How Long Should You Stay in Toyama?

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Helen Foster is a Sydney-based author, journalist and content creator. She has traveled to Japan six times and is planning trip seven. Her articles on Japan have appeared in publications including Reader's Digest (Asia Pacific), RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, the Japan National Tourism Organisation website and more. She is a digital publisher member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.

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It’s not on everyone’s Japan itinerary, but if you plan to stop in this city between Nagano and Kanazawa, how long do you need to spend there? Here’s what we suggest…

You only need one day to see the sights of Toyama itself. Unlike its neighbours, Nagano, Kanazawa and Takayama. Toyama doesn’t have a list of big-name sights – there’s no jaw-dropping shrine in the city, no old geisha district, and no monkeys who like a hot tub. If you arrive early in the morning, you can visit the main sights in Toyama, and the nearby town of Iwase, which you shouldn’t miss, in about 6-8 hours.

View of Toyama City from above with snowy mountains in the background.

Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

In theory, if you followed our guide for spending one day in Toyama, you could arrive early in the morning, spend the day sightseeing, and, if your itinerary was very tight, head straight to Kanazawa (26 minutes away by bullet train), or Takayama (90 minutes away), and be ready to sightsee there the next day.

But if you’d prefer to spend your evening relaxing, staying one night here would allow you to see all that Toyama has to offer, enjoy dinner in one of its famous sushi restaurants, and head off to your next destination in the morning.

However, I actually spent two nights here and did not feel I’d wasted my time. In fact, if some of the things I’d wanted to do using Toyama as my base had been open, I could easily have spent another night here as well. So, when might you need to spend more time in Toyama?

If You Want to Ride the Kurobe Gorge Train

Toyama is the nearest big town to this train journey with jaw-dropping views. While the Kurobe Gorge journey itself takes just 80 minutes from end to end, getting there, taking the train, looking around at the end, and coming back again takes the best part of the day—I estimated about six hours at least.

Red bridges span the blue water of the Kurobe Gorge in Japan

The train tracks on the gorge were under repair when I wanted to travel (and will be until 2025), which means the train is running a shorter journey. Because it takes so long to get there and back, I decided not to go. However, if you want to ride it, you’d appreciate having two nights in Toyama to fit in the Gorge and Toyama’s sights without rushing.

If You Want to Take This Photo

And why wouldn’t you?

This is Oiwa Island in Toyama Bay, just outside Takoaka. Visiting this and Takoaka made a great day trip from Toyama and was how I spent my second day in the city.

There’s very little around Amaharashi Station from which you can photograph the island, and if you’re tight on time, the best time to come here to do it so you’re not hanging around killing time is first thing in the morning when two trains come into the station with a short gap—which means staying overnight in Toyama to catch them.

Note – I went to Takoaka on a Tuesday, and almost everything was closed. Avoid Tuesdays.

If You’re Taking a Tour to See the Snow Walls

Tours to these towering walls of white, which can reach as high as 20 metres, are available between May and June, and Toyama is one of the main departure points.

The tours pick up at 9 a.m. and return about 6.30 p.m. If you want to use Toyama as the jumping-off point, you’ll probably need to stay for two nights so you’re not panicking about getting to the bus in the morning or worrying about catching trains if they’re delayed on the way back.

Find one of the Snow Wall tours here – make sure you click on the Toyama pick-up option.

Save Money with Klook & Japlanease

If you plan on buying tickets or tours from Klook for when you’re in Japan, you could save up to 10 per cent by using the code JAPLANEASEKLOOK at the checkout. Click here to see what’s on offer.

T&Cs apply. Some items, including Tokyo Disney and USJ tickets, are not available for discounts.

If You’re a Doraemon Fan

The city of Takoaka was the home of Fujiko F Fujio, the original creator of Doraemon. The city has several Doraemon sights, including a very cute tram.

You can also easily combine the Doraemon sights with a trip to Himi, a small town with another cartoon connection. The manga artist Fujiko A Fujio (the other half of the Fujiko Fujio partnership) came from here, and the high street is full of statues based on his work. There is also a museum.

I thought I could see Himi in about two hours, but I was wrong. Around four hours would be better if you want to see everything including the museum. Again, if you want to combine this with a day seeing the sights of Toyama, you’ll need one night, maybe two, depending on where you’re traveling to afterwards.

Oh, and if you do take the train to Himi – and you’ll go past Oiwi Island on the way – the shot of it above was actually taken out of the train window on my way back as my original plans to get out to take it got thwarted by train delays!

If you’re a Foodie

Iwase, a small town a short ride north of Toyama on one of the city’s trams, is punching above its weight regarding gourmet offerings. It’s home to the Masuda sake brewery, and its owner wanted to create a town of artisans of many types—sculptures and painters now base themselves here, and so are restauranteurs.

The must-visit restaurants include GEJO, Cave Yunoki, and Oyouri Fujii. If you want to visit a couple of them and try some of the sushi and other dishes Toyama is famous for; you’ll want to stay at least one night. Check out our guide on the main sights in Iwase.

L’Evo is another restaurant to consider building into your plans around here. It’s about a 90-minute drive from Toyama (or 45 minutes from Kanazawa), and it has recently been named one of the best restaurants in the world. It’s not the easiest restaurant to get to, but they offer overnight accommodation or can arrange drivers. See more about it here.

If You’re Starting the Tatyama Kurobe Alpine Route

This is one of the most common reasons why people end up in Toyama. The city is an hour and 20-minute train ride from Tateyama, one of the starting points for this mountain sightseeing route, and, as it’s larger than Tateyama, and has a Shinkansen stop it’s often where people overnight so they can get an early start.

Why don’t you join them – and take in the sights of Toyama while you’re here!

Need Extra Planning Help?

Our Japan trip planners can help. You might like our First-Timers Japan Planner, which will help you plan your trip to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka step-by-step, including tips on everything from picking hotels to sightseeing and dining. Or our super-duper Tokyo Disney Planner makes arranging your park trip MUCH easier. Find them in our Planners store – printable and digital versions are available.

So there you have it: our guide to how long you might want to spend in Toyama. Hopefully it’s given you some ideas – and, maybe, inspired you to stay a little longer than you planned.