ASIAN ALPINE E-NEWS
Issue No 100 July 2022

Photo: Tsurugi-dake 2999m East Face

A Journey through the Heart of the Japanese Alps
Kurobe-Tateyama Alpine Route & Kamikochi
Tamotsu Nakamura
1Page 2~21

A Journey through the Heart of the Japanese Alps
Kurobe-Tateyama Alpine Route & Kamikochi
The Kurobe Gorge Railway ( 黒 部 峡 谷 鉄 道 株 式 会 社 , Kurobe Kyōkoku Tetsudō KabushikiKaisha), or Kurotetsu (黒鉄) for short, is a private, 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge railwaycompany operating the Kurobe Gorge Main Line along the Kurobe River in the Kurobe gorge
area of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The railway was built to serve the construction ofthe Kurobe dam for the Kansai Electric Power Company, which was completed in 1963;
Kurotetsu was spun off from the power company in June 1971, but remains a wholly owned
subsidiary. At its terminus, the Main Line links to Kurobe Senyō Railway, which is not open togeneral public.
In 2008 the company operated 27 locomotives, 138 passenger carriages and 322 freight wagons.

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine (pronounced “Alpen”) Route is known as the “Roof of Japan”. The
route passes through the dynamic scenery of Mt. Tateyama in the Japan Alps. It is traversed
using a variety of vehicles with an elevation change of 2400 meters from Toyama Prefecture toNagano Prefecture.
The route is approximately 90 km long and you will be impressed by the variety of scenery thatcan be seen in different seasons.
1The Kurobe Gorge (黒部峡谷, Kurobe Kyōkoku) is a beautiful, forested ravine in the rugged
mountains of the Northern Japan Alps. Cut by the Kurobe River, it is one of the deepest gorgesin Japan. Its steep, nearly vertical cliffs, untouched virgin forests, and outdoor hot springs havemade it a famous destination to see natural scenic beauty. It is not to be confused with
the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, which is nearby, but accessed from a completely different
direction.
The main attraction of the gorge is the Kurobe Gorge Railway, a sightseeing train originallybuilt to aid the construction of the Kurobe Dam. Today the small trains operate along a winding,
20 kilometer stretch between Unazuki and Keyakidaira stations. The exciting 80 minutes
journey leads across more than 20 bridges and through over 40 tunnels and offers visitors
panoramic views of the gorge below. The trains stop at a few stations along the way wherevisitors can get off and explore.
The trains operate seasonally from late April through November and are most popular inautumn when the forested slopes along the railroad turn bright orange and red withbeautiful fall colors. Since the mountains cover a large elevation range, the Kurobe Gorge
enjoys a long fall color season which usually runs from mid October to mid November.Most
trains carry two types of passenger cars. The majority of them are open-sided cars with 4-person
bench seats without backrests; however, most trains also offer some enclosed cars with more
comfortable seating at an additional fee.

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Kurobe Railway Unazuki Station (above) – Bridge over Kurobe River near Unazuki Station (below)

3Following four pictures are alluring Kurobe River Gorge.

45Following four pictures are Kurobe Gorge Railway from Unazuki to Keyakidaira

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One of dams constructed in Kurobe River Gorge
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Hydraulic power station and penstocks (above) Lingering-remaining snow in summer (below)

9Above two pictures – Dainichidake 2501m
10Tateyama Snow Wall in early June11

Murodo (above ) & Tateyama 3015m and Tateyama east face (below)

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Tateyama 3015m and thunderbird (above) Mt. Tsurugi-dake 2999m climbers’ paradise (below)

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Tateyama-Kurobe Route (above) Cable Car from Murodo to Daikanbo through tunnel (below)

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Kurobedaira (avobe) Gondola from Daikanbo to Kuorbe Dam (below)

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Kurobe Dam16

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Hotel Hodaka in Ougisawa, Azumio

Hodaka-dake in cloud seen from Kamikochi in summere18

Oku-Hodakadake viewed from Kamikochi in summer (above and below)

19Yake-dake 2455m and River Azusa, Kamikochi in summer

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