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Damage to one of the bridges on the route meant the popular Kurobe Gorge train in the Japanese Alps hasn’t run its full route for a while. That’s changed for the late 2026 season, but there are still a few things to know about the route. Let’s explain…
October 2026 Update: The route has finally reopened for the autumn leaf season in 2026. The website now says the full route is open between October 1st and November 30th.
However, a couple of changes remain.
- The area around Keyakidaira Station has some restrictions. Whereas before you could walk around the area, currently, you can only view the gorge from the Keyakidaira Station rooftop and visit the Keyakidaira Visitor Centre at the final stop. They suggest allowing an hour for this.
- Okukane Bridge is currently off-limits to walkers. As are other sights in this area, like the footbath, onsens and rock formations.
- You can no longer get off or on the train at Nekomata Station.
For more information on the Gorge trip, including where to book, keep reading.
When I was at the pointy end of the planning for one of my 2024 Japan trips, I got to the point where I had to start nailing down my final timings and start booking tickets for things. I was working on my trip to Toyama in the Japanese Alps region, specifically, the day I was going on the Kurobe Gorge train. And I noticed something strange.
On the date I was going, the train didn’t terminate at the normal end station of Keyakidaira, but at one called Nekomata – and the journey was only 45 minutes, not the 75 minutes that it should normally take. Eh?
There was no explanation of this on the English site and, so a bit confused, I did some hunting and there on a big green banner on the Japanese site was the announcement I needed – the train wasn’t running all of its normal route this summer – and a bit more digging found the reason.
Why Did Kurobe Gorge Train Stop Running Properly?
The Kanetsuri Bridge on the Kurobe Gorge Railway was damaged by a landslide during the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake; this limited access to Keyakidaira.
Each year since then, they have opened a little more of the railway, and as of October 2026, it is running the whole way – but, as mentioned above, the area around the final station is limited as to how much you can explore.
So, what does this mean for you if you were planning to travel on the train this autumn? What will you see – what will you miss?
Let’s take a look at it…
What Will You See?
You will still see a lot of pretty scenery as the journey still runs along the edge of the gorge.
The highlight sights from the Kurobe Train journey that you’ll still see include the Unzaki Dam, the castle-like Shin-Yanagawara Power Plant and Kuronagi Onsen,
You’ll also cross over three of the main bridges on the journey, including the Atobiki Bridge, which runs over the steepest and deepest part of the gorge – and lots of smaller bridges as well.
The Perpetual Snow is back. This quirky patch of snow that never melts appears close to Kanetsuri Station and was off limits in 2025, but now it’s back; although there is now a warning on the website that it does sometimes melt now – that’s Global Warming for you, I guess!
Kanetsuri open-air baths – this hot spring at the edge of the river is also now back on the train route and a pretty place to soak your feet.
What You Can’t Visit Yet
The sites around Keyakidaira station, which include the famous foot bath, the giant ‘people eating’ rock – and the bright red Okukane Bridge.
Also, note that you can no longer get on or off the train at Nekomata.
What Does This Mean for Autumn Leaves?
Don’t worry, you’ll still see beautiful colours from the train.
The Kurobe team say the peak time to see the leaves is around October 20th to November 10th.
Get more tips about viewing autumn leaves in our guide to the season.
So, Is It Still Worth Taking the Train?
Yes – even though you can’t explore all that is on offer around Keyakidaira Station, this is still one of Japan’s prettiest train journeys.
How to Book It
If you’re travelling during autumn leaf season on the Kurobe Gorge train, you need to book in advance as early as you can. It will sell out.
The rest of the year, you can be a bit more flexible.
Tickets go on sale three months in advance. You can find the booking site here.
What Else Can You Do Instead?
Personally, I decided not to take the journey because I was already struggling to fit everything in. As it was a good six-hour round trip from Toyama, where I’m staying, to go on the train, I decided I’d rather save it for a time when the whole thing is running and use those hours to explore Toyama and the cool sights nearby.
If you also decide to save the journey until the area around Keyakidaira is also open for business, you might wonder what else you can do around these parts. Well, here are a few ideas.
Explore Toyama
I’m going to spend a whole day in Toyama, visiting all the in-city sights like the cool-looking glass museum and the restored castle. Then, I’m going to take the boat up to the town of Iwase and then go to the beach up there, which, on a clear day, has the most amazing view of the mountain range behind it.
I couldn’t fit all of this in and go on the gorge train, so I’m excited by this.
Update: Poor weather scuppered the boat plan, but I did do the rest of the journey, and you can see more about it in my guide to spending a day in Toyama.
Day Trip to Takaoka
Another option might be to take the train to the nearby town of Takaoka and the Shinminato fish market. From there, I’m going to walk the canal town of Uchikawa and then come back down to explore the older areas of Takoaka. I might also go along the coast to Himi, as that’s a fun train journey – and there are some manga sights up there I’m interested in.
Update: I did do all of the above – here’s my guide to Himi in case it interests you.
You also go past the gorgeous view below on the way. See more on finding that here.
Catch the Hida Express
If you had your heart set on going on a train though, you might want to look at the line between Toyama and Takayama or the very pretty town of Hida Furukawa where koi carp swim along the side of the road.
Or take the line further down to Gifu – the Hida Limited Express has large windows, especially for catching the pretty scenery along this route.
Reservations are required as it gets busy. When you book, make sure you select the Hida service option.
Ride the Belles Montagnes et Mer
Or, if you are lucky enough to snag a seat, you could take the Belles Montagnes et Mer, which runs on Saturdays between Takaoka and Johana and Takaoka and Himi (on Sundays).
This train is described as an ‘art gallery on wheels’ – but the art isn’t paintings inside trains, but the views out of the wide windows (although there are also carvings to admire inside the train).
The official website is only in Japanese, but you can find the timetable here, you will need to make reservations as it is only assigned seating. You can do this by choosing the Belles Montagnes et Mer option here from a month before the journey date.
Another exciting thing about this train is its onboard sushi chef. You have to order the meals three days in advance from Toyama visitors centre though so it might not be easy for most tourists, but if you are interested, see more about this here . It is Japanese so you’ll need to use Google Translate.
Do the Alpine Route
You could also spend the day working your way along the famous Alpine Route, which involves taking eight different types of transport from Toyama to Nagano. It will take you a bit of planning, so don’t leave organising this one to the last minute! This site gives you a good outline.
So, there you have it – the latest news on the Kurobe Gorge Railway for this season.
Hopefully, it hasn’t spoilt your plans too much, but if you do have any more questions, why not head over to the Japlanease Japan planning group on Facebook and ask them to the group.
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve travelled to Japan nine times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 50 towns and cities. My last visit was in April 2026, so everything here is pretty up to date.
