Komatsu

Komatsu is a city in southern Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, known nationally for heavy machinery and, among travelers, as a Hokuriku gateway with an airport and a shinkansen stop. Its outskirts hide temples and hot springs well out of proportion to its size.

Natadera Temple sets its halls and caves into a cliff of weathered rock amid mossy gardens, and the Ataka Barrier on the coast staged one of kabuki's most famous scenes. Awazu Onsen has run hot for some thirteen hundred years and claims one of the world's oldest inns.

Komatsu also sits near the birthplace of Kutani porcelain, and its automobile museum lines up vintage Japanese cars by the hundred. The city works as a quieter base for Kanazawa and the Kaga onsen towns, with winter bringing snow crab season to the coast. Two relaxed days covers it.