Cycling Japan – day 26 – Noto-jima Island to Amaharashi

Day 26 – Noto-jima Island to Amaharashi
Distance: 55.8km
Ascent / descent: 452m / 418m
Weather: hot, 28 degrees
Accommodation: Amabarashi free camp ground

The campground was noisy from 5:30am with people packing up tents and starting car/motorbike engines so I was awake but didn’t want to get up because I knew I had a short day and the tent was soaking. This must be something to do with the humidity in Japan because it was never like this up in Scotland last year…

The sun started beaming through the tent and I began burning up so I finally got up at 7:30am and started the process of drying out the tent and packing everything up.

I left the island on the Ohashi bridge and actually thought I could’ve done without visiting the island… sorry!

A lady replanting rice

The ohashi bridge I crossed this morning to leave Noto-jima island

I then followed the coastal road and stumbled upon a festival of almighty proportions – the Seihakusai festival in Nanao city (the largest spring festival in the Noto region). It was the last day of the three day festival (which received Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage status last year) and I felt very lucky to have come across it in full swing with 3 giant floats (the largest in Japan; they’re called ‘hikiyama’ or ‘dekayama’) and about 100 people pulling each one through the streets. A lady who spoke very good English came up to me and grabbed me by the arm then took me on a tour of the three floats and explained the festival 😉

One of the three Hikiyama floats in the Seihakusai festival in Nanao city

Festival girls

Festival guys

Festival guy

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And there goes the last Hikiyama float being pulled by hundreds of people down the street at the Seihakusai festival in Nanao City

The Michi-no-eki there called Fisherman’s Wharf was huge and had many restaurants inside where you could choose your seafood then cook it yourself on bbqs. I stayed for a while, had lunch and enjoyed the festival.

At the Fisherman’s wharf Michi-no-eki in Nanao City you can buy seafood at a stall and cook it at the BBQs there

Strawberry mochi!

The new era is called Reiwa

I then continued along the coastal road, leaving Ishikawa Prefecture for Toyama Prefecture. I passed two more Michi-no-eki’s and the last one at Himi was probably the best and biggest I’ve come across so far. It had many restaurants, a market and souvenir shops. I had dinner at this one and was able to charge some things before continuing on the last ~8km to find the free camp site. The site is in a terrific location facing the sea with a view of the Toyama mountain range and there are many people and tents here. Did I mention, it’s free? 🙂 🙂

I set up my tent and met the neighbours then had a beer with the man next to me while he cooked his dinner on a bbq. I have a sea and mountain view from my tent and I’m falling asleep to the sound of the sea, this is what camping is all about.