HokRik Wheels

Following the Noto earthquake, I have had to relocate and am now based in Kanazawa. While eagerly waiting for the Noto cycling tours being operable again, I have found many great opportunities in my new area. Kanazawa has an ideal location between not only Noto, but also Kaga city and Nanto city of Toyama. Both are accessible within one hour by train or bus from Kanazawa Station. Though very different from each other, both boast amazing culture and superb roads.

Little more than a century ago, Kaga boasted having the richest village in Japan. Nestle in between the sea of Japan on one side and Hakusan National Park on the other, beautiful villages characterised by bright red tiles on the roofs, home to various craft such as wood turning, laquerware and colourful Kutani ware.

Nanto has developped in a unique way to urbanise itself while expending rice culture called the Sankyoson, or “scattered settlements”. It is a real pleasure meandering throughout rice paddies and traditionnal houses with the northern alps at a back. surrounded by forests, Nanto also homes the most important wood carving community in Japan, something we can strongly feel with omnepresent wooden constructions and ornementions left to their natural tone, enhancing the refined wood work.

Kanazawa itself can be a good start point for some nice cycling, but unavoidably have some passages busy with traffic. Please note that all the tours here are designed to attract cyclists; the main activity is to ride and not just use the bicycle as a tool to get faster from point A to point B.

Looking forward to welcoming you in the ever suprising Hokuriku area!

Due to the 1.1.24 Noto Earthquake, all tours and activities on the Noto Peninsula have been suspended. The area has been heavily damaged, and many sightseeing spots have been impacted and some simply and purely destroyed. While many people left to other prefectures, remaining people and volunteers from all around Japan have been working hard on not just fixing, but building a new Noto, exploiting the dynamic of reconstruction to adapt it to the challenges it was facing even before the earthquake.

Furthermore, disastrous floods have thrown a spanner in the works, causing even greater damages than the earthquake in some areas. While I previously expected to restart activity in the area from 2025, it is now certain it will be another year with no tour organised there. Depending on works progress, 2026 will hopefully be a good year to welcome visitors to the splendors of the Noto Peninsula.