Ninth day in Japan

Another day, another pond

The Hotel Hakuba, our casual hot spring home away from home for the past two nights:

Waiting on the platform at Hakuba Station 白馬駅 for the train to Shinano-Ōmachi 信濃大町:

Despite the beating our feet took the previous day, we (I) insisted on tackling the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route 立山黒部アルペンルート ...in reverse. The trip began with a bus ride from Shinano-Omachi to Ōgizawa 扇沢駅, where the route officially begins with a trolley bus ride through a 5.8 kilometer (3.6 miles) -long tunnel:

 

The bus dropped us off at the Kurobe Dam 黒部ダム, where we witnessed up close its seasonal discharge:

4948 feet for the metrically-challenged:

Next up came a ride on the underground car from Kurobeko 黒部湖 to Kurobe-daira 黒部平:

At 5997 feet above sea level:

Next, the Tateyama Ropeway 立山ロープウェイ whisked us 488 meters/1601 feet up to Daikanbō 大観峰:

The view of the lake (pleasure craft included if you squint) from an elevation of 2361 meters/7746 feet:

Having had our fill of the view, it was time to ride another trolley bus, this one tunneling its way through Tateyama-dake 館山岳 for 3.7 kilometers/2.3 miles to Murodō 室堂:

Lunchtime - enjoying fried shrimp and udon うどん while watching the thick mist obliterate any good views of the scenery outside:

Murodo is one of those places people visit to take in astounding views of the surrounding Japan Alps 日本アルプス, but our luck turned out to be on the gray and misty side:

Even though June is almost finished, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground:

Amber points out all the flora and fauna we can't see:

I'm not sure which way we're supposed to go:

Behind this sign lay Mikuri-ga-ike みくりが池 pond, home to Japan's highest hot spring at 2410 meters/7909 feet. It was out there somewhere:

At last, the clouds lifted enough to make the pond visible:

It was 15°C/59°F at Murodo, but when the wind was blowing, it felt much, much colder:

Near the pond is Jigokudani Onsen 地獄谷温泉, aka Hell Valley Hot Springs. The path down was closed for safety reasons, but we could hear and, more importantly, smell the boiling waters:

For being such a good sport with all the walking (despite several blisters), Amber was awarded an ermine plushy before the bus journey down to Bijodaira 美女平:

Murodo is also known for its Yuki no Ōtani 雪の大谷, walls of accumulated snowfall that can reach heights of up to 20 meters/66 feet when the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route opens in April. The pathway is still impressively high even when July is almost upon us:

The scenery was beautiful all the way on the 50-minute ride down to Bijodaira. My daughter even glimpsed a couple of monkeys by the side of the road:

A quick trip to the viewpoint at Bijodaira (977 meters/3206 feet)...:

…before the last stage of the route, the cable car down to Tateyama 立山:

It was a 75-minute ride chugging along on the Toyama Chihō Railway 富山地方鉄道 to our final destination of this long day, the city of Toyama 富山:

There was some nice rural scenery at the start of the ride, before we reached the suburbs of the city:

Looking out the window of our hotel room:

Dinner this evening was at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant 回転寿司店. Though the marinated firefly squid might have been a tad too adventurous for our plebian tastes, the rest of our meal was extremely delicious:

Sushi was followed by dessert at a small shop specializing in crepes...:

…where I finally gave in to temptation, and had a surprisingly good Taiwanese-style 奶茶, or ミルクティー as they're called here in Japan:

The owner's very chill pooch. Note the doggie diapers:

Tomorrow's excursion shouldn't involve as much footwork as the past couple of days. Just to be on the safe side, however, the first stop tomorrow morning will be at the nearest 薬屋 for some Band-Aids...