| Noto | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | Japan |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |
| Coordinates: | 37.3066°N 137.15°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Japan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Chūbu Hokuriku |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ishikawa |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Hōsu |
| Area Total Km2: | 273.27 |
| Population Total: | 15687 |
| Population As Of: | February 1, 2018 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +9 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | City symbols |
| Blank Info Sec1: | |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | - Tree |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Ilex integra |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | - Flower |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | - Bird |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | Crested kingfisher |
| Blank4 Name Sec1: | - Fish |
| Blank4 Info Sec1: | Japanese amberjack |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Phone number |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0768-62-1000 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Address |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | Noto-cho, Hōsu-gun, Ishikawa-ken 927-0492 |
is a town located in Hōsu District (formerly Fugeshi District), Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 15,687 in 7,689 households, and a population density of 65 persons per km2.[1] [2] The total area of the town was 273.27sqkm.
Noto occupies the northeastern coastline of Noto Peninsula, facing the Sea of Japan on the east and south. Noto has a humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Noto is 12.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2282 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.1 °C.[3]
Much of the town is within the limits of the Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park.
Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Noto has declined over the past 50 years.
The area around Noto was part of ancient Noto Province. During the Sengoku Period (1467–1568), the area was contested between the Hatakeyama clan, Uesugi clan and Maeda clan, with the area becoming part of Kaga Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organised into Fugeshi District, Ishikawa.
On March 1, 2005 the town of Noto and the village of Yanagida, both formerly from Fugeshi District, merged with the town of Uchiura, formerly from Suzu District, to form the new town of Noto. Also on this date, Fugeshi District merged with Suzu District to become the newly created Hōsu District. The kanji of the name was changed from 能都 to 能登 after the merger, but the pronunciation remains the same.
The economy of Noto was traditionally heavily dependent on commercial fishing and agriculture.
Noto has six public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education.
Noto's mascot is, a fairy of the Satoyama-Satoumi sea. Her name comes from the Noto dialect meaning "momentous". Her body is made up of "no" hiragana letter. She is green (to represent Satoyama and Satoumi) and blue (to represent the sea). Her body contains a wave pattern as well. Her feet are coloured purple to symbolize blueberries. She wears a rhododendron obtusum flower on her head. She is designed by Fujio Kuroda from Shizuoka Prefecture.[7]