Chirihama Nagisa Driveway
千里浜なぎさドライブウェイ36°54′ N 136°46′ ECoast
The Chirihama Nagisa Driveway is the beach on the Noto Peninsula's west coast that you drive along at the water's edge, and the Ishikawa tourism body calls it the only one in Japan. The prefecture closes it in high waves, so check the road map before you set out.
Road closure
Roads on the Noto peninsula still carry closures and detours after the 2024 earthquake
Ishikawa Prefecture's live road map on 11 October 2026 showed 150 restrictions in the Noto towns, 35 of them full closures and about 100 one-lane sections. Route 249 has been closed in Suzu between Utsuyama and Umagase since January 2024, the Noto Satoyama Kaido runs one lane between Nanao and Nakajima until 25 December 2026, and the Hakui to Ganmon cycle path is closed at Shika. Check the prefecture's map before you plan a ride, and travel with care for towns that are still rebuilding.
Checked 2026-10-11 · douro.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp
Photo み · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
The sand here is fine, damp and packed hard, so ordinary cars run on ordinary tyres between Chirihama in Hakui and Imahama in Hodatsushimizu. You can pull up by the waves to paddle or picnic, and in the evening you can watch the sun set into the Sea of Japan.
The Hakui civil engineering office of Ishikawa Prefecture manages the beach and decides each closure. Leave the Noto Satoyama Kaido at Imahama IC or Chirihama IC to reach it.
Worth knowing
- Read the live status on Ishikawa's road map before you drive out, since a closure can come at short notice.
Quick answers about Chirihama Nagisa Drivewayよくある質問
When is the best time to visit Chirihama Nagisa Driveway?
Chirihama Nagisa Driveway: Come before dawn, when the Ishikawa tourism body says the beach is quiet and morning mist sometimes lies on the sand.
Can you get to Chirihama Nagisa Driveway by bike?
The tourism body invites motorbikes and bicycles on fine days and says stopping on the sand takes some practice. Chirihama Rest House rents bicycles.