【気軽旅】高岡・砺波・富山｜絶景と国宝めぐり、おいしいごはん
Hi there. Today, I’m going on a casual little trip. First things first—let’s get some food. Everyone loves engawa pressed sushi. Pressed sushi tends to be all about the rice. That’s just my personal opinion, though. But this one really lets the engawa shine. Nice balance overall. Alright then— It’s Friday afternoon now. I took the afternoon off and I’m heading to Toyama Prefecture. I’m not going all-in on planning like some big “vacation” or anything— I just want to get away on a weekend now and then, and make it kind of a habit. Hey, I can see something faintly in the distance— Snow-covered mountains. Crossing the Kurobe River now, and we’ve arrived. Welcome to Takaoka! It’s longer than I expected… The walk, I mean. Now I’m moving from Shin-Takaoka Station to Takaoka Station, where my hotel is. Someone’s playing a street piano or something like that. ←Over that way. Takaoka has a population of around 160,000, and the station area is surprisingly lively. Here comes the streetcar! There’s a statue of someone important. Apparently it’s Otomo no Yakamochi. Looks like Takaoka City is big on the *Manyoshu* poetry collection. For these weekend trips, I try to pick small cities with hidden potential. So I’ve got high hopes for Takaoka. Checked in! Room number’s all the same digits. Today I’m staying at Takaoka Manten Hotel. Back in my old job, the sales guy for the Hokuriku area was always hyping up the Manten Hotel chain. That memory popped into my head, so here I am. Then again, now that I think about it— that conversation was like 10 years ago. So I wasn’t sure if it’d still be any good, but turns out it’s still a really solid hotel. No complaints at all. The view from the window is amazing. Bet the folks in that condo wake up in a great mood every morning. Here’s the bed. Looks comfy. There’s an outlet right by the bed—nice. The loungewear comes as a separate top and bottom. There’s an air purifier and an electric kettle. A TV, and a fridge. This little bag for the public bath—surprisingly helpful. Heading out for dinner now. This is something called “Toyama Black Ramen.” Tastes like a soy sauce-based ramen, but lighter than I expected. It was delicious. Stopped by a convenience store and now heading back to the hotel. This sunset is unreal. People in that condo must have a high QOL. This beer is hitting the spot, too. Good morning! Such nice weather today. Time for an early morning walk. You’ll find Doraemon and his friends all over Takaoka. It’s the hometown of Fujiko F. Fujio. Or so I’ve heard. Doraemon is the best. I absolutely love him. Here’s what the main street near the station looks like. It’s around 6 a.m., so I don’t think it’s actually deserted or anything. (Didn’t check during the day, though.) Walking around the nightlife district early this morning, a woman sitting outside a shop asked, “Young man, how about a massage?” Very dedicated to her work. Now heading toward the Great Buddha. I’ve arrived. You can start to see him now. Apparently it’s one of Japan’s three great Buddhas. (Caw, caw, caw…) It’s been here for 114 years. There were lots of paintings inside. Said a little prayer for safe travels. Here are the specs. And the bell. Now heading to Yamacho-suji street. Sudden appearance of some *Chōjū-giga* art. That’s a magnificent tree. This must be the Yamacho-suji area. It’s early, so no one’s around. A Buddhist altar shop. Stumbled upon a trendy little spot. Wish I could’ve come here in the daytime. That’s what the Yamacho-suji area looked like. Next, I’m heading to Kanayamachi. There’s a bird on the bridge. And here we are— Kanayamachi. Let’s take a walk around. The sound of the wind chimes adds a nice touch. People actually live here, and they keep the place looking like this. That’s pretty amazing. I’m starting to get hungry. Heading back to the hotel. Found a shrine on the way back, so I’ll stop and pray. Apparently it enshrines Lord Toshinaga Maeda. That’s what the sign says. Finished my visit—now back to the hotel. Looks like the streetcars run from early morning. Here’s the hotel breakfast. You can choose between a Japanese or Western-style meal. Salads, bread, yogurt, and drinks are all refillable. It was really tasty! Checked out—time to go sightseeing. Now I’m at Amaharashi Coast. I read that the parking lot gets really crowded, so I was a bit worried— but before 9 a.m. on Saturday, it was still pretty empty. Let’s go down to the beach. Can you see the Tateyama mountain range faintly? You can see it a bit more clearly with the naked eye. Apparently this place has ties to Yoshitsune. Let’s check out the roadside station, too. What a great view! They’re really promoting the *Manyoshu* here. There’s a souvenir shop and café on the second floor. The first floor is a tourist info center. Next, I’m off to the National Treasure: Shokoji Temple. Made it! It was originally founded in 1471, and moved to its current location in 1584. The temple grounds haven’t changed since then, and most of the Edo-period structures still remain. It’s considered one of the most historically intact temple sites in all of Japan. (According to the pamphlet.) This is the main hall. It’s seriously impressive. Let’s head inside. Now going to the Grand Hall and the Formal Entry Hall. The Formal Entry Hall is a National Treasure. The Grand Hall is apparently a National Treasure too. Imperial envoys really had it made, huh. That’s a beautiful garden. Apparently this palanquin was used when a Maeda family member came to be head priest. This used to be the kitchen. It’s pretty spacious. The study—basically the office. Wow, that was seriously worth seeing. It’s so well preserved—feels totally worthy of being a National Treasure. And the connections with the Maeda clan and the aristocracy are impressive too. Anyway, now heading to Kaiwomaru Park. Whoa. This place is incredible. Such a dynamic view. The Shinminato Bridge is absolutely stunning. And there’s the Kaiwomaru ship. With the Tateyama mountains in the background. Time to hop on a sightseeing boat! Still a bit of time before boarding, so I’ll check out the Kaiwomaru first. The Kaiwomaru was used to train students from a maritime academy. It was built in 1930—95 years ago! I’m boarding that ship over there. The Kaiwomaru trained over 11,000 cadets in total. Apparently, both Osaka City and Toyama Prefecture wanted to host the ship, and Toyama won in the end. Anyway, the ship is bigger than I expected. Did a quick tour so I wouldn’t miss the boat. Had to speed up a bit. Made it just in time! There’s the Kaiwomaru I was just on. Seeing it from here, it looks huge. This sightseeing boat goes from sea to river, and lets you check out the townscape along the Uchikawa River. It passes under 12 bridges, I think (forgot to count). There’s a heron-like bird. So peaceful~ Stepped out onto the deck. That’s pretty close. Now *that’s* close. Kinda close. Not really. Yeah, not close at all. We’re out in the open sea now. There’s the bridge again. Can you see the Tateyama mountains faintly? The boat guy (captain? guide?) is telling us interesting facts and sharing bits of local trivia. Apparently, around here, all 6th graders climb Mt. Tsurugi as part of their school activities. I was like, that’s way too intense for sixth graders… I can see the Kaiwomaru again—time to wrap it up. That boat ride was great. On to the next spot. And here we are at the National Treasure, Zuiryuji Temple. Paid the entrance fee and heading in. It’s huge! This is the Sanmon gate—a designated National Treasure. What an absolutely beautiful place. This is the Butsuden Hall, also a National Treasure. It radiates history and culture. Yep, definitely National Treasure material. And here’s the Hatto Hall—another National Treasure. There was a monk giving a sermon. He had a great rhythm to his voice— almost felt like listening to rakugo storytelling. This spot holds part of the remains of Toshinaga and Toshiie Maeda, Nobunaga Oda, Shōkakuin, and Nobutada Oda. It’s called a *bunkotsuin*—a bone-sharing temple. Looks like it’s designed to resemble the human body? Time for this trip’s soft serve moment— Zuiryuji coffee soft cream. It was delicious! Zuiryuji was amazing— and now I’m heading a bit farther out. Arrived (warp effect). I came out here to check out Suwa Honmachi Street in Yatsuo. It’s a little far, but worth it. Apparently it’s one of the 100 best roads in Japan. I wonder how many “best roads” Japan has. Anyway, this is Suwa Honmachi Street. Not a soul in sight (off-season). There’s a shrine—going to offer a quick prayer. Still no one around (second time). Even the community center has charm. People actually live here, but the cohesion and upkeep are amazing. (You can hear some Hawaiian-style music in the background.) I mean yeah, I came in the off-season, so I shouldn’t complain too much— but if I’d taken multiple buses to get here I might’ve been a bit disappointed. So yeah, rural travel is best by car. Or rather— just come during the on-season. That’s probably the answer. (But I don’t like crowds, so…) (I’ll keep traveling in the off-season!) Now heading out a bit farther again. When you’re doing weekend trips to other regions and trying to see as much as possible— being able to drive really makes all the difference. Glad I powered through driving school in that insane heat last year. Made it. (*coo*) (*cuckoo!*) What a beautiful view. I was only here for like 5 minutes, but that little buffer of time— it felt like a real luxury. Returned the rental car and heading to the final stop. Here we are. I heard Toyama has amazing conveyor belt sushi, so I’ve been looking forward to this. Seriously excited. And just like people said— it was super tasty. Totally satisfied! Time to buy some souvenirs at the station. The 7-Eleven inside the station had souvenirs too. The selection was actually pretty great. Shin-Takaoka Station even has a super clean waiting room. Had a little time, so I grabbed a coffee at the Aeon mall right outside the station. There are plenty of shops there too, so it’s a great place to kill time. Time to head home. Even if it’s just a short weekend trip, spending a little time in a place you don’t know really adds depth to life, I think. I definitely want to keep doing more of these easy weekend trips. If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe! Thanks so much for watching all the way to the end.
富山県高岡市、富山市、砺波市を週末金曜午後と土曜日でめぐるひとり旅です。
国宝の瑞龍寺、勝興寺や雨晴海岸からの絶景、川沿いの町並みを船でいく遊覧船など魅力がありすぎてすばらしかったです。
▼ 目次
00:00 オープニング
00:22 東京→高岡
04:57 富山ブラックラーメン
07:00 高岡大仏
08:17 山町筋
09:34 金屋町
10:50 高岡關野神社
11:49 雨晴海岸
14:20 勝興寺（国宝）
16:50 海王丸パーク
17:27 海王丸見学
18:17 新湊内川遊覧船
21:06 瑞龍寺（国宝）
23:27 ソフトクリーム
23:43 諏訪本町通り
25:52 散居村展望台
26:25 お寿司
▼ 旅の主なルート
【高岡市】高岡大仏 → 山町筋 → 金屋町 → 高岡關野神社 → 雨晴海岸 → 勝興寺 → 海王丸パーク → 新湊内川遊覧船 → 瑞龍寺 → 【富山市】諏訪本町通り → 【砺波市】散居村展望台
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