Two Years After the Noto Earthquake

Life and Landscapes Through the Four Seasons

New Year's Day will mark two years since a powerful earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula. While the marks of the disaster remain, the region's distinctive landscapes, culture, and ways of life continue to radiate vibrant color. Through photographs capturing each season, we revisit the beauty and resilience of this remarkable region.

The Noto Railway, connecting Anamizu and Nanao, runs through landscapes still bearing the scars of the earthquake. Full operation resumed three months after mud flooded its tunnels. Lined with cherry trees planted during the era of the former Japanese National Railways, the line remains a vital lifeline amid accelerating depopulation.

A train stops at Noto-Kashima Station, fondly known as "Noto Sakura Station," framed by blooming spring scenery in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture in April 2025.

In Noto, craftsmen at blacksmith Fukube Kaji maintain a tradition dating back to 1908, repairing tools essential for daily life. Despite losing employees and commuting from evacuation centers, they continued their work, buoyed by letters of support from across Japan.

A craftsman at blacksmith Fukube Kaji repairs agricultural and fishing tools, continuing a tradition that supports local livelihoods, in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, in May 2025.

In Wajima, spinach farmer Chiyoe Ikeguchi, 76, returned to her fields this spring after the earthquake and heavy rains destroyed her family home and much of her farm. Though harvests are now half of pre-disaster levels, new greenhouses hold young leaves once again.

Chiyoe Ikeguchi (4th from R) poses with her family and employees in a spinach field in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in June 2025.

In Ushitsu, the Abare Festival lights up the port town. Giant kiriko lanterns surge under blazing torches, a 350-year-old tradition carried forward even after many summer festivals in Noto were canceled. As population outflow accelerates, participants say the festival remains essential for keeping hearts connected.

Giant kiriko lanterns surge and sway amid during the Abare Festival in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, in July 2025.

Around Noto Island, wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins continue to swim in Nanao Bay. They settled here around 2001 and are beloved as symbols of the island. Guesthouse owner Naoto Ishida, whose business was halted by the earthquake, resumed dolphin tours last year as visitors slowly returned.

Wild bottlenose dolphins glide through the clear blue waters surrounding Noto Island in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, in August 2025.

At the Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces, 1,004 paddies stretch along the coast. After damage from the earthquake and record-breaking rains, volunteers restored enough land for about 250 paddies to be planted this year.

A photo from a drone shows the Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces glow with golden ears of rice, marking the autumn harvest in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in September 2025

In Suzu, artisan Seijiro Ura practices the 400-year-old "agehama-shiki" method of salt making. Though production has declined due to ground uplift, power outages, and heavy rains, he continues working to preserve the tradition.

Seijiro Ura gathers salt from a boiling cauldron, continuing the centuries-old "agehama-shiki" tradition in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in October 2025.

Photos : Kasumi Fukudome, Kota Endo, Natsumi Yasumoto, Takuto Kaneko, Yohei Fukai, Yusuke Ogata, Muneyuki Tomari

※Cover Photo : A Noto Railway train passes a row of cherry blossom trees in full bloom along the tracks in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, April 2025.

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Two Years After the Noto Earthquake

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