title: Hokuriku Tales vol.3

Summary

A book of five stories about Fukui, Ishikawa and Toyama with useful data vol.3

33.3 kilometers at altitudes ranging between 600 and 1,450 meters above sea. Youcan drive through the otherwise hard-to-access mountain areas and enjoy manywaterfalls including the Ubagataki Falls (one of the One Hundred Waterfalls ofJapan) and other natural wonders. The Oyadani-no-Yu mixed bathing hot spa(footbath also available) that faces Ubagataki Falls and a flowing artesian well ofhot water are evidences that Mt. Hakusan is an active volcano.Rugged terrain of Tateyama Caldera (accessible through participation in a field trip organized by themuseum; ask the museum for the schedule)It takes 40 minutes to climb tothe peak of Mt. Sanboiwadake(alt. 1,736 m) from the parkinglot located at the highest point ofHakusan Shirakawa-go White RoadChapter IV Natural wonders of Hokuriku Geo-tours: Feel the robust dynamism of the Hokuriku landscapeExpedition to Japan’s tallest waterfall and another face of Mt. TateyamaThe Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is located in the Tateyama Area, one ofthe twelve areas that form the Tateyama Kurobe Geopark. To the south of thisroute extends a vast basin called Tateyama Caldera, which was formed bycenturies of erosion. Even today, landslides occur frequently, making this areavery dangerous and hardly accessible. From a geological standpoint, however,Tateyama Caldera is important and has been included in the One HundredGeosites in Japan. The sabo (mudslide control) work that began more than acentury ago continues to this date and no entry is allowed into the area exceptthrough one of the field trips organized by the Tateyama Caldera Sabo Museumseveral times in summer and autumn. The course which includes a ride on theservice tram is particularly popular; the participants are usually selected bylottery.To the north of the Alpine Route stretches a deep gorge that has been cut bythe Shomyo River, a tributary of the Joganji River which originates in TateyamaCaldera. Steep rock cliffs named“Akushiro-no-Kabe”as tall as 500 meterscontinues for about 2 kilometers until they hit the Shomyodaki Falls, the tallestwaterfall in Japan at 350 meters. The water still keeps eroding the plateau at thefoot of Mt. Tateyama, slowly retreating upstream.The water of Shomyodaki Fallsdrops 350 meters in four sections.The flow rate exceeds 100 tons asecond at peak times.Hokuriku Tales vol.3 31