Toyama prefecture lies along the Sea of Japan
a unique location with a large coastline as well as mountain ranges that make up a majority of its interior
here you can find traditional farmhouses tucked away in hidden mountain villages
a stunning route that cuts through the heart of the Japan Alps
one of the country's deepest gorges
and a multitude of other experiences worth going for.
On this trip we're going to attempt to explore Toyama prefecture's most captivating attractions in four days
Here's the plan
we start our journey by taking the shinkansen to Toyama prefecture
On the first day we'll visit Kurobe Gorge and stay in Unazuki Onsen at the entrance of the gorge
On day 2 we head over to the remote village of Ainokura and spend the night there in a traditional farmhouse
The third and fourth days will be spent traversing the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route
with a night stay at its highest point before going home on day four.
My name is Raina Ong, staff writer for japan-guide.com
and today I'm on assignment uncovering the best places to go in Toyama.
Day 1
To get to Kurobe Gorge, we'll first take the Hokuriku shinkansen from Tokyo to Kurobe-Unazukionsen Station.
From there we're going to transfer to local trains to Unazuki Onsen town the entry point into the gorge
Then we'll take the Kurobe Railway as far as possible into the gorge to Keyakidaira Station
explore a bit
and then head back to spend the night in Unazuki Onsen Town.
We're at Unazuki Station and we're going to be taking that cute orange train over there into the Kurobe Gorge and back
The Kurobe Gorge is the deepest v-shaped gorge in Japan
and some say the view at the gorge is pretty gorgeous
So this rock wall over here is known as the "hito kui iwa"
which is, when translated, becomes "man eating cave."
I'm staying in a ryokan tonight in this beautiful Japanese room
and tonight's dinner will be a multi-course meal
and I'm looking forward to it
Day 2
After a relaxing night at Unazuki Onsen
today we'll take the train to Shin-Takaoka here a direct bus will take us to the remote village of Ainokura
where we will explore the quaint town and stay overnight in one of the farmhouses
It's day two and we're at an Ainokura one of the villages where you can see
traditional Japanese gassho zukuri farm houses like the ones you see around me
Gassho zukuri is a style of construction where the steep thatched roofs are said to resemble hands in prayer
The best way to appreciate Ainokura is to stay at one of the farm houses
and that's what I'll be doing tonight
Day three
Today we bid farewell to our farmhouse and travel back to Toyama station to begin our traverse of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route
It is a spectacular journey carved through the northern Japan Alps connecting Toyama and Nagano Prefecture
will be taking different modes of transport to complete the route starting with the train at Toyama station followed by a cable car
then bus
tunnel trolley bus
ropeway
another cable car
and lastly a tunnel trolley bus once more
However today, we'll only be going as far as the midpoint at Murodo and spend the night there
I took this train from
Toyama all the way to Tateyama station where I am now
and today we're going to the highest point on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route
We boarded the the bus in the cloud, but here Murodo we've broken through them
and behind me over there, that's mount Tateyama where it's the highest mountain in the region
Day four
Our last day is relatively easy
We complete the rest of the Alpine route
see Kurobe Dam along the way
and then head home
We're at Kurobe Dam, our last stop for this trip
and fun fact the dam is also Japan's tallest at 186 meters
Thus ends our whirlwind tour of Toyama
I hope this video has been enjoyable and perhaps even inspires you to experience Toyama for yourself
For more information about Toyama or to watch another video click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com
your comprehensive up-to-date travel guide firsthand from Japan.
Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe for more videos about Japan
Happy travels