Did you know that Hakusan is one of Japan’s Three Sacred Mountains (along with Tateyama in Niigata Prefecture, and the famous, but overtouristed Mount Fuji). Even many Japanese people are not aware of this fact.

 

Hakusan is both the name of the 2,702 meter mountain (literally “white mountain”), and also the name of the city in Ishikawa Prefecture where Mt. Hakusan is located. Officially designated a UNESCO Geopark in May of 2023, Hakusan is divided into 3 distinct geographical areas; the mountains, the Tedori River valley in the Hakusan foothills (where we are located), and the alluvial plain where the Tedori River empties into the Sea of Japan. The Geopark tells the story of water – the water that falls as rain and (mostly) snow on the peaks of Mt. Hakusan, and eventually flows via many smaller rivers and tributaries into the Tedori River, that then feeds an intricate network of irrigation channels that supply a vast array of rice fields and public water works as far away as Nanao, in the north of Ishikawa.

 

While we are located only a 30-40 minute drive from the vibrant city of Kanazawa, a visit to the historic Torigoe area where KASUMI Naturals and Miyabi Guesthouse is located, is like an escape into a completely different part of Japan, a land of unspoilt countryside surrounded by  brilliant green rice fields and mountains, with the snow-capped Hakusan mountains providing a spectacular backdrop to the area.

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https://www.city.hakusan.lg.jp/otherdata/sightseeing/index.html