Toyama and Ishikawa by Car (2 nights, 3 days)

November 27 – 29, 2020

When we moved to Japan, Andrew and I set a goal of visiting as many of the 47 prefectures as possible. We know our time here is finite, so we try to pack in as many weekend trips as our (aging) bodies and (moderate) budget can handle. As small as it may look on a world map – especially when compared to the US – Japan is roughly the size of Germany and covered in mountainous terrain. So, this is no easy feat. In November, we crossed a two-for-one off the list and visited Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures on Japan’s west coast in one go.

Day 1: Utsunomiya –> Toyama City

As with most of our weekend trips, we started off by taking the Shinkansen from Utsunomiya Station to Toyama City. The roughly 2.5-hour trip costs a whopping 16,000 yen (~$150) per person each way! Truly putting our motto, “money doesn’t exist in Japan” to the test, we purchased tickets and train beers and settled in for the ride. It is definitely possible to travel on a budget in Japan, but since we are so pressed for time…Shouganai?

Per our usual strategy, I booked an unremarkable business hotel near the station for the night. I will truly miss the absolute convenience of Japan’s train system when we leave. We’re able to walk to the station in our town, and there are no security checks before boarding the train. Every city large enough to have a shinkansen stop will also have hotels, rental car agencies, convenience stores, and restaurants located within walking distance. It is a really relaxing way to travel.

Day 2: Toyama City –> Ainokura Gassho-style Village –> Omicho Market (Kanazawa) –> Koiji, Noto Peninsula

In the morning, Andrew picked up our rental car. When I researched Toyama City prior to this trip, one of the main attractions I saw listed again and again was… A Starbucks. Apparently, there are several Starbucks stores in Japan that have been designed as concept stores, and Toyama is home to one of them. To be totally honest, I don’t like Starbucks coffee. I am happy to admit I am a coffee snob. I prefer a locally-roasted pour over. Yeah. But I had to check out the most beautiful Starbucks in Japan, right? I’ll reserve judgement and let you decide for yourself. Most beautiful Starbucks you’ve ever seen?

From (the most beautiful) Starbucks, we drove about an hour west to Ainokura Village. An UNESCO World Heritage site, this village is well-known for the Gassho-zukuri thatched-roof buildings. One unique aspect of Ainokura Village is that many of the preserved homes are still occupied as primary residences by local people. It’s not just a tourist site, this is their home and they are actively working the farms in the area. We wandered around the village and bought a few souvenirs before setting off to find lunch at Kanazawa’s Omicho Market.

Omicho Market is one of Kanazawa’s most popular tourist destinations and a “MUST SEE” for foodies. Jam packed with fresh fish, meat, produce, and restaurants, I can understand why it is so popular. We showed up around 2pm thinking that we’d miss the lunch crowd. Well, that didn’t work. The market was bumpin. We bobbed through the market propelled by the river of shoppers searching for things to buy and eat. Eventually, we settled on a restaurant with a relatively short line. Our order was taken while we waited in line, so in lieu of seeing what other people ordered that looked good, we asked for the shop’s osusume (recommendation) and crossed our fingers. Wow, amazing choice. Wow. So fresh, so tasty.

I booked an onsen hotel at the tip of the Noto Peninsula in Koiji, about 3 hours away from Kanazawa. So, after lunch we hit the coastal highway up the peninsula to find our hotel. The views along the route to our hotel were incredible. I can’t recommend a trip to the Noto Peninsula enough. We made it to the hotel around 5:30pm and had time to relax a bit before dinner service.

The meals at Japanese onsen hotels/ryokan are incredibly deceptive. At first, it seems like the portion size is miniscule. You really only get a bit or two of each item served. However, those bites quickly add up. Generally, meals in Japan are meant to be Goldilocks “just right” size. There is enough food that you don’t leave hungry, but not so much food that you waste it by being unable to finish. I genuinely don’t know how Japanese people finish the meals served at ryokans. Having been conquered by so many of these meals, I feel like I am letting down America. I should be the QUEEN of large portion sizes, right??

After dinner, we back down the coast to Shiroyone Senmaida Rice Terraces. Based on my YouTube research, I hoped to see the illuminated rice terraces. We made it to the rice terraces at about 9:05pm to learn that the lights are shut off at 9pm. So, that sucked. We drove back to the hotel disappointed. Luckily, the hotel onsen stayed open until 11pm so we had time for a soak when we returned. Can’t really complain about that, can I?

Day 3: Koiji –> Mitsuke Island –> Agehama Enden Sea Salt Village –> Shiroyone Senmaida Rice Terraces –> Wajima Morning Market –> Kenroku-en, Kanazawa –> Nagamachi Samurai District, Kanazawa –> Utsunomiya

I was skeptical when I booked “Lovero Koiji Hotel” that I was somehow accidentally booking us into a love hotel. Nothing against love hotels, just not the experience I was hoping to have. Good news, despite the name, this is just a regular hotel. A regular hotel with the most comfortable futon bed I’ve ever slept on. From my exhaustive YouTube research, I learned that hotels that use futon beds generally keep the spares in a closet located in your room. It really shouldn’t have taken this long to realize, but here we are, ok? So, now I like to stack multiple futon mattresses because I am a princess that demands comfort. I seriously had the best night of sleep in this hotel, I was shocked.

After hotel breakfast (again, too much food), we explored the coast. Our first stop, Mitsuke Island, is a notable rock. Yeah, just a big rock in the sea. It does kind of look like a battleship, I guess? I liked the rock, but if you happen to miss it no need to cry.

Next, we stopped at a traditional salt farm. Here, mostly for tourism purposes, they maintain the traditional method of sea salt production. They bring water in from the sea, pour it over beds of sand to dry and mineralize, then process it to filter out impurities. It was a really interesting pit stop, and I purchased some sea salt to use at home! Love a good edible souvenir.

As a passing mention, I am still salty about missing the illumination, we stopped at the rice terraces in the light of day. They’re fine.

From the rice terraces, we drove to Wajima to walk the morning market. The town of Wajima is well-known for producing traditional lacquerware. Everything from daily-use chopsticks and bowls to intricate serving trays, decorations, and accessories can be bought at this market. We walked up and down the street twice and deliberated over a gold-leafed soft-serve before I finally decided on a piece to buy here. I’ve really enjoyed collected traditional Japanese craft goods. I hope we can use these soup bowls for years and years to come and remember our time in Japan fondly.

We grabbed lunch at the market before heading back to Kanazawa to finish off our trip. We explored the famous Kenroku-en garden – full of birders – and Nagamachi Samurai district. I spent a long (long, long) time gazing longingly at the beautiful Kanazawa-style ceramic dishes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t justify the cost of these delicate, beautiful pieces. We do have a couple mass-produced knock-offs to remind me of the trip, though!

Not wanting to put the 2.5-hour return trip off too late, we returned our rental car in Kanazawa and booked a shinkansen back to Utsunomiya Station.