This time, I'd like to share my experience of a 10-day workation in Ishikawa Prefecture!

I based myself in central Kanazawa, working from an Airbnb during weekday afternoons. On my days off I drove out to Shirakawa-go, and later took time to explore the Noto Peninsula and Wakura Onsen.

This article covers Shirakawa-go — which I visited on a day trip from Kanazawa — and the sightseeing spots I explored on the Noto Peninsula. For Kanazawa itself, please see this companion article.

These places truly moved me, so I hope you enjoy imagining the scenery as you read.

Background

• I spent a total of 10 days on this workation, based in Kanazawa and working from an Airbnb during the weekdays. This article covers Shirakawa-go, which I visited on a day trip, and the Noto Peninsula & Wakura Onsen, where I spent several days off.
• For sightseeing and gourmet within Kanazawa city, please see the companion article.
• I visited in January 2023, before the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. It was such a wonderful place, so I sincerely hope for the earliest possible recovery for those affected by the disaster. Some places may have changed since my visit, so please keep this in mind while reading.

Schedule

• A day off during my Kanazawa stay
  • Shirakawa-go (day trip drive)
• Days 7-10: Taking days off for the Noto Peninsula & Wakura Onsen
  • Wakura Onsen @ Notoraku
    • Wakura Onsen Festival Hall
  • Kaga Onsen @ Kagaya
  • Ishikawa Prefecture Notojima Glass Art Museum
  • Notojima Aquarium
  • Besshodake Service Area

Shirakawa-go

I rented a car in Kanazawa and drove to Shirakawa-go. It takes about an hour by car from Kanazawa city to Shirakawa-go.

Buses are also available, so especially in winter or during high season, I recommend taking the bus.

You can book bus tickets here

I learned for the first time when I visited Shirakawa-go that people still live in and maintain the gassho-zukuri houses.

Some houses are open to visitors, and you can tour the rooms and even the attic spaces.

Apparently, houses deteriorate quickly if they're not lived in and regularly aired out and maintained...

I could see the attention to detail, like how they burn fires in the irori (hearth) to protect the thatched roofs from insects and moisture.

Gassho-zukuri construction uses techniques that don't require nails or iron, so when you look at the ceiling, you can see it's made of wood and rope. It's quite rare to see this technique up close like this, and I was truly captivated.

The roofs are steep so snow slides off easily in this heavy snow region, but it's hard to believe they're constructed only with wood and rope.

I saw a video playing at one of the houses about re-thatching the roof, and apparently it needs to be done once every 20-30 years and can cost tens of millions of yen.

This place is maintained today through such efforts, so please visit with a respectful attitude.

By the way, there are also houses where you can have a lodging experience. I'd like to actually stay in a gassho-zukuri house next time I visit🙌

By the way, gohei-mochi is eaten as a local dish in the Chubu region (Japanese: 中部地方), including this area. I discovered a gohei-mochi shop in Shirakawa-go and tried it!

It was delicious😋

For those interested in gassho-zukuri!

At Michi-no-Eki Shirakawa-go (Japanese: 道の駅 白川郷), about 7 minutes by car from Shirakawa-go, there's a free gassho-zukuri museum where you can learn about the construction methods and see them up close!

It's free but you can really take your time looking around, and it's quite a wonderful place, so please make the trip!

Noto Peninsula Tourist Attractions

How to Get from Kanazawa to the Noto Peninsula

I rented a car near Kanazawa Station and drove there. It takes just over an hour by car from Kanazawa Station to Wakura Onsen.

Trains are also available, so going by train is a good option, and there are places you can stop at while driving, like Chirihama Nagisa Driveway (Japanese: 千里浜なぎさドライブウェイ), so going by car is also a good choice.

If you really want to fully enjoy the Noto Peninsula, I recommend a car for its flexibility and convenience.

Wakura Onsen Notoraku

I drove through the snow with the rough Sea of Japan beside me after finishing work on a weekday evening, so I arrived a bit late, but I have a strong memory of how warmly the staff welcomed me.

The onsen was absolutely wonderful, and the hotel was clean and comfortable—I felt so refreshed.

It was so lovely and memorable that I had them take a photo of me at the entrance when I checked out. I recommend this inn for its homey atmosphere.

Wakura Onsen Kagaya

*Due to the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, as of August 2025 when this article was written, Kagaya is temporarily closed. It may not be possible to stay there in the same form as when I visited, but it was such a wonderful experience that remains in my heart, so I'd like to share it here with my hopes for their recovery.

Kagaya's hospitality is said to be the best in Japan, and it truly lives up to that reputation—I've never experienced such an abundance of omotenashi spirit before.

The moment I arrived at Kagaya, the nakai-san (room attendants) were lined up beautifully in a row at the entrance, and they all bowed in unison to welcome us. I got goosebumps at that very moment.

Having worked at a hotel myself, I could instantly tell how much effort they put into their meticulous service—it was a moving experience.

The facility itself is very spacious and gorgeous, with not only luxurious bars and large gift shops to keep guests entertained, but also national treasure-level artworks displayed throughout the building—the facility itself was like an art museum.

Both breakfast and dinner were served in our room, with the nakai-san providing attentive service each time.

I looked at a paper placed on top of the meal that listed Noto's festivals and events, and was so impressed by how many events there were that I took that paper home with me and still treasure it to this day.

The meals were kaiseki cuisine using Noto ingredients including crab and sashimi, and since they carefully explained each dish, I could savor them while imagining the story behind each one.

The facility itself is very spacious with onsen, so I wandered around quite a bit, but our room also had an open-air bath attached, so we could relax in the room as well.

What moved me even more was that after checkout, while I was chatting with the nakai-san, our car had been moved to the front of the ryokan without us noticing, and when we thought "okay, let's head home," everything was already perfectly prepared for our departure.

To anticipate our needs by keeping track of our room number, our car, and our own movements requires truly meticulous attention to detail, and this experience really touched my heart.

And of course they saw us off with proper farewells, so from the moment we stepped onto Kagaya's grounds until the moment we left, we received the finest hospitality—it was truly moving.

I've vowed in my heart to definitely stay there again, so I'm cheering for them to be able to resume operations as soon as possible.

Kagaya's website is here

Wakura Onsen Festival Hall (Japanese: お祭り会館)

Nanao City (Japanese: 七尾市), where Wakura Onsen is located, has a culture of various unique festivals.

When you enter the hall, there's a spacious area with large festival floats and hōtō lanterns.

Scenes from the festivals are projected on large screens, and you can feel the excitement as if you're actually watching the festivals yourself.

When I visited, they were also holding hands-on sessions where you could experience the atmosphere of the festivals for a limited time.

I think it's quite rare to have so many unique festivals in the same region, and it made me really want to see them in person, so I definitely recommend visiting the festival hall or attending the actual festivals.

Next time I go, I want to time it with the festival season. I'm truly envious that there are so many traditional festivals like these.

Ishikawa Prefecture Notojima Glass Art Museum (Japanese: 石川県能登島ガラス美術館)

I wondered why glass art in Noto, but it seems there's this background story.

Originally having no connection to glass crafts, this island saw the interests of Ishikawa Prefecture, which wanted to stimulate the prefecture's traditional crafts, align with those of Notojima Town (which merged with one city and three towns in 2004 to become present-day Nanao City), which wanted to establish a tourism industry on the island. Together they planned a "Glass Craft Island" concept, and in 1984 (Showa 59), Notojima Glass Studio Co., Ltd. was invited to the island. Later, to convey the history and appeal of glass crafts and glass art, the basic concept for a glass art museum was established in 1989 (Heisei 1), and with the cooperation of Ishikawa Prefecture, the Glass Art Museum opened in July 1991 (Heisei 3).

(Source) Ishikawa Prefecture Notojima Glass Art Museum Homepage

Not only inside the museum, but artworks were also displayed around the outdoor facilities, making it enjoyable to walk around both inside and outside.

I'm not particularly good at going through art museums myself, so it didn't resonate deeply with me, but there were many intricate works that made me think "This is made of glass too?" which I found fascinating.

Notojima Aquarium (Japanese: のとじま水族館)

I actually quite enjoy visiting aquariums when I travel, and I often make a point of going to them.

Each aquarium has its own creative approach to exhibits, and sometimes they have rare creatures you don't often get to see, so I keep visiting because I enjoy these once-in-a-lifetime encounters.

And Notojima Aquarium had so many surprises and was so much fun that I definitely recommend visiting!

The whale shark tank and the dolphin tunnel tank are wonderful, including their design, but what impressed me most was the "Noto Kaiyu Kairo" (Noto Ocean Corridor).

This area features projection mapping that creates a fantastical atmosphere, and best of all, there were many fish swimming around that were the same size as me or even larger.

The sight was quite spectacular, and I couldn't help but want to compare my size with theirs, so I took comparison photos (laughs).

The exhibits are designed in various ways throughout to help you feel close to the living creatures, so please take a look around while paying attention to these thoughtful details.

It was a particularly memorable aquarium.

Noto Yumeterasu (Besshodake Service Area)

This is a bit of a bonus recommendation, but if you're driving around the Noto area, I highly recommend the observation deck at Besshodake Service Area, which offers a panoramic view of Nanao Bay.

Reflections on My 10-Day Workation in Kanazawa, Ishikawa

Winter in Kanazawa (the Hokuriku region) is characterized by very few sunny days, with rain, snow, and hail, along with piercing winds that make it extremely cold, so I strongly recommend going well-prepared with warm clothing.

While Kanazawa city itself apparently doesn't get much accumulating snow in recent years, the weather is often poor, so I recommend waterproof shoes and solid cold-weather protection.

Even with Heattech extra warm tights and jeans, the cold was painfully piercing, like needles stabbing my legs.

The cold and frequent hail were quite difficult for me to endure, which made me realize how incredible the people of Ishikawa are for weathering such long, harsh winters.

On the other hand, winter brings incredibly delicious ingredients like Kanazawa oden, winter yellowtail, and crab, which is why I actually prefer visiting in winter!

With such abundant ingredients and so many skilled chefs who know how to bring out their best, I truly think of it as a culinary treasure trove.

Whether you take your time sightseeing around Kanazawa Station or actively venture out to surrounding areas, there are so many ways to enjoy yourself no matter how many times you visit.

I hear kayaking in summer is also fun.

And as you've seen, Ishikawa Prefecture has so many traditions, cultural practices, and historical structures still preserved.

What's more, the people of Ishikawa Prefecture take great pride in these things and carefully protect them—something I could feel in many different situations when I actually visited.

Having so much culture to be so deeply proud of is truly enviable, and it made me feel strongly that even those of us who don't live in Ishikawa should learn more about it and take pride in it as Japanese people.

Even after 10 days, I feel there are still many new discoveries to be made, so I plan to visit again.

I hope you'll all visit Ishikawa and Kanazawa, where Japan's traditional culture remains so vibrant!

※Business hours and rules for locations and shops may have changed. Please be sure to check the latest information yourself.

※These are purely my personal impressions, so please use them as reference only.