Nonoichi is a quiet residential city on the flat plain just south of Kanazawa, the kind of place most visitors pass through without noticing. That is no criticism. It is a good place to start a ride towards the Noto Peninsula, with easy fuel, convenience stores and fast arterial roads, and Kanazawa is only a few kilometres away. The Tedori river comes down from the Hakusan mountains to the south and spreads its alluvial plain to the sea, and on a clear day the snow on Hakusan, one of Japan's three holy mountains, hangs over the rice fields.
Kanazawa is the reason to linger. It was the seat of the Maeda clan, the richest domain in Edo-period Japan after the shogun's own, and it was spared heavy bombing in the Second World War, so the old districts survive. Kenroku-en, laid out by the Maeda lords over generations, is counted among the three great gardens of Japan, and the Higashi Chaya district has wooden teahouses where geisha still perform. The city produces almost all of Japan's gold leaf, and you can buy ice cream with a sheet of it on top if you want to be silly about it.
The food is serious. Ōmichō market has fish from the Sea of Japan piled on ice, and in winter the snow crab season is a regional obsession. Kaga cooking, with dishes like jibuni, duck stewed with wheat gluten and vegetables, is quite different from Tokyo fare, and the sake from the Hakusan breweries is excellent.
The ride north to Noto runs along the coast, flat at first and then rolling, and one stretch, the Chirihama beach driveway, lets you ride along firm sand at the water's edge. A word of caution: the Noto Peninsula was struck by a severe earthquake on New Year's Day 2024, with heavy damage to towns and roads, and repairs have taken a long time, so check current conditions and closures before planning the full loop. Nonoichi itself is calm and practical, with plenty of fuel and food, and the weather on this coast can turn quickly, with grey skies and rain coming off the sea even in summer.