Nanao City

Temples gathered on a hill for defense.

Yamanotera temple group

01 ／ Okumakabuto Festival (お熊甲祭)

A crimson banner, over 20 meters tall,tips almost to the ground.

At the autumn festival of Kumakabuto Shrine (熊甲神社), mikoshi and banners arrive from 19 subordinate shrines. Dozens of men carry wakihata banners standing over 20 meters tall, and at the resting place they are tipped almost to the ground in a display called "Shimada-kuzushi." In 2025, the festival was held on September 20.

Designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1981
Head shrine of 19 subordinate shrines
Banners stand over 20 meters tall

02 ／ Noto Engekido Theater (能登演劇堂)

When the doors backstage open,Noto's own scenery becomes the stage.

Noto Engekido (能登演劇堂), a theater built through the ties between actor Nakadai Tatsuya's troupe Mumyōjuku (無名塾) and the town of Nakajima, opened in 1995. Its rear stage doors open to reveal the surrounding landscape as a backdrop, a stage mechanism said to be rare anywhere in the world. Mumyōjuku and other troupes continue to perform there in 2026.

Opened May 12, 1995
Rear stage doors open onto the landscape
Honorary director: Nakadai Tatsuya

03 ／ Keta Hongū (気多本宮)

The great shrine at Hakuiis said to have branched from here.

Noto Ikukunitamahiko Shrine (能登生国玉比古神社), chief shrine of Noto province, is said to have been founded under Emperor Kōgen. In the reign of Emperor Sujin, its deity is said to have been divided and enshrined at Takezu Bay in Hakui, giving rise to Keta Shrine — today's Keta Taisha — which is why this shrine is called Keta Hongū, the "original Keta." In the Tenshō era, Maeda Toshiie moved it to its present site in Tokoguchi.

Said to have been founded under Emperor Kōgen
Said to be the source shrine behind Keta Taisha
Tenshō era: moved to its present site by Maeda Toshiie

Living here

"Nanao" is said to come from seven ridges.

about 50,000 people

The mountain where Nanao Castle (七尾城) once stood had seven ridges — Matsuo, Takeo, and others — said to be the source of the city's name. Wakura Onsen (和倉温泉) is said to have sprung up during the Daidō era. Ishizaki's Hōtō Festival (石崎奉燈祭) was held on August 2 in 2025.

People living here: 50,300people
Area: 318.26km²
Households: 20,328households
Rent (average for rentals): 46,854yen
Healthcare: 5 hospitals ／ 40 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Population from 2005 onward (municipal boundary changed).2004-10-01 に合併。2005年調査から市域が変わっている。

Children waiting for childcare: —23 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Nanao City in Japan37.043°N 136.967°E

Territory of Nanao City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

26.8km

Ishikawa Prefecture: 志賀町, 中能登町, 穴水町
Toyama Prefecture: 氷見市

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Nanao City isthis kind of town.

01Maeda Toshiie is said to have gathered 29 temples on a hill to guard against Oku-Noto. Sixteen remain today, linked by a meditation path.
02Nanao sits in central Noto Peninsula, facing Nanao Bay. Its name is said to come from seven ridges on the mountain where Nanao Castle once stood.
03At Kumakabuto Shrine in Nakajima, the Okumakabuto Festival continues, with crimson banners over 20 meters tall. Nearby, Noto Engekido theater still hosts performances linked to the troupe Mumyōjuku.

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Nanao City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗