Golden Week Road Trip - Day 2

Takaoka is home to one of Japan's 3 large Buddha statues (Daibutsu). Completed in 1932, it's 16m tall and weighs 65 tonnes.

There's a small museum under the Daibutsu. As you enter, you'll see an altar. There's a circular route that'll take you around some paintings and artifacts on display. Right in the centre of the museum is a praying room with a big wooden Buddha head.

Diagram showing construction of the Daibutsu

Daibutsu trivia, e.g. the nostril is 30cm in diameter and the ear is 1.21m long.

Pretty flowers near the Daibutsu - I've not seen these flowers elsewhere before.

金屋町 Kanayamachi (Copperware lane)

Takaoka is known for its copperware. This was where the copperware masters used to run their businesses. There're some copper statues displayed by the lane.

Small copperware museum

瑞龍寺 Zuiryuji (temple)

Designated as a National Treasure. Built 360 years ago, this temple belongs to the Zen sect of Japanese Buddhism. It's big - there're 7 buildings - and the building layout is thought to be similar to the human body (?).

There're long hallways that lead from 1 building to another.

The main highlight is 仏殿 Butsuden. The roof is made from lead, which is quite rare. It is believed that this was because the lead roof could be melted down and made into bullets in times of war.

Interior of Butsuden

Great sushi set lunch at a little sushi place just outside the temple. Only 880-yen (S$12)!

砺波チューリップ公園 Tonami Tulip Park

On my drive to Gokayama, I was waylaid by huge banners directing me to the Tonami Tulip Park. I decided to join the long queue for the sprawling carpark following Con-chan's theory that when there are lots of Japanese flocking to a shop or event, it MUST be good. She's right!! I found out later on that Tonami is famous for only one thing - tulips!

There were more tulips than I'd ever seen in my life! More than 100 different varieties of tulips in various colours...some had curled petals...

...some had tattered edges

Sakura and a bed of tulips
You can climb this tall tulip structure...

...to get a panoramic view of the beds of tulips on display

Tulip-kun (the male tulip mascot; Tulip-chan, the female version, is pink) was very popular

五箇山 Gokayama

The drive to Gokayama is beautiful - rugged mountains and picturesque bridges over streams or valleys. Gokayama is situated in a remote mountainous region, with very heavy snowfall in winter. Due to its remote location, the area did not get electricity until 1921.

The area was certified as a UNESCO World Heritage site because many of its villages preserve its 合掌造り gassho-zukuri (Japanese thatched-roof or "hands-in-prayer") farmhouses in pristine condition. I visited Ainokura village, which has 27 gassho-zukuri houses, one of the largest collection of such houses. The traditional houses, set against the mountainous terraced rice fields tranports you into another world altogether.

Many of the gassho-zukuri houses now function as souvenir shops, restaurants, or minshukus (inns). The gassho-zukuri houses have steep roofs to allow snow to slide off easily.

In autumn, water sprinklers are used to form a protective shield to prevent the roofs from burning.

There aren't many restaurants in that area and most of them serve really basic countryside food - sansai (mountain vegetables) or tofu type dishes. My dinner was sansai udon. The 2 long thin things in the centre of the bowl are bamboo shoot. My stomach felt very clean after that dinner ;P

In case you're wondering about my hygiene while I'm on the road trip, there's no cause for worry. Japan is the perfect country to go on a road trip because of the plentiful onsens and public baths...took my bath at くろば温泉 Kuroba onsen (building on the left of the picture). The outdoor bath had a view of the river.