2 Best Sights in Noto-hanto (Noto Peninsula), The Japan Alps and the North Chubu Coast

Just south of the village of Suzu is a dramatic offshore rock formation called Mitsuke-jima, a huge wedge of rock topped with lush vegetation, connected to the shore with a pebbly path popular with lovers, who can ring a bell here to wish for everlasting love. Locals, however, also have a very unromantic name for it: Gunkan-jima (Battleship Island), because it resembles a warship sailing to attack.

Although inland buses will get you around faster, the coastal route is recommended for its scenic value. On the west coast, the 16-km (10-mile) stretch between Fuku-ura and Sekinohana, known as the Noto Seacoast, has fantastic wind- and wave-eroded rocks, from craggy towers to partly submerged checkerboard-pattern platforms. Among the best is Gan-mon, a rock cut through the center by water. Gan-mon is about 45 minutes north of Hakui and is a stop on tour-bus routes. Check out the website of Gan-mon Cruise for details of boat tours, if you want to see the coast from the water.