【Cycling Diary】 Wakura Onsen to Notojima Island
japan cyclingIt is no more than 2km from 和倉温泉Wakura Onsen train station to the bridge that crosses the bay to 能登島 Notojima island. We crossed fairly early in the morning and there was little traffic on the bridge making it relatively easy to appreciate the breath-taking vies of the blue waters beneath of 七尾湾 Nanao Bay.
Once across the bay, it is only a short ride of no more than a kilometre to Mizu Restaurant, on the right hand side of the road with a large car park. The food here is cheap, good, and plentiful, ideal for casual dining with other locals. There is 500 yen daily lunch menu consisting of rice, main meal, side dishes and miso soup. Oysters are speciality here especially during winter months, and I salivate as I write the blog. They are open everyday between 9 and 19:00. There are toilets here, should you need them.
Address: 20－1 Notojima Hannouramachi, Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture 926-0223
石川県七尾市能登島半浦町20-1
Open daily · 9AM–7PM
Phone: 0767-85-2160
From Mizu restaurant it is no more than 2km to the village of 須曽町 Susomachi, where we see divers swimming in the small harbour. Leaving Susomachi, we pass the local shrine on the left before winding our way over a small headland a decending down to a café called Seaside House. We are tempted to stop to take in the amazing view across the harbour to Tera Island but continue on our journey along the 47.
Continue along the 47 until a junction with the 257. There is a shop here where you can stock up on provisions for the rest of the day in the saddle. Perhaps more importantly, this is the point at which a decision has to made: do I continue north along the 47, and cut across the middle of the island to the north coast, or do I take the 257 and continue along the southern coast of the island before ultimately heading north along the eastern coastline. Ideally we would have done the latter but alas today time didn't allow due to our needing to catch a train to our next destination.
From the junction with the 257 it is a 2km ride north on the 47, through the centre of the island, to the coastal village of 河田町 Kodamachi. Here we meet the 257 again as it comes in from the east and this time we join it to continue on our journey around the island. As one would expect, Kodamachi is a small village but there is a glass museum here and a nice café here overlooking the sea. The road is quiet and undulates a few hundred metres inland from the coast through fields of rice and woodland.
Continuing west along the 256 through the village of Chokoji you will arrive at the Neya fishing park which is home to a delightful seafood restaurant called Taikobo 太公望. The food here is freshly prepared and I would highly recommend eating here. We had mixed seafood grilled on a hot iron grill, consisting of shelfish, squid, and a variety of local fish. This will provide a much needed protein boost for well exercised muscles.
Their information suggests that seafood barbecue needs pre-booking, but we just turned up and had this barbecue in a separate BBQ hut on our own as there was no one else booked on the day it seems.
Restaurant Taikobo 太公望 （Japanese only)
Address 石川県七尾市能登島閨町ロ42-3
Tel 0767-85-2919 (+81-767-85-2919)
open: 10AM-15PM
open daily with occasional holidays
Seafood barbecue requires reservation
From Kodamachi, it is 8km to 能登島百万石町 Notojima Hyakumangokumachi, a headland in the NW corner of Notojima. From here it is possible to take a bridge across the bay, on the 256, to rejoin the Noto peninsula. We however, turn south, on the 257, to continue on our circumnavigation on our return leg to Wakura onsen. Riding along the coast there are excellent views across the bay to the peninsula and 5 km later we reach the intersection of the 47 again.
Finally we cross the road bridge over the Nanao bay and make the short cycle to Wakra onsen train station where we catch the 15.20 Limited Express Noto Kagaribi 8 train to start our 6 hr 47 min journey to Shin Yamaguchi.
Wakura Onsen to Shin Yamaguchi
Total duration：6hr 47min
Standard fare：18,200円
【depart】 Wakura Onsen
15:20
↓ Limited Express Noto Kagaribi 8 to Kanazawa
↓
16:33 Kanazawa arrive
【Change】
16:58 Platform 2 depart
↓ Limited Express Thunder Bird 38 to Osaka
19:33 Shin Osaka arrive platform 17
【Change】
20:09発 Platform 20 deppart
↓ Shinkansen Sakura 573 to Kumamoto
↓
22:07 Shin Yamaguchi arrive
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