Benten-iwa, located just less than 100m from the coast of Itoigawa's Nou Region, is a large mass of volcanic rock which was formed by submarine volcanic activity. It has long been worshipped as an avatar of the sea goddess Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto and atop it sits a shrine dedicated to her. In the modern era it continues to protect sailors with a lighthouse mounted to guide ships to the nearby fishing port.

Nestled against the forested slopes of Mt. Oyama, Hakusan Shrine is home to number of nationally designated treasures. Its main hall, spring festival, unique boat-themed votive tablets, and Buddhist statues are all nationally designated cultural properties. In addition, its forest and the himeharu cicada which live in it are nationally designated natural treasures.

While the shrine has operated for much longer, it's asymmetrically built main hall was constructed in 1515 and features many peculiarities of shrine construction during that era. Clear, fresh water springs from the mountain behind the shrine.

In the Itoigawa Dialect of Japanese, the word "tottoko" means "chicken." Tottoko-iwa was so named because the rock looks like a chicken or chick.

The view of the sun setting behind Tottoko-iwa is a popular subject of photographs.

In 1963, the western slope of Kodomari (just above Nou Fishing Port) collapsed catastrophically. The resulting debris struck a steam-powered passenger train that was passing through at the time. The train and it's passengers were pushed over 170m toward the sea.

While there were no serious injuries among the passengers, the landslide did serious damage to houses and shops in the area. It also became the event which spurred the construction of the current Hokuriku Line, which now runs mostly through tunnels in order to avoid such accidents.

The former Hokuriku Line is now a pedestrian and cycling route.

The Himeharu Cicada is indigenous only to Japan, found throughout the Western half of Japan. The forests of Mt. Oyama, part of Hakusan Shrine, are home to the northernmost colony of these insects. Prized for its beautiful song and occasionally brilliant coloring, the Himeharu Cicada is protected as a National Natural Treasure.

Selected as one of the best places to view the sunset in Japan, Marine Dream Nou is a roadside tourism facility which features a park and observation platform, seafood market featuring crab, maritime museums, restaurants, and other facilities making it a popular stop for people traveling along Highway 8.

Red queen crab (also called red snow crab) is named for its bright red coloration. It features a relatively small body and very long, meaty legs. It is caught in great quantities here because of a large undersea canyon formed by the Fossa Magna, which makes a perfect habitat for crab.

Try some red queen and other crab and seafood delicacies at Marine Dream Nou or one of the many seafood restaurants in the Nou region.