A trip to Toyama and Shirakawago(Kurobe Gorge, Black Ramen🍜) | Japan Vlog

With spring break arriving at the same time as my hunger for adventure, it was time I embarked on a solo trip. I ended up deciding to visit Toyama, Chitakovo, and Nagoya, creating a little triangle with my route. For my first destination, Toyama, I took the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, which was 12,960 yen, or around 85 US dollars, for today's exchange rate. The staff at the ticket center told me that the view from the E seats were the best, so there I was, sitting on the E aisle, admiring the view of the mountains between the chapters in my book. This Hokuriku Shinkansen's connection to Toyama had actually only opened in 2015, and prior to that, this Shinkansen was only connected between Nagano and Takasaki. It's strange to think that if I had tried to go on the trip 10 years earlier, I would not have had this easy of a time to get there. I'm staying at this place called Double Tree by Hilton at Toyama Station, which was a two-minute walk from the main station that is connected on the Shinkansen, which is very convenient. I initially came here earlier to leave my luggage, but they ended up just letting me check in earlier and gave me my key to the room. So now that I left my luggage, I'm going to head out to try this black ramen that is supposed to be the famous dish in Toyama, and then I'll be heading off to the Kurobe Gorge on a local train here. I think taking a local train is a nice way to just see how people that live locally live or just move around. There's a bathtub that you can quite spacious of a shower room, and the bathroom, mirror, and then another mirror, and then this is the bed. The view from this room was not that great because there's a building right in front of it, but I think the room itself is very nice. Apparently the tap water here is supposed to be one of the best-kept secrets in Japan. I had my black ramen in this shop called Daiki Nishimachi inside one of the buildings connected to Toyama Station. The black ramen in Toyama is known for their incredibly salty soy sauce. This ramen was created as a way for post-war city builders to get enough sodium for their hard work, and they would apparently bring their own rice bowl and eat the ramen as a side dish with it, explaining the pungent taste. It was indeed quite salty, but the strong taste of soy sauce and pepper made me eat more rice than I had in the past couple of months, and I definitely felt energized for my trip to the Kurobe Gorge. I first took the Ainokaze railway from Toyama Station to Kurobe Station, then the Toyama Chihou Railway to Unazaki Onsen Station, which totaled ¥1,440 or around $9.50 USD. You can also just take the Toyama Chihou Railway all the way from Dentetsu Toyama Station to Unazaki Onsen Station, which is ¥1,880 or around $12.40 USD. I'll be using the latter on the way back, but the first route is ¥400 cheaper, and you also get to experience going on another train. I had some time until the next train headed back towards Toyama Station, so I ended up taking some time to walk around the Unazaki Onsen area. All the shops were closed and the rain started pouring so hard to the point where my pants were drenched all the way to my thighs, but this trip to the Kurobe Gorge was still quite the trip to remember. The view wasn't as clear as I had hoped, but in a way, it felt as if I got to see the railway in its strongest form, putting itself up amidst the fierce wind and rain between the towering mountains. As I sat on the local train back, observing the stations in between, I couldn't help but notice the imbalance in infrastructure, even in the stations themselves. Toyama Station was a poster for a contemporary city, with their futuristic trams and bullet trains going out of the tall glass ceilings. But the further I was away from the sights shown on television, the more run-down the station became with faded paint and cracked walls. It was thought-provoking to see the other side of the news coverage that the prefecture was getting, the areas being left behind amidst their efforts towards a compact city. I've been traveling alone more often this past year, and the tranquility of going on a trip alone has become quite addicting. I feel the most calm and introspective when I join you solo. I notice the smaller things, like the sounds of the trains and crossings, or even other people's conversations that I usually don't notice as much when I'm with my friends. Don't get me wrong, traveling with friends is oh so fun, but I do believe there is also something special about coming home to a hotel room after a day of exploring, and then being alone with your thoughts, reflecting or planning for the next day until you fall asleep. Toyama built its first light rail transit in 2006, replacing their old JR West, Toyamagawai. Prior to that, Toyama had become a dispersed city with urban sprawl after the post-war economic growth and increased private car ownership. But today, those citizens have become older and can no longer drive as they used to. Younger people have moved out into larger cities for better opportunities, leading this town to become a very difficult place to live in. The development of the LRT was in efforts to combat this problem and make public transportation more accessible to residents, networking to move businesses and residences close to the city center surrounding the stations. I took the no-heat bus from Toyama station to Shiragoago, which was 2,400 yen, or around $16 USD. I booked the seats the day before at the bus ticket center in Toyama station, and there were still plenty of seats available. But please note that this was taken on a weekday, so the weekends may be a little bit more crowded. Shiragoago is a mountain village in the Hida region, known for their gassho-style houses. The characters for gassho mean palms together, describing the architecture of the roots. The village was developed in the basins of the high mountains, and with the heavy snowfall that this area experienced combined, this area had been referred to as an unexplored region. Initially, the copious presence of souvenir shops with houses turned into museums made it feel like an artificial tourist destination. But the view of the mountains surrounding the village, the sound of water running through the stream, and the local kids riding their bike around reminded me that this place was and still is a town people resided. Toyama and Shiragoago are both areas known for opposite reasons. Toyama for their exploratory attitude, challenging their city to try different urban designs, and Shiragoago for their efforts to preserve everything as they are in their village. Both require a great deal of labor and resources, and it feels as if many regions are caught in a dilemma between two paths, especially in Japan, where the necessity to meet the needs of the aging population is balanced with the necessity to attract younger residents, all while trying to protect the traditions that make them special. Although there seems to be no definite answer, I can't help but wonder which option I would choose or how I would feel if the village that I grew up in had to choose between the two directions. How would you move forward if your town or village was facing the same dilemma? Would you take the route Toyama is taking, or Shiragoago, or even a mixture of both?