JP · Toyama Prefecture · 36.57°N 137.53°E

tateyama kurobe alpine route

Walk between towering snow walls in spring, then ride cable cars across the Alps.

Best time
The route opens from mid-April to late November and closes for winter. The snow walls are best from mid-April to May, and late September to October brings autumn colour. Golden Week in late April and early May is very busy.
How long
1 day, or 2 with a night up at Murodo
Getting there
Fly to Tokyo (about 7 hours from KL). The western end is Tateyama Station, about an hour by local train from Toyama, which is about 2 hours 15 minutes from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. The eastern end is Ogizawa, reached by bus from Shinano-Omachi, about an hour by train from Matsumoto.
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JP · Toyama Prefecturetateyama kurobe alpine route36.57°N 137.53°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Walk between towering snow walls in spring, then ride cable cars across the Alps.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingTateyama Kurobe Alpine RouteJP, Toyama Prefecture
KLtateyama kurobe alpine route
≈ 5,220 km from KL, as the crow flies
The Kurobe Dam, photographed in 2005

Photo: Kahusi · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A chain of trains, cable cars, a ropeway and buses that carries you over the Northern Alps between Toyama and Nagano. It climbs to about 2,450 metres at Murodo, passes Japan's biggest dam at Kurobe and, in spring, runs between walls of snow taller than a bus.

Makan

  1. Masu-zushiPressed trout sushi wrapped in bamboo leaves, a classic Toyama train bento.Map ↗
  2. Shiro-ebiToyama Bay's small, sweet white shrimp, served raw on rice or as tempura.Map ↗
  3. Toyama Black ramenA soy broth so dark it's nearly black, and very salty. Good after a cold day up top.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Yuki-no-Otani snow wallsA stretch of road near Murodo cut through snow up to around 20 metres high, open to walkers in spring.Map ↗
  2. Kurobe DamJapan's tallest dam, which sends out a huge spray of water from late June to mid-October.Map ↗
  3. Murodo and Mikurigaike PondThe highest stop on the route, with an easy loop walk around a volcanic crater lake.Map ↗
  4. Tateyama RopewayIt spans the whole valley with no support towers in between, so the views are wide open.Map ↗
  5. Climbing Mount TateIn summer, fit walkers can climb to the Oyama summit from Murodo and back in a long half-day.Map ↗

Good to know

  • You change transport many times, so send big suitcases ahead with a luggage delivery service and travel light.
  • Pack warm layers. Murodo can be near freezing in spring and autumn even when Toyama is mild.
  • Book tickets ahead for Golden Week and autumn weekends, when the ropeway and cable cars get long queues.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.