Kurobe: Gorge Railway, Dam and Art

The Kurobe Gorge by rail

The Kurobe Gorge Trolley Railway makes the gorge a defining landscape experience. It runs from Unazuki Station in Kurobe City to Keyakidaira Station, following the Kurobe River. As you travel through the gorge, views open up over steep cliffs and clear streams. The journey through the landscape is itself part of the experience: you see the gorge not just as a single scene, but from the perspective of a train passing through it. If you are interested in nature and striking landforms, this is a special focus for a stay in Kurobe.

A look inside Unazuki Dam

At Unazuki Dam, you can also take a look inside the structure. A tour of the inspection tunnel is held monthly; on other days, visits are possible by prior reservation. These different options are important to keep in mind when planning: the tour takes place monthly, while visits on other days require advance booking. The experience focuses on the dam as an engineering structure and complements the gorge’s natural attractions with a look at its purpose and how it works.

Damkankan at Unazuki Dam introduces both the dam’s purpose and how it works, as well as the nature of the Kurobe River. Its exhibits include panoramic photographs, aerial images of Toyama Prefecture and a large terrain model. There is also a real-time information system and a mini theater. The different formats make Damkankan a destination in its own right for anyone interested not only in the landscape, but also in the dam and river. Together with the inspection tunnel tour, it offers a technical perspective on Kurobe that differs from the train journey through the gorge.

Art, views and regional fish cuisine

The natural landscape of the Kurobe Gorge is the focus of the Selene Museum. It displays works about Kurobe by leading contemporary Japanese painters. Here, the gorge is not a view encountered during a train journey, but the subject of the art on display. A viewing gallery on the fourth floor also offers a view over the hot spring town. Art and scenery come together in one place, and there is more to see than just the museum’s artworks.

Ikuji Fish Station offers a different way to experience the region: it combines a market selling freshly caught seasonal fish with an adjoining hall where seafood rice bowls and local fish dishes are served. The market and hall represent two sides of the culinary offering—seasonal fish and dishes featuring local seafood. For travelers who want to discover regional cuisine as well as the landscape and culture, the fish station is one of Kurobe’s distinctive food destinations.

Outdoor baths overlooking the lake and gorge

The outdoor baths at Tochino-yu by the lake overlook the lake and Kurobe’s forested mountains. The trolley railway passing through the gorge is also part of the panorama. Water, mountains and railway come together here, creating a different impression of the landscape than you get on the journey through the gorge. If you want to weigh up different experiences when planning your vacation, Kurobe lets you choose from a range of options, including nature, engineering, art and regional cuisine. When looking for a vacation rental in Kurobe, it helps to first consider which of these aspects of the destination matters most to you.

Discover more destinations

More places to discover: Himi, Nakaniikawa District, Asahi, Uozu, Toyama, Takaoka, Nanto and Tateyama.

Back to the main travel guide: Toyama Prefecture.