Special Forces Soldiers Explore the Shoryudo Road—Toyama and Tateyama Kurobe

In the previous recap, after a quick trip to admire the scenery and delicacies of Shirakawa-go, Long Ge was shown riding a bus to #Toyama to prepare for his trip to #TateyamaKurobe the next day. Arriving in Toyama, it was almost dark when he suddenly realized there was a Starbucks in #ToyamaKansuiko Park, a unique place where you could enjoy the night view while sipping a drink and contemplating life. Toyama is also close to Toyama Bay, which is rich in seafood. White shrimp, yellowtail, and firefly squid are particularly famous, so Long Ge headed to the famous #Shirataki-tei for a meal. He started with a special tempura (white shrimp, yellowtail, and firefly squid) rice bowl, white shrimp sashimi, and firefly squid sashimi marinated in soy sauce. Comparing the tempura and sashimi versions of the white shrimp, the sashimi version was more appealing. Not only was the texture more pronounced, but the ginger seasoning was even more eye-catching. As for the firefly squid, I can only say that Long Ge didn't understand the soy sauce marinade technique, but the bibimbap was excellent. The next morning, Long Ge arrived at Toyama Station around 5:00 AM to prepare for his visit to Tateyama Kurobe. He first gave a brief overview of the Tateyama Kurobe itinerary, including Tateyama Station, Bijodaira, Murodo, Daikanbo Peak, Kurobedaira, Lake Kurobe, Kurobe Dam, Ogizawa, and Shinano Omachi. However, due to time constraints, Long Ge started at Tateyama Station, walked all the way to Kurobe Dam, then returned to Tateyama Station before taking the train back to Toyama. Arriving at Tateyama Station, the incessant rain awoke a sense of foreboding. He braved the storm and headed to Murodo, only to be greeted by the first snowfall in early October. Despite the sleet, Long Ge still managed to take photos of the snow-covered Tateyama from the observation deck and later walked to Mikuri Pond to admire its scenery. Unfortunately, his lack of cold-weather protection and snow-covering gear prevented him from further exploring Jigokudani Valley, a truly unfortunate event. Afterwards, we walked to Daikanbo Peak and took the cable car to Kurobe Terrace. Along the way, we were pleasantly surprised to see the crimson leaves at the base of the mountain against the backdrop of the first snow on the summit. This reminded me of Joey Yung's song "#赤地雪." While the lyrics don't refer to the scenery, crimson leaves paired with the first snow—doesn't that make it look like crimson snow? Arriving at Lake Kurobe, the rain continued to fall, but that didn't deter me from heading to Kurobe Dam. The view of the lake was magnificent. Walking to Kurobe Dam, the imposing dam discharge and the flowing water beside it reminded me of the phrase "the highest good is like water" I'd learned in textbooks. Despite the drizzle, it added a touch of literary flair. Many people talk about Tateyama Kurobe to admire the massive snow wall, but unexpectedly, this visit to Tateyama Kurobe with its crimson leaves and first snow added a whole new dimension. This foreshadowed my future visit to Tateyama Kurobe. My next stop will be Kanazawa. See the next episode for details on how my experience unfolds. #Register for Hotel Test Sleeper in August 2025