Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Each season brings a change of scenary along the course of the Route. Visitors are welcomed by pretty wild flowers and lush greenary during the Spring and Summer months. The hills are dotted with Golden and Red Hues as Autumn approaches and in Winter the landscape is covered with snow.


I read about the magnificient Snow Wall which forms an open air tunnel for the highland bus to pass through and decided to visit the route in Winter. It was an awesome experience and I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I highly recommend this site as a must visit spot in Japan in Winter. BTW it is possible to get there on your own so scroll down to find out how I managed to do it and how you can do it! The ticket cost is approx ¥10,560.

Snapshots along the course of getting to the route



















mini snow wall




























Getting There:
I boarded the JR line from JR Tokyo Station, took the Shinkansen to JR Echigoyuzawa Station and took a train to JR Toyama Station. (approx 3h 15mins)
At JR Toyama Station, pls buy the ticket for the Alpine Route, which includes all the transportation along the course of the route.
From JR Toyama Station, please walk ove to Dentetsu Toyama Station and board the local train which will take you to Tateyama Eki(station). This is the start of the Alpine Route.

Getting Back:
From JR Shinano Ohmachi Station I took the JR Oito Line (58mins) to JR Matsumoto Station and the Ltd Express Azusa back to JR Shinjuku Station (166mins)

Some Tips:
Pls click here for more information on Ticket Booths and Costs
1) The route only opens on certain months, therefore please check the business period of the route. It usually opens from Late April to End November.
2) If you plan to get to the route using the JR Line. Please remember that the start point(JR Toyama Station) of the route will be different from the end point(JR Shinano Omachi). If you are staying near Nagoya, you might want to start from JR Shinano Omachi instead and end at JR Toyama Station. As the route is very crowded, therefore, please remember to book your bullet train tickets in advance. Remember to book your bullet train tickets to/from different start and end points. 3)
3) Pls give yourself 7-8 hours the complete the course of the route, as well as around 3.1/2-4 hours transportation time to and from the route.
4) Do buy the JR Pass as it helps to save some transportation money, as you will need to travel along the JR lines.