The Tateyama Mountain Range Across the Sea, from the Train Window—A Day with the Belles Montagnes et Mer and Amaharashi [Memories in Japan #04 | Toyama Chapter-01]

Perhaps the most spectacular scenery was waiting on the tracks from the very beginning.
The Toyama sightseeing train, "Belles Montagnes et Mer," commonly known as "Berumonta."
There is no doubt that this was the star of the day.

The whole thing started with a single photo in a guidebook.
The Tateyama Mountain Range across the sea, with the Onna-iwa rock standing alone in the foreground.
"The Tateyama Mountain Range across the sea"—that is what the view is called, and the moment I saw it, I knew, "This is the place."
That alone was enough to make me head to Amaharashi Coast on the first train of the morning.

I took a local train from Takaoka and got off at Amaharashi Station.
The air was still chilly, and after walking for a few minutes from the station, I was already on the beach.
The sea is just on the other side of the tracks, and you can see the Onna-iwa rock beyond it.
The composition I had seen in the guidebook was right there before my eyes.

As I approached the beach, I noticed there were quite a lot of people.
Thinking, "Oh no, am I late?" I started to jog a little.
When I got out onto the beach, I was surprised by the number of people.
Dozens of photographers had lined up their tripods and were all facing the same direction.
I immediately realized, "Everyone is here to capture the same photo."

I also took a spot a little further away and set up my camera.
The morning sun is beautiful. The sky is clear. The sea is calm. There is no strong wind. Looking only at the conditions, it should have been a morning where I could say, "Today is a win."

…However, no matter how long I waited, the mountains did not appear.

The sky gradually brightened, and the horizon began to dye orange.
The morning sun cast streaks across the sea, and the silhouette of the Onna-iwa rock was sharp and clear.

But, the Tateyama Mountain Range was nowhere to be found.

"Even with such good weather, it's not visible?" I muttered to myself, but I still pressed the shutter.The sea, the rocks, and the morning sun alone were beautiful enough. I was forced to think, "This is good in its own way."
In the end, the main attraction, "The Tateyama Mountain Range across the sea," did not show its face at all that morning.

When I returned to Amaharashi Station from the beach, a large, enlarged photo panel of the ideal "Tateyama Mountain Range across the sea" was displayed on the platform.
In the panel, the white ridgeline of the snowy landscape stood out clearly. I gave a bitter smile, thinking that what you can't see, you can't see, and stared blankly at the photo.

However, since I had come all the way here from Takaoka, it would be a shame to turn back now.Thinking that, I decided to extend my trip further to Himi.

In Himi, I wandered around the port town and devoured a seafood bowl topped with winter yellowtail at the Himi Port Fish Market Cafeteria. Afterward, I took a bath at the Himi Onsen-kyo Sōyu.
I visited Kozenji Temple, associated with Fujiko Fujio A, went character-watching along Manga Road, and took in the view of Toyama Bay and the port from the Himinoe Park Observatory.

Although my stay was short, I enjoyed Himi to the fullest, and above all, the winter yellowtail was delicious.
As for the Tateyama Mountain Range, I suppose it wasn't meant to be that day. I had almost given up on it.

I returned to Himi Station.
Among the timetable, there was one unfamiliar name.
“Belles Montagnes et Mer.” The luxury sightseeing train, Belles Montagnes et Mer.
The next train bound for Takaoka happened to be this very train.

Thinking I probably couldn't just hop on a sightseeing train, I asked the station attendant on the off chance, and they replied, “We have a few seats left.”All I needed was a ticket and the reserved seat fee.
Since I was there, I went ahead and boarded the Belles Montagnes et Mer.

Once inside, the atmosphere was different from the usual local trains.
The windows were cut large, and there was a subtle mood throughout the train that felt like a sightseeing train saying, “We are going to show you the scenery now.”
When we departed, people along the tracks waved, and we even got a little send-off.

And then, it was when the train approached the coastline.
“...There it is. The Tateyama Mountain Range.”
Beyond the train window, a white ridgeline of snowy scenery suddenly emerged.
In the morning, there was nothing there. Now, it was framed perfectly within the train window.

“Oh wow, this is what I wanted to see!”

I hurriedly leaned against the window and took photos from inside the train.
The scenery I had almost given up on just moments ago,
appeared outside the window of the luxury train as if it were a “standard feature.”

The perfect shot didn't come from the sandy beach, but from the window of the Belles Montagnes et Mer.
It didn't appear on the beach where I stood early in the morning,but appeared as if nothing had happened during the “incidental” time on the return train.

For me, the “Tateyama Mountain Range across the sea” remains in my memory not as the morning at Amaharashi Coast, but as that one moment seen from this window.
Looking back, the star of the show was the window of the Belles Montagnes et Mer.

＊This is a record from 2020.

Postscript |

｜The name Amaharashi Coast and the legend of Yoshitsune｜

The name Amaharashi (literally “rain clearing”) is tied to the legend of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
The story goes that while Yoshitsune and his party were fleeing north, they were caught in a sudden rain shower in this area and took shelter under a rock—eventually, the rain cleared up, and a view that stretched all the way to the Tateyama Mountain Range opened up.
It is said that this place came to be called Amaharashi from the scene of “the rain clearing.” Although it is now known as an “Instagrammable” coast, it was originally a place where they waited for the weather to clear during their escape.

｜Himi's winter yellowtail and Fujiko Fujio A｜

When it comes to Himi, the winter yellowtail raised in the Sea of Japan is its signature. The 'Himi Kanburi' (winter yellowtail) is famous as a brand fish, and at the port's eateries, you can enjoy its rich fat content in dishes like sashimi, yellowtail rice bowls, and grilled fish.
Another side of the city is that it is the hometown of manga artist Fujiko A. Fujio, who created works such as 'Ninja Hattori-kun.' Throughout the city, you can find stone statues of characters at his birthplace, Kozenji Temple, and bronze statues lining 'Manga Road,' allowing you to discover the world of his works while taking a stroll.

References:
Wikipedia / TripAdvisor, etc.

Memories in Japan

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