The Nanao Line for Nanao, and Wakura Onsen

The Nanao Line is the rail route from Tsubata toward Nanao and Wakura Onsen on the Noto Peninsula. JR West operates the Tsubata – Wakura Onsen section, while Noto Railway operates passenger services between Nanao and Anamizu. From Kanazawa Station, passengers usually take a through service that runs first over the IR Ishikawa Railway to Tsubata Station and then continues toward the Noto Peninsula. Many local services from Kanazawa terminate at Nanao, while onward travel to Wakura Onsen or Anamizu can require a transfer, so check the destination before boarding.

A local train bound for Nanao at Kanazawa Station

Table of Contents

Key Destinations

The southern part of the Nanao Line from Tsubata Station to Wakura Onsen is run by JR West. There are 20 stations on this part of the line:

Tsubata -> Naka-Tsubata -> Hon-Tsubata -> Nose -> Unoke -> Yokoyama -> Takamatsu -> Menden -> Hodatsu -> Shikinami -> Minami-Hakui -> Hakui -> Chiji -> Kanemaru -> Notobe -> Yoshikawa -> Noto-Ninomiya -> Tokuda -> Nanao -> Wakura Onsen

Nanao Station and Wakura Onsen Station are jointly operated by JR West and the Noto Railway, and the remaining stations toward Anamizu are served by the Noto Railway:

Nanao -> Wakura Onsen -> Tatsuruhama -> Kasashiho -> Noto-Nakajima -> Nishigishi -> Noto-Kashima -> Anamizu

The rail section beyond Anamizu Station to Wajima closed in 2001. Passengers who wish to visit Wajima should take a bus from Anamizu Station, or take a direct bus from Kanazawa. Check Noto Railway and Hokutetsu bus information before traveling beyond Nanao or Wakura Onsen, because Noto Peninsula transport and visitor facilities can be affected by recovery work.

A carriage banner on a train bound for Nanao

Below are the main destinations on the Nanao Line route. Fares and journey times vary depending on whether you use a local train, a limited express, or a Noto Railway connection beyond Nanao. Use the JR West Route Maps and Timetables page for Kanazawa – Hakui – Nanao – Wakura Onsen services and the Noto Railway timetable and fare pages for travel between Nanao and Anamizu.

Tsubata Station

Tsubata Station is jointly operated by JR West and IR Ishikawa Railway. Through trains bound for Nanao Station join the Nanao Line here.

Unoke Station

Unoke Station serves the city of Kahoku. This is the closest station to the Ishikawa Nishida Kitaro Museum of Philosophy. Nishida Kitaro was an important 20th century philosopher who was born in Ishikawa Prefecture and who founded the Kyoto School of philosophy. The museum preserves mementos from his life, and examples of his poetry and calligraphy. The museum building, by the famous architect Tadao Ando, is designed to reflect Nishida Kitaro’s ideas. The museum is about 20 minutes on foot from Unoke Station.

Hakui Station

Exit here for Cosmo Isle Hakui, a space and UFO museum with exhibits related to space exploration. The city of Hakui has a reputation for being one of Japan’s best-known locations for UFO lore.

Nanao Station

Nanao is the Noto Peninsula’s largest city. Exit here for the Ishikawa Nanao Art Museum, the preserved traditional buildings on the shopping street of Ipponsugi Dori, and the lively market at Nanao Fisherman’s Wharf, which is a good place to pick up souvenirs. The Seihakusai Dekayama Festival is held from 3-May to 5-May and features giant festival floats being pulled through the streets. Nanao is also home to Monterey Jazz Festival in Noto, a summer jazz event that began through the connection between Nanao and Monterey, California; check the official festival site for each year’s date and venue.

Local through train services from Kanazawa Station often terminate at Nanao Station. Transfer here to reach Wakura Onsen or stations farther north on the Noto Railway.

Wakura Onsen Station

Wakura Onsen is a historic hot spring town on Noto Peninsula’s Nanao Bay, but accommodation and visitor services are reopening in stages after the 1-Jan-2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. The Wakura Onsen Tourism Association lodging update dated 1-Apr-2026 lists 9 member ryokan accepting tourists, with some properties operating provisionally while rebuilding continues. Check official accommodation status before booking.

The Ishikawa Notojima Glass Art Museum reopened from 14-Feb-2026. To visit it from Wakura Onsen Station, check the museum and Notojima Tourism Association pages for opening days, access, and island-area visitor information.

Anamizu Station

Anamizu is the northern end of the Noto Railway line and a gateway for buses toward Wajima, Noto Airport, and other parts of the Noto Peninsula. Do not plan around the Noto Nakai Cast Metal Museum; Anamizu Town’s official page marks it as closed, and town recovery materials record earthquake damage to the building and exhibits. Anamizu is also known for winter oysters, but festival dates and formats can change during recovery. For 2026, Anamizu Town lists the winter oyster festival period from 3-Jan to 6-May, with a special recovery-market event on 28-Feb and 1-Mar.

Nanao Line departure information at Kanazawa Station

Tickets

At Kanazawa Station tickets for destinations on this line should be bought at IR Ishikawa Railway ticket machines, or from the IR Ishikawa Railway office. For reserved JR limited express services, use JR ticketing channels. For Noto Railway travel beyond Nanao and Wakura Onsen, check Noto Railway fares before boarding.

Using the Japan Rail Pass

The Japan Rail Pass covers JR West services on the Nanao Line between Tsubata and Wakura Onsen. It also covers the IR Ishikawa Railway section between Kanazawa and Tsubata only when you pass through on an eligible JR-line train that continues beyond that section. Stopovers or separate travel on IR Ishikawa Railway are not covered. The Noto Railway section between Nanao/Wakura Onsen and Anamizu is not a JR line and requires a separate ticket.

All aboard for the Noto Peninsula!

Limited Express Services for Wakura Onsen

The main JR limited express on this route is the Limited Express Noto Kagaribi, which links Kanazawa with Nanao and Wakura Onsen. Some trains terminate at or start from Nanao, so check the destination before boarding.

Thunderbird services run between Osaka/Kyoto and Tsuruga. Travelers from Kyoto or Osaka transfer at Tsuruga to the Hokuriku Shinkansen for Kanazawa, then transfer at Kanazawa for Nanao or Wakura Onsen.

The Hanayome Noren sightseeing train also runs between Kanazawa and Wakura Onsen, but JR West’s 2026 plan has only Hanayome Noren #1 and #4 operating, mainly on Saturdays, Sundays, and selected holiday periods through September 2026. Check the official Hanayome Noren page before planning around it.