Hōdatsushimizu occupies the southern neck of Noto Peninsula, facing the Sea of Japan to the west and Toyama Prefecture to the east. It is one hour from Kanazawa by train. Mount Hōdatsu, the highest mountain in the Noto Peninsula, is in Hōdatsushimizu. The town has a humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hōdatsushimizu is 13.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2435 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.1 °C.[2]
The modern town of Hōdatsushimizu was formed March 1, 2005 from the merger of the towns of Oshimizu and Shio, and its name is a compound of these former names (Shio + Oshimizu).
Economy
Agriculture is important to the local economy.
Education
Hōdatsushimizu has five public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education.
Hōdatsushimizu's mascot is Hoppy-san (ほっぴーさん), a fairy from Mount Hodatsu. He is usually laid-back and calm. He tends to promote everything that his town has to offer and checks out any latest trends surrounding not just Hōdatsushimizu but also Japan and the rest of the world. He ends his sentences with "~dappi" (~だっぴ).[4]