Today you’re in for an adventure because we’re travelling the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route across the Japanese Alps! I can't think of a better way to experience autumn in Japan, because the fall foliage was simply magical!

Nicknamed the ‘Roof of Japan’, this journey can be done starting in Toyama or Nagano and it involves a 2,400metre elevation change across the Japanese Alps using multiple modes of transportation. This includes trains, buses, ropeways, cable cars and even your own two feet.

This was an epic journey where we got to experience different landscapes and seasons all in one day, and we’re going to show you exactly how you too can do this same trip!

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

00:45 Tickets at Dentetsu Toyama Station
02:50 Baggage Forwarding Service
03:17 Toyama Chico Railroad
05:22 Tateyama Cable Car
06:39 Tateyama Highland Bus
12:00 Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus
13:02 Tateyama Ropeway
16:21 Kurobe Cable Car
17:09 Kurobe Dam Crossing on Foot
18:59 Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus
20:19 Bus to Shinano and Nagano

Alpine Route Modes of Transportation

Toyama Chico Railroad 65 minutes
First up, we rode the Toyama Chico Railroad, which is a 65minute journey. We departed from DentetsuToyama Station and travelled to ​​Tateyama Station. This first leg of the journey was all about getting out of the city.

Tateyama Cable Car 7 minutes
Next, we rode the Tateyama Cable Car from Tateyama Station to Bijodaira. This was a 7minute ride. The cable car climbs 502 meters and covers a distance of 1.3 kilometres.

Tateyama Highland Bus 50 minutes
The Tateyama Highland Bus was our next mode of transportation on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. We took the express bus, which was a 50minute journey from Bijodaira to Mudoro. The Tateyama Highland Bus covers a distance of 23 kilometres and you experience an almost 1500meter altitude change. We went from green landscapes to fall foliage to a snowy landscape. It was quite the journey and yes, it was a very windy road.

Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus 10 minutes
Then, we got on the Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus which runs from Murodo to Daikanbo. This is a 10minute bus ride through a narrow tunnel that crosses Mount Tateyama. This green bus is powered by electricity, so it doesn’t produce any exhaust fumes. We travelled 3.7 kilometres with an elevation gain of 134 metres.

Tateyama Ropeway 7 minutes
The Tateyama Ropeway covers a distance of 1,700 metres without the use of a single pylon along the way (those are the columns you typically see when you’re riding a cable car, chair lift or gondola.) This is the only such cable car in Japan, which makes it pretty unique. The journey takes you from Daikanbo to Kurobedaira, it’s a 7minute trip and the elevation change is 488 metres.

Kurobe Cable Car 5 minutes
Then it was time to ride the Kurobe Cable Car from Kurobedaira to Kurobeko. What’s unique about this mode of transportation is that it’s the only underground cable car in Japan, meaning it is unaffected by the heavy snowfall in this region. This was the shortest journey so far. We travelled 0.8 kilometres, had an elevation change of 373 metres, and the ride only took 5 minutes.

Cross Kurobe Dam on foot 15 minutes
The Kurobe Dam is an 186metre arched dam and the tallest dam in all of Japan. It was built between 1956 and 1963. We noticed there was an option to go on a sightseeing boat ride on Kurobe Lake, however, we skipped it because we still had a bit of a journey ahead of us and we wanted to make it to Nagano City before dark.

Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus 16 minutes
This brings us to our next mode of transportation: riding the Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus from Kurobe Dam to Ogizawa Station. This was a 16minute journey where we travelled 6.1 kilometres with an elevation change of 37 metres.

Local Bus to Shinano 40 minutes
Once we arrived at Shinano, we picked up the luggage we had forwarded. There is a direct bus to Nagano that avoids Shinano, but it's not an option if you need to pick up your luggage first.

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