The NOW Institute proposes a comprehensive resilience strategy integrating disaster-resistant master planning with economic revitalization through cultural assets: Wajima lacquerware, the Kiriko festival, and world-class agriculture including seafood and Wagyu beef. This publication presents an integrated approach leveraging Oku-Noto's heritage to catalyze spatial disaster planning across three scales — regional planning, urban design, and architectural speculation.
The Noto Peninsula sits on the Sea of Japan in central Honshu: 2,404 square kilometers across 13 municipalities, the largest peninsula on that coast. Rich culture and resources — hot springs, artisan crafts, major festivals — have made it a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System since 2011, a living model of ecological balance and cultural continuity for over 6,000 years.
Like many rural areas in Japan, Noto has faced serious challenges in recent years: depopulation, the decline of local industries, and a shrinking base of infrastructure to serve the communities left behind.
In 2024, the peninsula was devastated by two natural disasters eight months apart. On January 1, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the region, with Wajima and Suzu among the hardest hit; the accompanying tsunami compounded the damage. In September, as recovery was underway, a severe rainstorm caused major flooding and landslides.
Recovery has been slow, but the process marks the beginning of a new Noto — one that can model how other regions reinvigorate their communities and build sustainable local economies, by introducing thoughtful urban planning and fostering equitable, functional communities.
The NOW Institute proposes a comprehensive resilience strategy integrating disaster-resistant master planning with economic revitalization through cultural assets: Wajima lacquerware, the Kiriko festival, and world-class agriculture including seafood and Wagyu beef. This project presents an integrated approach leveraging Oku-Noto's heritage to catalyze spatial disaster planning across three scales — regional planning, urban design, and architectural speculation.
The Noto Peninsula has been grappling with substantial delays in restoring vital infrastructure. Many roads remain blocked by debris and landslides; around 19,000 households still lacked running water two months after the quake; and as of June 2024, only about 12% of applications for publicly funded demolition had been started.
Housing recovery is proceeding slowly. More than 70% of evacuees remain worried about their future housing arrangements, and permanent reconstruction remains months or years away for many.
Economically, the region is under strain: core industries — agriculture, fishing, tourism — have been hit hard, and more than 60% of residents in the hardest-hit municipalities feel the recovery has barely progressed.
Earthquake: January 1, 2024. Following weeks — 85 key roads closed, ongoing landslides. September 21, 2024 — severe flooding. Recovery — ongoing, uneven, sustained by local solidarity.
By weaving three layers into a unified strategy, the plan aims to improve mobility, create meaningful jobs that help stem rural flight, and leverage tourism as a reliable source of financial revitalization.
1. Urban Planning
Future planning efforts focus on resilience: integrating disaster-preparedness, sustainable infrastructure, and revitalization strategies for aging and declining populations.
2. Regional Attributes
Towns and villages preserve a strong sense of tradition, reflected in local festivals and long-standing craft practices.
3. Noto Peninsula Resources
The peninsula is rich in natural resources: fertile farmland and a long, diverse coastline supporting fishing and aquaculture, recognized by UNESCO. These environmental assets form the foundation for sustainable recovery, tourism, and community revitalization.
Four Regional Strategies for Ishikawa
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Three Urban Strategies for Wajima — Flood Control (upstream sponge parks, floating villages) / Earthquake Planning (500m firebreak grid, four emergency-shelter anchors) / Cultural Route (Kiriko–Food–Shrines)
Suzu: Disaster Response Plan — Rebuilding the urban fabric farther from the coastline; repurposing coastal land as farmland and flood barrier.
Agriculture — Wagyu beef (ranch supply chain, farmstead-stay potential); Vegetables, rice & sake ("Noto Vegetables," GIAHS terraced fields); Seaweed & seafood (ama free-diving tradition, exceptional quality).
Craftwork — Wajima lacquerware (600 years, 100+ steps, gold-inlay chinkin); traditional crafts (36 nationally designated, incl. Kaga Yuzen, Kutani ware, gold leaf); forestry & woodworking (Edo-period roots, cedar and Hinoki cypress).
Sightseeing — Kiriko Festival (200+ celebrations, floats up to 15m); hot springs (Wakura Onsen, 1,200+ years); Senmaida rice fields (1,300 years, hand-farmed terraces).
Eleven architectural speculations give the framework physical form: Flood Control Resort Villages, Culinary School & Urban Farm, New Morning Market & Community Center, New Wajima-Nuri School, New Jozu Shrine, Community Center/Emergency Shelter, New Wajima Train Station, Kiriko Craft Square, Urban Farm & Culinary Center, Kiriko Outdoor Museum, and Noto's Table: Culinary School & Restaurant.
Executive Producers: Eui-Sung Yi (Director, NOW Institute; Partner, Morphosis Architects), Paul Yoshitomi (NPO Rise w/Form Plus), Yoshihiro Ura (Counselor, City of Wajima). Urban Planning Research: USC School of Architecture. Design & Editing: Nippon Design Center — Daigo Daikoku, Hiroko Kusano, ZiZi Spak, Ken Isome.