Contents
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, and the Great Snow Wall, is very much a seasonal attraction beginning in mid-April and ending in late June. Where any earlier and the route will be hidden beneath heavy snowfall, and any later and the snows will have melted. It takes place in the Japan Alps in western Honshu, dubbed the “Roof of Japan”, where the route passes the Winterland scenes of Mount Tateyama. So we arrive for the better part of it, in late April, travelling from Kanazawa by Shinkansen (JR Pass) to the convenient starting point of Toyama (nearby hotels). From Toyama we then connect to the beginning for the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route day tour following a well-connected itinerary of weird and wonderful transport carriages through the peaks of the Alpine Route.
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route Tickets
At Toyama station are easy-to-find tourist ticket booths and all transport is included in the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route day tour tickets (9,490 Yen per person one-way at the time) which is neatly connected through to the opposite end. The only additional cost comes at the far end, where we have to pay for the bus back to meet the JR lines at Shinano-Omachi (12,360 pp). So, on our journey, we begin at Toyama where it takes an hour’s train travel through picturesque forest parks as we begin the ascent into Japan’s northern mountain peaks.
The Alpine Route Cablecar
The train then arrives to the base of the cable car, and to a packed hall chock full of tourists. Given the popularity of this attraction, and the limited window of opening, expect it to always be busy. After roughly 30 minutes of queuing we board the cable car to be pulled to the mountain tops. I actually find the term cablecar a little misleading here. It’s more like a funicular tram, similar to the Hong Kong peak, Penang Hill or the Grand Budapest Hotel. Either way, it wasn’t overly exciting, and while the better views are found on the far right side of the carriages, I wouldn’t bother pushing to find them. There’s a lot better to come.
The Alpine Route Bus Journey
The next bus journey was definitely a highlight of the Alpine Route, albeit on a bus, as we navigate winding roads between corridors of snow walls and mountain pine trees. We were out of luck on this journey, and fail to capture any worthwhile shots as we find ourselves squashed into the fold-out middle seats in the centre of the bus. You’ll probably want to avoid these. After 30 minutes through snowy wonderland, we open out to unobstructed white vistas and some of the best views of the journey.
The Great Snow Wall
The bus route ends as we arrive at the 20 meters (or thereabouts) great snow wall, better known as the Gorge of Snow (Yukino-ōtani), which is the postcard picture of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. They are easy to navigate by foot through walkways, between and around, and on the opposite side of the wall, there are fantastic views of surrounding mountain ranges and plenties of snow to frolic in. The bus stops at a building just past the wall which will have further viewpoints and optional routes to explore other nearby peaks. There’s also restaurants, shops and the usual tourist tack.
Into the Mountains
This would be the turn back point for many tourists, but we push ahead to the opposite end of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. Along the way, we find a handful of viewpoints, and travel on all sorts of transport, including cable cars (funicular trains) and trolleybuses (a bit like trams which bury through tunnels in the centre of the mountain range). We then arrive to the mountain ropeway of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.
The Alpine Route Rope Way
I find the ropeway would be my own interpretation of the cable car. It is a cable which transports a car. So the ropeway (cable car) lowers down from the highest peaks of the range towards the valleys below, passing a vast lake near the bottom. It was definitely one of the highlights of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route with fantastic views en route. There are windows on all sides of the ‘cable car’ but you may find yourself stuck in the middle if near the back of the queue. Maybe wait for the next run. Topping our entertainment for the day was the Chinese tour group rushing the doors as the car arrives as they push for the best window views at the front. When they do the cablecar sways lopsided and they start screaming in terror (as the Japanese car manager chuckles).
Kurobe Dam
The last stop on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is Kurobe Dam which we arrive to by one final cable car (funicular railway) from the ropeway (cablecar). It’s interesting enough, with an observation deck and viewpoint above, but, at the time, we skip past as we were just too dam tired (haha). Instead we make loads of ‘dam’ puns as we continue on to the final tunnel trolley bus. The queues for the trolley bus were in the longest I’ve seen at a tourist attraction, ever. I was somewhat expecting an hour, or two, wait but 30 minutes did it. The trolley bus takes us to the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route exit arriving at roughly 16:30PM. It then takes a further 4 hours for us to make our way to Kanazawa.
Travel to the JR Lines
From the cable car exit, we follow a bus route back to Shinano-Omachi station (12,360 pp) before boarding three consecutive trains back to Kanazawa. The first two trains follow the local JR lines with an easy transfer at Minari-Otari. The stop after is Itoigawa and this is where the JR Shinkansen lines begin for travel to far-flung destinations, which for us is the final stretch to Kanazawa. The first of these train journeys was immensely beautiful as we pass scenery of snowy hills, cherry blossoms, and über cute villages, all made perfect by the setting sun. The 2nd rail journey was in darkness travelling in a one carriage train with front and back windows visible, in front and behind us. Only 3 people were on the train, and 2 of them were us. It felt lonely and surreal.
We Owned the JR Pass: Free eBook
Subscribe below for our free eBook downloads including our full 2 week itinerary in Japan. Highlights include The 8 Hells of Beppu, Ryokan Hotels under Mount Fuji and Shirakawa-go Unesco Village.
