Knowing the history makes travel deeper. What I felt at Kurobe Dam
After listening to Chikirin-san's broadcast on Voicy, I had been curious about Kurobe Dam for a while.
I signed up for a tour and went on a 3-day, 2-night trip to visit Kurobe Dam and Kamikochi.
1. Day 1: To Kurobe Gorge by trolley train
Since it was drizzling, I paid an extra 600 yen to ride in a relaxed passenger car.
I didn't have to worry about the rain, the seats were spacious, and since it was a trip of just under an hour each way, I thought it was a great deal to be able to ride this special car for 600 yen round trip.
I think there's also fun to be had in the open-air cars, so if I have another chance, I'd like to try that too!
During the trip, the beautiful gorges, dams, and mountain ranges... and Shigeru Muroi's narration teaching us about the highlights and history made the time fly by.
2. Day 2: Kurobe Dam sightseeing
To Kurobe Dam, the main destination of this trip.
To get to Kurobe Dam, you transfer between buses, cable cars, and ropeways.
The autumn leaves were starting at the top of the mountain, and it was beautiful!
Even though I have no artistic talent at all, I thought,
I want to try sketching this! (laughs)
On the way to Kurobe Dam, we were supposed to walk around Murodo (located at the highest point of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, at an altitude of about 2450m) with a guide, but...
We had to give up due to heavy rain...!!
I wanted to see a ptarmigan! 😭
Pulling myself together, we took a break and then headed to Kurobe Dam.
By the time we arrived at Kurobe Dam, it had turned into a light drizzle, and we were able to take our time sightseeing.
Thank goodness!!
There were 220 steps to the observation deck, which was quite tough, but...
When I got tired, I took breaks along the way to look at Kurobe Dam many times, and I also took my time looking at it from the observation deck, so I was able to fully enjoy Kurobe Dam.
3. Summary: The deep emotion that comes from knowing history
Kurobe Dam was completed after much hardship, labor, and expense, and even at the cost of lives.
Not being well-versed in history, I knew nothing about Kurobe Dam until a few years ago.
About two years ago, I listened to Chikirin-san's Voicy, became interested in Kurobe Dam, and was able to visit this time after learning its history; it was great to be able to tour Kurobe Dam while feeling a sense of gratitude for it.
It made me want to go see other dams as well ☺️
Day 3: Continuing to Kamikochi sightseeing...