Kurobe Gorge Railway

The Kurobe Gorge Railway climbs 20.1 km from the hot-spring town of Unazuki into the gorge of the Kurobe River, in Toyama Prefecture, to Keyakidaira under the peaks of the Northern Alps. Its little orange locomotives pull trains of open cars on 762 mm track, through tunnels and over red steel bridges, at no more than 25 km/h.

It was never meant for visitors. The line was begun in 1923 to carry materials for the power stations and dams of the Kurobe River, and local people and climbers who asked to ride were let on as a favour. Their tickets said in plain words that their safety was not guaranteed. Public passenger trains followed in 1953.

On New Year's Day 2024 the Noto Peninsula earthquake sent rock down onto the Kanetsuri Bridge, and for two and a half seasons trains turned back at Nekomata. The whole line reopened on 1 October 2026, in time for the autumn colour.

Trains leave Unazuki and cross the Kurobe River at once on the Shin-Yamabiko Bridge, with the old 1924 bridge alongside. The line runs up the shore of Lake Unazuki, past the castle-like power station at Yanagibashi, and into the national park beyond Moriishi. Only four stations are open to passengers: Unazuki, Kuronagi, Kanetsuri and Keyakidaira. Trains pass the others or wait there for oncoming trains, but nobody may get off.

Through the gorge

After Kuronagi and the Atobiki Bridge, 60 m high, the gorge closes in. The train passes Dashidaira Dam, the 200 m Nezumigaeshi rock wall and the 1936 power station at Nekomata, then catches Kinshūkan between two tunnels. At Kanetsuri, where snow from the avalanches off Mount Hyakkan lies by the river into summer, the train pulls into a siding to stop and reverses out again. The last stretch climbs past the Koyadaira Dam to Keyakidaira, about 1 hour 20 minutes after leaving Unazuki.

The train

The trains are hauled by electric locomotives and carry both kinds of car: the open cars, with bench seats under a roof, and the closed Relax cars, with windows, for ¥600 extra. There are no toilets on board and no toilet stops, and a recorded commentary describes the sights; the operator's free audio-guide app plays it in English, Korean and Chinese.

Beyond Keyakidaira

From Keyakidaira, Kansai Electric's own works railway continues into the mountains. Since 2 October 2026 part of it has opened to the public as the Kurobe Unazuki Canyon Route, sold only as guided tours to the Kurobe Dam: a 200 m lift shaft inside the mountain, and battery locomotives through a tunnel that is still about 40 °C inside.

Trains run from 20 April to 30 November; the line is closed in winter. In 2026 the whole line, to Keyakidaira, runs from 1 October to 30 November.

1 October – 23 November 2026

These are a selection: there are eleven trains each way, leaving Unazuki between 08:17 and 14:56. The 12:09 from Unazuki and the 13:53 from Keyakidaira run on Fridays to Mondays only.

Good to know:

• 24–30 November. Nine trains each way, nearly all made up of Relax cars; the last leaves Unazuki at 14:14 and Keyakidaira at 16:01.
• Open cars only. Some trains, among them the 09:00 and 13:32 from Unazuki, carry no Relax cars.
• Allow time to come back. At Kanetsuri and Keyakidaira you must stay at least 20 minutes, even if you only want to turn round.
• Arriving by train. From the Toyama Chihō Railway, allow at least 20 minutes at Unazuki to change and check in.

Times as of October 2026, from the operator's timetable. Check your date on the Kurobe Gorge Railway's timetable page (opens in a new tab).

Fares are by distance, one way: ¥2,480 from Unazuki to Keyakidaira, ¥1,780 to Kanetsuri and ¥830 to Kuronagi, half price for children aged 6 to 11. A seat in a Relax car costs ¥600 more for each ride. A return ticket is valid for two days. Every passenger has a seat in a named car and nobody stands, so in the autumn colour and on holidays the train you want may be full.

Bookings open three months ahead and close at 15:00 the day before. In 2026, seats to Keyakidaira cannot be booked on the website: book by phone or with the dedicated form on the operator's English reservations page. Same-day tickets go on sale at Unazuki from 07:40. Fares checked October 2026 on the operator's site; Japanese yen.

No rail pass covers this line. The Kurobe Gorge Railway is a private company, and the Japan Rail Pass is valid only on JR. From 1 October to 30 November 2026, though, the Japan Rail Pass and seven JR West, JR East and JR Central passes for overseas visitors earn 10 % off: a return to Keyakidaira costs ¥4,480 instead of ¥4,960, on same-day tickets only, shown at the window in Unazuki.

The Japan Rail Pass covers the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kurobe-Unazukionsen, but not the last leg: the private Toyama Chihō Railway from Shin-Kurobe, next door, to Unazuki Onsen. For this journey alone, a pass is not worth buying.

Checked October 2026 against the operator's notice on JR passes (opens in a new tab) (in Japanese) and the Japan Rail Pass conditions of use (opens in a new tab).

Most of what there is to see lies at the two ends of the line. Unazuki has its hot springs, a museum and the walk to the dam; up the gorge, Kuronagi and Kanetsuri are each worth breaking the journey for, and Keyakidaira, for now, offers its views from the station roof.

Unazuki Onsen has the most beds, and a night there means catching the first train at 08:17. To stay inside the gorge, Miyama-so stands beside Kanetsuri station, and Kuronagi Onsen, twenty minutes up the path from Kuronagi, can be reached only by the railway.

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