Yase Cliff, Noto Kongō Coast, Ishikawa Prefecture

The Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture is a large area of land extending into the Sea of Japan. One of the major scenic attractions is the Noto Kongō Coast on the western side, featuring towering cliffs and rock formations carved by raging waves. Yase Cliff (Yase no Dangai) is especially popular as a tourist destination. This was a location for the filming of Zero Focus (Zero no shōten), based on the mystery novel of the same title by Matsumoto Seichō. Visitors can look down prominence to the rough waters of the Sea of Japan 35 meters below. A trail leads from the cliff to another nearby attraction, a narrow inlet called Yoshitsune no Funakakushi after a tale of the twelfth-century warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune, said to have hidden 48 ships here as he fled from his estranged brother Yoritomo.

(Originally published in Japanese. Created in cooperation with Kanazawa Cable Television.)