I Didn't See a Mirage, But the Time Spent Waiting Remained | A Record of My Visit to Toyama During the Golden Week Holidays (May 2026)

When I arrived at Namerikawa Station, my child was waiting near the ticket gate.
They had departed from Toyama Station alone on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway, and it seems they arrived earlier than the car.

They looked a bit tired of waiting, but when they saw me, their face lit up with relief.

As soon as we got back into the car, the talk about the local train began.

“It had the same seats as the Yamatoji Rapid I took in Osaka.”
“The train was more crowded than I thought.”
“A lot of people got off at this station.”

Voices came flying alternately from the passenger seat and the back seat.

The car, which had been quiet just a moment ago, suddenly felt like it was back in the middle of our journey.

In this article, I will write about the time we spent at 'Umi no Eki Mirage' after meeting up at Namerikawa Station.

🚙 'Why don't we stop by for a bit?'

While I was driving, my child said,

“Why don't we stop by Umi no Eki Mirage?”

It seemed they had found it on their smartphone.

We didn't come to Toyama to see a mirage.
However, at that moment, I think the feeling of 'wanting to rest a little' was stronger than 'where to go next'.

I myself had been driving for a long time, and perhaps I wanted to stop my body somewhere for a while.

“Alright, let's stop by for a little bit.”

With that, we headed toward the Uozu Fishing Port.

🚙 People looking at the sea

When we arrived at the Umi no Eki, the parking lot was almost full.

It was crowded as you would expect during the Golden Week holidays, but it was a bit different from the bustle of tourist spots like the Amaharashi Coast.

Along the coast, people were standing quietly in a line.

People holding cameras.
People pointing their smartphones toward the sea.
People standing with their arms crossed, staring intently out at the open water.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for something.

The seaside was sunny, but only the far side of the sea was a bit cloudy.

"I wonder how it will be today."

Only the sound of someone whispering could be heard, mixed in with the wind.

Whether or not a mirage would appear.

But the people there didn't seem to have come just to see the result.

🚙 A place to stop

We also went out to the seaside and stopped for a while.

My child was taking pictures of the scenery with their smartphone.

The sea.
The sky.
The harbor.
A slightly blurred horizon.

All of it felt like it was in the middle of waiting for a special moment.

As I gazed at the sea, I finally felt the tension leaving my body.

When you're on a road trip, the feeling that you "have to keep moving" stays with you the whole time.

But this time was different.

I feel like I came here not so much to see a mirage, but "to stop."

🚙 The time that remained, rather than the scenery I didn't see

In the end, we didn't see anything that looked like a mirage that day.
The far side of the sea remained a bit cloudy until the end, and the horizon stayed hazy.

Even so, strangely, I didn't feel disappointed.
If anything, the time I spent waiting while looking at the sea felt like it would stay with me more strongly later on.

The time spent just gazing at the sea while thinking that something might happen.
The time that ends without a result.

During a trip, those moments where 'nothing happens' sometimes leave a deeper impression.

🚙The space created by my child

The reason I stopped by 'Umi no Eki Mirage' this time was because of something my child said.

If it had just been me, I feel like I would have just headed straight to the next destination.

But because my child said they wanted to stop, the flow of the trip changed a little.

As a result, that time became like a blank space in this journey.

A trip where the parents plan and the child follows along.

I feel like that was the prevailing sense until a little while ago.

But recently, there have been more moments where my child's actions and suggestions change the atmosphere of the trip.

I feel like the time we spent standing still while looking at the sea was one of those moments.

🚙Towards a time without rushing

By the time we returned to the parking lot, the sea breeze had become a little chilly.

There were still people around who were gazing at the sea.

A mirage might appear.
But then again, it might not.

Such an ambiguous time was flowing quietly along the coast.

There was a time when I thought a trip was about checking off destinations one after another.

But on this Toyama trip, it felt like the 'time spent waiting' would remain in my memory more.

Perhaps there are views that can only be seen by not rushing.

(To be continued)