503
The Gojinjo Drum Performance is a traditional folk entertainment in the Nafune
area. It is said that the drummers wearing ghost masks and seaweed hair fought
off the armies of Uesugi Kenshin who tried to attack the area in 1577. Nowadays
this is performed during festivals and it is considered as one of the Prefectural
designated intangible folk cultural assets. |
| Noto's Sakura (Cherry blossom)
Station |
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 Period:
April
Location: Kashima, Anamizu-machi
TEL: 0768-52-0300
(Anamizu Town Planning and Tourism Division)
Access: Noto Railway Noto Kashima Station
This small Noto Kashima station is popularly known as Sakura-eki or the Station
of Cherry Blossoms. With the arrival of Spring, many Someiyoshino (a cherry blossom
variety) trees blossom on both the sides of train tracks and create a "Sakura
Tunnel" effect. |
| Komaruyama Park's Sakura |
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 Period:
April
Address: NE 1-1 Umadashi-machi, Nanao-shi
TEL: 0767-53-8424 (Nanao City Tourism Association)
Access: 5-minute walk from JR Nanao Station
This was originally the site of Nanao Castle founded close to the seashore by
the 1st Lord of Kaga Province, Lord Maeda. In 1920, this land was converted into
a park. From the Park, you can see the whole view of Noto's mountains and towns
as well as Nanao Bay as described by Otomo-no-Yakamochi in famous poetry collection
of Manyoshu. This park is a place where people can come and relax or take a stroll.
It is also popular as a flower viewing spot.
Someiyoshino: 150 trees, Yaezakura: 20 trees, Shidarezakura: 30 trees. In total,
there are 200 Sakura (Cherry blossom) trees. |
| Shio Yawaragi no Sato |
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 Period:
April
Location: Shikinami, Hodatsu-Shimizu-cho
TEL: 0767-29-2156
Access: 10-minute walk from JR Shikinami Station
With 1,500 trees of Someiyoshino cherry blossom variety, Yawaragi-no-Sato (Place
of Peace) is one of Noto's most famous cherry blossoms viewing spot. The facility
is equipped with washroom as well as a parking place. Yawaragi no Sato also has
a temple gate, main hall, belfry, tea room, etc. with a focus on Prince Shotoku.
Yawaragi's main hall's design is based on the design of Kyoto's famous Sanjusangendo
Temple. This main hall displays 33 Hakata dolls that express "Shape of Harmony".
These dolls, designated as Intangible Cultural Properties, are made by famous
doll-maker late Kojima Yoichi and his disciples. |
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