【空撮】黒部川を河口から源流へ｜黒部ダムのその先、北アルプスの核心部へ

Follow the Kurobe River from its mouth to its source in Google Earth, tracing its course upstream from Toyama Bay into the Northern Alps. At just 85 km in length, the Kurobe River is one of Japan's steepest and most powerful rivers. Over this short distance, it descends more than 2,900 meters from its source to the sea. Beginning at a vast alluvial fan near the coast, the river soon enters a deep and rugged V-shaped gorge that extends all the way into the heart of the mountains. Its abundant water and dramatic elevation drop made the Kurobe Valley one of Japan's most important hydroelectric regions. Facilities such as Kurobe Dam played a vital role in supporting Japan's postwar economic growth. Along the way lie the Kurobe Gorge Railway, which carries visitors through the canyon, and the famous Shimo-no-Roka ("Lower Gorge Trail"), beloved by hikers and mountaineers. Yet this valley tells more than a story of natural beauty. It is also a place shaped by the efforts, hardships, and sacrifices of those who helped power Japan's modernization. Beyond Kurobe Dam lies an even more remote world—the heart of the Northern Alps, often called the "Roof of Japan." Join this aerial journey along the wild and beautiful Kurobe River, from the Sea of Japan to its mountain source.