I'm seriously thinking about modifying our "final" itinerary for our trip and substituting 2 nights on the Noto Peninsula for Takayama. When I was first thinking about the trip for this coming May, I had a couple of nights here in mind and for various reasons took it off the list. But we really love coastal areas and something about it keeps telling me to add it back in (I know they are all different but we will be visiting Kanazawa and Kyoto on this trip so the Noto Peninsula is more of a contrast with those places).

One of the concerns I had that made me drop it was that we'd be driving. I'm less concerned about that now except for driving in and out of Kanazawa. So for anyone who has done this, can you give me your assessment of how difficult it was to drive out of the rental car places near the train station? Another option is to take the train to Nanao (we're coming from Matsumoto) and rent the car from there, but this would extend the train time and eliminate some of the stops on the Kongo coast. Any thoughts? FYI, DH has no problem driving on the left and we plan to rent a GPS.

As always, thanks!

I've driven from Kanazawa part way along the Noto Peninsular. I had the car for a trip elsewhere but got to Kanazawa 3 hours before it was due back so decided to explore a little way up the peninsular. There's no problem driving through Kanazawa, or any Japanese city. Everyone is very disciplined and the road infrastructure is good. Because it was an unplanned excursion, I did not have good data for the GPS (you need the phone numbers of your destinations), so ended up on the (very) slow road a few blocks in from the coast. However, I did get to Myojoji, which was really excellent. It's in the middle of paddy fields and I navigated by heading toward the occasional glimpses I had of its pagoda. A superb temple and no one else there.

I say go for it. Driving in Japan is as easy as it gets.

I haven't driven in Kanazawa but will be picking up a rental car there in April and heading up to Wajima and then to Hyakurakuso, then down to Karuizawa and beyond.

We picked up a car within Kumamoto on our last trip, also by the main station. As someotherguy says, drivers are polite, mindful of traffic rules, and the roads were not too busy (for us Londoners) so it was not a stressful experience. I supplemented the GPS with some printed paper route info I'd prepared, though we didn't really need it. My husband drove.

Definitely worth getting phone numbers of everywhere you plan to visit, so you can feed them into the GPS.

thanks and thanks

http://www.japan-guide.com/community...ey/report-2237

Maybe the above link will be helpful...it is a report from a poster on japan-guide who visited the Noto peninsula....

Yes, thanks Mara, I saw that post. Even though the writer wasn't super enthusiastic, the photos look lovely - - the kind of things we like to see on coastal drives.

The Noto part of a TR by Craig start's here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...omment-8478760

Yes, it was Craig's report that had me worried in the first place, LOL

We had problems with our vehicle's GPS, so arrival in Kanazawa was difficult, but driving is fine otherwise if yours works. We ended up using Google Maps which was such a great back-up that we used it exclusively in South Africa last month. Noto is really easy driving, btw.

I looked in to driving to Noto when we were in Kanazawa last year. We chickened out, but I did explore the idea of picking the car up in Kanazawa and dropping it off in Toyama. There's also a bus that goes to Waijima, but we decided we weren't willing to sacrifice the freedom a car would give us.

Nice thread about Kanazawa as a car rentall/daytrip base.
Just checked google maps and Eiheiji, Zen temple complex, Fukui, is only an little over an hour away.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/s...p/eiheiji.html
Tojinbo Cliffs on the way back
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/s...n/tojinbo.html
Hope to submit trip report by May

I've been to Eiheji and Tojinbo, but the highlight for me in that region was Maruoka Castle (on a festival weekend during cherry blossom). There's also the Shirayama Hime Shrine. Shirayama/Hakusan is one of the 3 holy mountains.

Thanks, will put those stops on the itinerary.

Also, seems like we need an International Drivers Permit...Fodorites, did you obtain yours before getting to Japan?

Yup, I wouldn't have thought you could get one once in Japan?

International Drivers Permit is easily obtained at any AAA office.

yes, thanks, will do it that way. All the places we've rented cars, we've never needed one, it was just a surprise to find out especially because I hadn't seen it mentioned in any Japan threads.

ttt