In 2011, Noto's Satoyama and Satoumi became Japan's first region to be recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (*1). Noto, blessed with abundant natural resources and reminiscent of Japan's original landscape, boasts a food culture nurtured and passed down by people who live in harmony with nature and tradition. To convey the charms of Noto, a food buyer from Isetan Mitsukoshi and the Ishikawa Agricultural Support Organization (INATO), a team of food professionals and guides with deep knowledge of Noto, teamed up to host a "Satoyama and Satoumi Food Tour" with gourmets. Join the tour and experience the generous satoyama and satoumi, and experience the lifestyle and food culture that emerge from them. Enjoy the "Noto E-Travel." First, head to Wajima City, the center of Noto tourism. "The fishermen around here eat sashimi with sweet soy sauce and chili peppers," says Takaaki Tanigawa, fourth-generation owner of Tanigawa Brewery in Wajima City. Founded in 1905 as a sake brewery, the company began producing miso and soy sauce in the Taisho era. Their flagship product, "Sakura Soy Sauce," is a condiment that has shaped the taste buds of the people of Noto. While there are currently approximately 1,500 soy sauce manufacturers in Japan, five major companies account for roughly half of the domestic market share. Since the enactment of the Small and Medium Enterprise Modernization Promotion Act in 1963, most soy sauce breweries have purchased the raw soy sauce (kiage soy sauce) produced by the major companies as their base, pasteurizing it and adding their own unique flavors, and selling it as their own soy sauce. "Sakura Soy Sauce is also made using the same process. However, when I took over from my father, I wanted to make soy sauce from scratch at our brewery, so we restored old equipment and wooden barrels and began making honjozo soy sauce," says Tanigawa. The artisanal spirit of making local soy sauce using locally grown Ohama soybeans and wheat, and the pride of the fourth-generation owner in passing on the tradition of authentic soy sauce making to his son, led to the creation of "Honjozo Soy Sauce" after much hard work. He and his wife, Chiho, have also developed new products, such as "Okazu Miso," based on naturally brewed, wooden barrel-fermented Sakura miso. They are spreading the flavor of Noto, inheriting tradition and connecting it to new traditions.

■ Experience "Wajima Lacquerware," a tradition passed down in Wajima, the town of lacquerware

Wajima is known as the town of lacquerware. Smooth and lustrous lacquerware is a craft that symbolizes Japanese beauty, and is often referred to as "Japan" in English. Wajima Lacquerware, which requires 124 steps to complete, including "nunokise," covering weak parts of the vessel with cloth, and mixing Wajimajinoko clay into the lacquer to "flesh" the vessel, is the only lacquerware in Japan to be designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property. Each craftsman applies their skill in each process—making the wood base, applying the priming, lacquering, undercoating, and topcoating—and passes the work on to the next craftsman. Finally, the piece is delivered to a lacquerware shop, which handles everything from planning to finishing and sales.

There are currently around 190 lacquerware shops in Wajima City. One of the oldest is Tsutaya Lacquerware, founded in Edo in 1860. Yoshiko Daiku, the proprietress who runs Gallery Tsutaya on behalf of the sixth-generation owner, who travels around the country, explains Wajima lacquerware's unique features: "It has excellent heat retention and is resistant to heat transfer. Even when cold food is placed inside, Wajima lacquerware doesn't sweat."

Wajima lacquerware, which is made with multiple coats of paint, is not just elegant tableware for special occasions, but also durable enough for everyday use. "I want it to pair with a variety of dishes, not just Japanese cuisine and sashimi, but also Italian and meat dishes," she says. Gallery Tsutaya carries not only works by artists but also Wajima lacquerware that you'll want to incorporate into your daily life.

■ Wajima's proud, pristine Japanese scenery: To the seaside rice terraces, the Senmaida

As you head north along the coast from the bustling city center, the Shiroyone Senmaida, a geometrically shaped rice terrace facing the sea, catches your eye. These more than 1,000 rice paddies, built on sloping land, are cultivated using the ancient Japanese method of nawashiroda (rice seedling farming)*3. From planting to harvesting, rice cultivation in these terraced fields is entirely done by hand. Rice terraces are found throughout Noto, and have even been branded as Noto Tanada Rice or Notomai. Noto Tanada Rice, with its sweetness and chewy texture, is said to be highly popular. The Noto Peninsula originally had little flat land, but the rice terraces that our ancestors painstakingly cultivated now entertain many visitors (marebito*4) and contribute to the beautiful scenery that represents the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System "Noto no Satoyama Satoumi."
*1 Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the aim of passing on to future generations this globally important region, where traditional agricultural methods, land use that protects biodiversity, rural culture, and rural landscapes are all integrated and maintained.
*2 The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System "Noto no Satoyama Satoumi" consists of four cities and five towns: Nanao City, Wajima City, Suzu City, Hakui City, Shika Town, Hodatsushimizu Town, Nakanoto Town, Anamizu Town, and Noto Town.
*3 Rice fields where rice seeds are sown, germinated, and grown into seedlings ready for planting.
*4 Refers to people who have come from outside. Noto has a culture of welcoming guests.
Interview cooperation:
Tanigawa Brewery http://www.tanigawa-jozo.com
Tsutaya Lacquerware Shop http://www.wajima-tutaya.jp
Shiroyone Senmaida Rice Fields http://senmaida.wajima-kankou.jp
Ishikawa Agriculture Support Organization http://www.inz.or.jp
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