Suzu Shi, Noto-Hanto Ishikawa-Ken

Introduction:
Suzu City lies at the very tip of the Noto Peninsula. It has a population of about 20,000, but this is spread over a large area, made up mostly of small townships, scattered among the countryside. Although Suzu has both a rail and a bus system, the bus is by far the fastest and most convienient way to and from other cities and towns. From Suzu to Kanazawa, it is approximately two hours by car, two and a half by bus, or about four hours by train.

Climate:
Like most places in Japan, Suzu comes with the joy of four distinct seasons. Summer in Suzu is hot, to say the least. However, as we are located right next to the ocean, there is often a breeze that provides a small amount of relief in the summer months. Winter is long with a lot of snow. Although it rarely gets below freezing, and snow melts quickly, the sheer amount of precipitation in the winter guarantees many mornings of digging your car out.

Highlights:
Suzu is blessed with a beautiful coastline, as well as many parks, beaches and other recreational areas. It's a great place for hiking, biking and swimming in the summertime. There are also numerous festivals throughout the year. You may find yourself planting rice, cooking fish on a grill, dancing around the biggest lantern in Japan (14 metres) or drinking sake whilst carrying a kiriko (festival float).

As it is a small town, Suzu may be seen to be lacking in the usual entertainment facilities. However, after closer inspection, you can find wonderful Indonesian, Chinese and of course Japanese restaurants, great coffee, amazing seafood, beautiful scenery, relaxing onsen (hot spas) and super friendly people.