The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route—Journey through the Japanese Alps!

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Traversing the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, you will enjoy comfortable transportation on an astonishing array of trains, electric trolleys, cable cars, hybrid buses, and gondolas, which travel through forests, ascend and descend steep valleys, squeeze through deep underground tunnels, or glide through the air. Even wheelchair users can comfortably enjoy this alpine world. But mountain climbers, backcountry skiers, and campers can still rough it out in the rugged, natural surroundings. Hiking trails lead into wilderness from most stations.

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, over 90 kilometers long, reaches elevations of over 2,400 meters and crosses the border of Nagano and Toyama prefectures. Some of the deepest snowfalls in Japan close this route from the end of November until the end of April, sometimes even into June. Accessing the route requires tickets that can be either bought at either Tateyama Station in Toyama or Ogizawa Station in Nagano or purchased ahead of time online.

Snowplows open up the only road between Tateyama City and Murodo Plateau, the highest stop on the route. The snow plowing creates the famous "snow valley," or Yuki-no-Otani. Walking through this snow canyon, whose walls sometimes exceed twenty meters in height, is just one of many jaw-dropping experiences and views to be enjoyed on your amazing journey along this route.

Stops along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

• Ogizawa Station

Ogizawa Station is the start of the route from Nagano Prefecture. If you come by bus from Matsumoto, Nagano, the spectacle of majestic peaks as you approach this remote station is an elating one. Hikers can start trekking from nearby hiking paths, but most visitors board one of the Kanden Tunnel Trolleybuses. These trolleybuses squeeze between the walls of a narrow tunnel, at a depth of over 1,000 meters below Mt. Akazawa, before arriving at Kurobe Dam.

• Kurobe Dam

Kurobe Dam is Japan's tallest and largest dam. Building it was an effort of national pride after World War II. Activities at Kurobe Dam include marveling at mountain scenery, savoring delicious water straight from springs, enjoying old photographs and other exhibits in the dam's museum, and strolling along the dam's rim. Boat tours of the lake are available after June. Staying in Japanese-style hotels, camping, and hiking are also possible. The Kurobe Cable Car ascends to the next station, Kurobe Plateau, from Kurobeko Station. This funky, yellow cable car climbs almost 400 meters in elevation in five minutes.

• Kurobe Plateau

At 1,828 meters, you can look back down into Kurobe Dam and its surroundings from Kurobe Plateau. The restaurant, like those in many of the other stations, offers local foods and sake. Picnic tables outside the station also offer amazing views to be relished. The gondola, named the Tateyama Ropeway, departs from here for Daikanbo.

• Daikanbo

The gondola to Daikanbo glides diagonally through the clouds above precipitous cliffs. A gondola attendant told me that in winter he sometimes sees bears moving across the open snow. Upon arrival at Daikanbo Station, most visitors climb the steps to the viewpoint to marvel at the nearly 360-degree views of valleys and peaks. In late May, snow still lay on the floor of the observation deck. Daikanbo is where one switches back to another electric trolley for the ten-minute horizontal journey through the tunnel that pierces Mt. Tateyama, whose peak reaches 700 meters above the tunnel.

• Murodo Station

Murodo Plateau is where many nature lovers spend the night. The snow valley is Murodo Plateau's most famous attraction, but stargazers, bird watchers, photographers, hikers, and lovers of hot springs can all enjoy themselves here any month that the plateau is accessible. The panoramic view of gold, red, and yellow autumn foliage is especially renowned throughout Japan. Snowshoers and backcountry skiers should stay overnight to acclimate to the thin mountain air before climbing Mt. Tateyama and other peaks. Accommodation includes campgrounds, rustic mountain huts, and Hotel Tateyama, which calls itself "The Resort Closest to the Stars."

• Tengudaira and Midagahara

From Murodo Plateau towards Tateyama, the only travel option is the Tateyama Highland Bus. In fact, to protect the natural environment, private cars are banned on this route. Tengudaira and Midagahara are two lovely plateaus that the bus travels along. Depending upon weather conditions, the bus may pass through the famous Yuki-no-Otani. If you are susceptible to motion sickness, take precautions because the road makes hairpin curves while descending 2,000 meters between Murodo and Bijodaira. A video playing on the bus points out scenic spots that the bus passes, for instance, the largest cedar tree in Toyama Prefecture and a location to view the tallest waterfall (350 meters) in Japan, Shomyo-daki, before arriving at Bijodaira Station.

• Bijodaira

Bijodaira is a small station where most visitors switch to the Tateyama Cable Car, which can take both passengers and heavy materials up and down slopes of almost 25 degrees. These are the most powerful cable cars in Japan. They travel both on the surface and in deep tunnels. The cable cars descend into the quaint town of Tateyama.

• Tateyama Station

The area around Tateyama Station is geared towards providing for hikers and travelers on the Kurobe Tateyama Route. Tateyama is a quiet town with a crystal-clean river, green woods, and fresh air. Fresh water discharges from a spring right outside the station, which is a few minutes' walk from the Tateyama Caldera Sabo Museum. Although most exhibits are explained in Japanese, this free museum is worth a visit. Dioramas need no explanation and an English video teaches visitors about local geography, geology, history, and environmental protection activities. Tateyama Station is also where one boards the Toyama Chiho Railroad for Toyama City. These trains are also renowned for the scenic views from their windows.

Getting to the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

There are two primary means of accessing the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. From Tokyo, both of these stations are best reached initially by the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train that departs from Tokyo Station, but then with another transfer. Both of these individual stations are accessible via car, but private vehicles are not allowed on the Alpine Route itself. 

Tickets to the route are available the same day at both of these stations. 

• Tateyama Station in Toyama Prefecture: Get to JR Toyama Station via the Hokuriku Shinkansen; Tateyama Station is accessible by the Toyama Chiho Railway Line.
• Ogizawa Station in Nagano Prefecture: Get to JR Nagano Station, then take a local bus to Ogizawa Station. 

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