New iPhone 5 lost half of notes

The subject of notes is one of the biggest mysteries on the iPhone. There is no way to see them backed up on iTunes, There are no third party apps to take care of notes, yet notes are important just as much as phone calls or calendar dates.

I upgraded to the new iPhone 5 and after synching to my computer where my iPhone data is always backed up, half the notes are now missing on my phone. When I synced my iPad, all of the notes are still there. Does this mean that all of the notes are still there somewhere? Where are notes kept anyway? Can the files be accessed and viewed in text edit or a text program?

How can I assure that I really do have a backup of my notes so that I do not lose them again?