Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route crossing
Choose from 6 available options
- ⏱ Duration: 6 hours
- 👥 Group size: 1–8 guests
- 📍 Stops: Dam terrace
- 🚌 Meeting point: Toyama — The exact meeting point and directions come with your confirmation email after booking.
- Location
- 📍 Toyama
- Duration
- ⏱ 6–24 hours
- Group size
- 👥 1–8 guests
- Guide language
- 🗣 English
- Tour type
- 👥 Small group
- Getting around
- 🚶 2–3 km walking, some steps
About this experience
Six kinds of transport climb from valley floor to Murodo at 2,450 m — cable car, highland bus, trolleybus, ropeway. From mid-April to June the road is cut through the Yuki-no-Otani snow corridor, walls of snow well above head height. Options run one way across, out-and-back, or Kurobe Dam only.
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route crosses the Northern Alps between Toyama and Nagano, a mountain range with no through road for ordinary traffic. Instead, a chain of cable cars, highland buses, a trolleybus and ropeways carries passengers over the top. The highest stop, Murodo, sits at 2,450 m beside volcanic crater ponds, and nearer the Nagano end Kurobe Dam, completed in 1963 and the tallest dam in Japan, blocks a deep gorge.
You can choose a single section or the whole crossing. The shortest day goes from Toyama to the terrace at Kurobe Dam. Out-and-back options ride up to Murodo and return to the side you started from, departing Toyama, Nagano or Nagoya. The full one-way crossing links Ogizawa and Tateyama stations and stops at both Murodo and the dam. Transport passes for the route are included, and the guide confirms where the coach meets the group at the far end.
From mid-April to June, the road to Murodo runs between towering snow walls known as Yuki-no-Otani, which can rise more than 10 m. Summer brings alpine flowers and ptarmigan; late September and October bring autumn colour on the high slopes. Murodo is much colder than the valleys, so pack a jacket even in July. Transfers involve stairs and queues at busy times, and weather can pause the ropeways. There is also an overnight option from Tokyo.
✓ What you get
- ✓Alpine Route transport passes
- ✓Round-trip coach to the trailhead
- ✓English-speaking guide
Start time: pick a slot when booking; your guide confirms the detailed schedule within 24 hours.
Kurobe Dam walk only (not full Alpine)
⏱ 6 hours · From ¥6,900 per person- Departure citiesToyama (6 hours)
- Dam terrace
- Ends back at your departure point.
Alpine Route return same side
⏱ 9 hours · From ¥12,800 per person- Departure citiesToyama (9 hours) · Nagano (9 hours) · Nagoya (9 hours)
- Murodo
- Ends back at your departure point.
Full Alpine Route one way Ogizawa–Tateyama
⏱ 10 hours · From ¥14,800 per person- Departure citiesToyama (10 hours) · Nagano (10 hours) · Nagoya (10 hours)
- Murodo
- Kurobe Dam
- One-way route: it ends at the far end of the route, not back at your departure city.
Alpine — Murodo day
⏱ 10 hours · From ¥14,800 per person- Departure citiesToyama (10 hours)
- Murodo
- Ends back at your departure point.
Alpine + Murodo snow wall (Apr–Jun)
⏱ 10 hours · From ¥15,800 per person- Departure citiesToyama (10 hours)
- Yuki-no-otani
- Ends back at your departure point.
Alpine — Murodo 1–2 day
⏱ 24 hours · From ¥28,000 per person- Departure citiesTokyo (24 hours)
- Murodo
- Ends back at your departure point.
🚌 Toyama
The exact meeting point and directions come with your confirmation email after booking.
- · Kurobe Dam walk only (not full Alpine) — 6 hours
- · Alpine Route return same side — 9 hours
- · Full Alpine Route one way Ogizawa–Tateyama — 10 hours
- · Alpine — Murodo day — 10 hours
- · Alpine + Murodo snow wall (Apr–Jun) — 10 hours
🚌 Nagano
The exact meeting point and directions come with your confirmation email after booking.
- · Alpine Route return same side — 9 hours
- · Full Alpine Route one way Ogizawa–Tateyama — 10 hours
🚌 Nagoya
The exact meeting point and directions come with your confirmation email after booking.
- · Alpine Route return same side — 9 hours
- · Full Alpine Route one way Ogizawa–Tateyama — 10 hours
🚌 Tokyo
The exact meeting point and directions come with your confirmation email after booking.
- · Alpine Route return same side — Price on request
- · Full Alpine Route one way Ogizawa–Tateyama — Price on request
- · Alpine — Murodo 1–2 day — 24 hours
🏁 Where it ends
Ends back at your departure point.
Full Alpine Route one way Ogizawa–Tateyama: One-way route: it ends at the far end of the route, not back at your departure city.
🕒 Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 168 hours before the start time. Later cancellations and no-shows are charged in full. If the tour has to be cancelled because of severe weather or road closures, you get a full refund.
✅ How confirmation works
Booking is NOT instantly confirmed. You pay online at checkout; we check availability for that date and confirm by email — usually within 24 hours. If we cannot confirm, you are refunded in full.
💳 Payment
Secure online payment via Stripe: card, Apple Pay, PayPay or Konbini, depending on what is available at checkout. This trip is paid online at checkout; on-site payment is not offered.
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