Shira Ebi is a small transparent shrimp that is fished from Toyama Bay (富山湾, Toyama-wan) and is one of Toyama Prefecture's (富山県, Toyama-ken) local specialties. It taste is light and sweet, and is commonly sought after as a high-quality ingredient. Shira Ebi typically live at a depth of 100 to 600m, and measure around 5 to 8cm in length. They can also be found in Suruga Bay (駿河湾, Suruga-wan) and Sagami Bay (相模湾, Sagami-wan), but only in Toyama Bay are they found in large amounts to be fished.
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route Travel Guide
Beautiful Mountain Route that Traverses one of Japan's Most Sacred Mountains
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is a beautiful mountain sightseeing route that connects Toyama and Matsumoto while passing through one of Japan's Three Sacred Mountains (三霊山, San Reizan), Mount Tateyama, and also the Kurobe Dam, Japan's highest dam. The route is popular for its stunning scenery that changes with the seasons, including the 20m high snow wall in late April, and the beautiful koyo (紅葉, Kōyō, Red Autumn Leaves) in autumn. The route only operates from mid-April to late-November, and consists of a variety of different modes of transportation including buses, cable cars, and trams in order to get across. The route is generally considered by locals to be one of the most scenic routes in Japan, and a popular site for hiking and skiing.
A single ticket is available for a one-way trip from either Toyama to Matsumoto, or a round-trip typically from either end to Murodo, the center point of the route, and back. Including sightseeing time, a single one-way trip across typically takes around 8 to 9 hours. From the Toyama side, a round-trip to Murodo and back takes around 5 to 7 hours, and a round-trip to Kurobe Dam and back takes around 8 to 9 hours. From the Matsumoto side, a round-trip to Murodo and back takes around 5 to 7 hours. The entire route is 37km long, with an elevation difference of 1.975m, and took over 20 years to build.
Nature
Culture
Gourmet
Volume
Local Specialties
シラエビ
Shira Ebi
黒部ダームカレー
Kurobe Dam Curry
A unique dish similar to a typical katsu curry (カツカレー, Katsu Karē) dish with the rice being shaped in the arch shape of the Kurobe Dam (黒部ダム, Kurobe Damu) and the curry being Kurobe Lake. This cute dish has become one of the icons of Kurobe Dam, and can only be found there.
Popular Destinations
Murodo is the tallest point on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, and also the largest terminal on the route with a hotel, restaurants, gift shops, an onsen, and a variety of walking routes. Throughout different seasons, visitors can find a variety of different attractions including the iconic Yuki-no-Otani (雪の大谷, Yuki no Ōtani) in Spring, a massive snow wall that goes up to almost 20m, and hiking up to Mount Tateyama (立山, Tateyama) in Summer.
The Yuki no Otani, often colloquailly called the Tateyama-Kurobe Snow Wall or Snow Corridor, is arguably the most iconic view of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, a tall ice wall that is typically 7m tall, and can go up to 20m tall in years with heavy snowfall. The Yuki no Otani is at its tallest when the route just opens in mid to late April. The snow wall becomes progressively shorter as the year goes on, and in some years, you can still see some snow even in July or August.
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The Midagahara Wetlands sits at an altitude of 1,900m and is one of Japan's largest Alpine Wetlands. A wooden boardwalk allows visitors to explore the wetland comfortably and safely while enjoying great views of the expansive wetlands that span 2km in height and 4km in width. There are almost 3000 ponds that dot the wetlands, and Midagahara was registered in the Ramsar Convention as a Wetland of International Importance in 2013. The scenery of the wetlands change greatly from season to season, with the most popular being autumn when the plants change color from green to red or orange.
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The Kurobe Dam is Japan's highest arch dam at 1,500m in elevation, and is 492m long and 186m tall. The Kurobe Lake behind the dam holds 200 million cubic litres of water, and 10 cubic litres of water passes through the dam each second. The dam generates one billion kWh of hydro power per year, enough to power 90,000 homes. The sheer scale and height of the dam is sure to take your breath away the first time that you see it.
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Getting Around
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route consists of a single route that is a chain of multiple transportation modes from one end to another. We will go through each mode from the Toyama side to the Matsumoto side, but do note that the route is entirely reversible. It is important to check out the timetable for the route in each direction to minimize waiting time.
There are also rail passes that include transportation on the route, together with transportation from Kyoto (京都, Kyōto), Osaka (大阪, Ōsaka), and Nagoya.
Additionally, luggage forwarding services are available between Tateyama Station and Ogizawa Station on each end of the route costing ¥2,500. Do check the official website for the availability and time period when it is offered. A car forwarding service is also available from one end of the route to the other for a more hefty cost, and details are available here.
Getting There
金沢
Kanazawa
The cheapest way to get between Kanazawa and the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is by taking the shared IR Ishikawa Railway Line & Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line that runs between Kanazawa Station and Toyama Station, and the Toyama Chiho Railway Main Line that runs between Dentetsu Toyama Station (電鉄富山駅, next to Toyama Station) and Tateyama Station.
Kanazawa Station
to
Toyama Station
IR Ishikawa Railway Line
Between Kanazawa Station and Kurikara Station
Towards Toyama Station
IR Ishikawa Railway
Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line
Between Kurikara Station and Toyama Station
Towards Toyama Station
Ainokaze Toyama Railway
57 mins
¥2,400
Toyama Station
to
Tateyama Station
Toyama Chiho Railway Main Line
Between Toyama Station and Terada Station
Towards Tateyama Station
Toyama Chiho Railway
Tateyama Line
Between Terada Station and Tateyama Station
Towards Tateyama Station
Toyama Chiho Railway
1h 5m
東京
Tokyo
The fastest way between Tokyo and the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route is by taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tokyo Station and Nagano Station, and taking the Highway Bus between Nagano Station and Ogisawa Station.
English
Hokuriku Shinkansen
Towards Kanazawa Station
JR West
Tokyo Station
to
Nagano Station
1h 36m
¥10,910
1h 45m
Highway Bus (Alpico)
Nagano Station
to
Ogisawa Station
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