The Mawaki site on the eastern coast of the Noto Peninsula is one of the most significant Jomon-period archaeological sites in Japan. Inhabited for several thousand years, it contains the remains of large communal structures, middens, and what may be Japan's oldest known cemetery. Reconstructed pit dwellings and a timber circle give a sense of the original settlement.
The adjacent Mawaki Museum (Chirihama Mawaki Jomon Museum) is small but serious, displaying the dolphin bones and artifacts from excavations alongside clear explanations of what the finds tell us about Jomon life on the coast. It is rarely crowded and makes a worthwhile stop on the drive up the eastern coast of the peninsula.