Introduction to: Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route

This article is based on a visit made on Wednesday, 16 May 2018.

Edit 11 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Edit 14 May 2020: Updated to add information on luggage forwarding services

The Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート, Tateyama Kurobe Arupen Rūto) is a sequence of transportation sections traversing the northern Japan Alps.  The concept of the Alpine Route came about after the construction of the Kurobe Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in Japan.  Roads and tunnels built to aid in the dam's construction were re-tooled for tourism, creating the Alpine Route in 1971.  Visitors traversing the route will ride various trains, buses, and cable cars, all the while witnessing beautiful natural vistas, with multiple opportunities to stop and take hikes.  The entire route is opened only from mid-April to the end of November.

The route may be crossed in either direction, or you may also go to a certain point and turn back mid-way.  For the purposes of this blog, I will describe the route going from west to east, since that is how I took it.  Also, English reading order.

Transportation Sections

A) Toyama Chiho Railway: Not officially part of the Route, but the best method to access Tateyama Station, its westernmost point.
Time: 60 minutes
Departures: 1 per hour

B) Tateyama Cable Car: An inclined cable car at the western base of Mount Tateyama.
Time: 7 minutes
Departures: Every 20 minutes

663highland / CC BY-SA

C) Highland Bus: A regular bus service climbing most of the way up Tateyama, with occasional stops at the Midagahara plateau.
Time: 50 minutes
Departures: Every 40 minutes

D) Tateyama Trolleybus: A trolleybus, powered by overhead electricity, driven along a tunnel cut through the top of Tateyama.
Time: 10 minutes
Departures: Every 30 minutes

E) Tateyama Ropeway: The longest single-span (1.6km / 1 mi.) hanging cable-car in Japan.
Time: 7 minutes
Departures: Every 20 minutes

F) Kurobe Cable Car: An inclined cable car at the eastern base of Tateyama.
Time: 5 minutes
Departures: Every 20 minutes

G) Kanden Trolleybus: A trolleybus cutting through a tunnel within Mount Akasawa-dake, linking Kurobe Dam to the outside world.
Time: 16 minutes
Departures: Every 30 minutes

H) Alpico Kotsu Bus: A local transportation company offering regular buses to Omachi, and highway buses to Nagano.  Not officially part of the Route, but the best method to access Ogizawa, its easternmost point.
Time: 40 minutes (to Omachi), 105 minutes (to Nagano)
Departures: 1-3 per hour (to Omachi), 1 per hour (to Nagano)

Stops and Attractions

XF10 / CC BY-SA

1) Tateyama: The western end of the Alpine Route, boasting a few small museums.

663highland / CC BY-SA

2) Bijodaira: A virgin beech/cedar forest, with giant trees and folk legends.

Shomyo Falls (left) and Hannoki Falls (right).
I, Kahusi / CC BY-SA

3) Shomyo Falls: The tallest regular waterfall (350m / 1,148 ft.) in Japan.  In Spring, melting snow feeds the even taller (497m / 1,640 ft.) Hannoki Falls.

Alpsdake / CC BY-SA

4) Midagahara: One of the largest and highest alpine wetlands in Japan, with boardwalk-lined hiking trails.

5) Murodo: The highest point (2,450m / 8,038 ft.) of the Alpine Route, with many more hiking trails.  From April to June, a canyon is carved out of snow accumulated over the winter.

6) Daikanbo: The upper station of the Tateyama Ropeway.  Offers sweeping views looking down upon Kurobe Dam and the surrounding valley.

くろふね [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

7) Kurobedaira: The lower station of the Tateyama Ropeway.  Offers additional views looking down closer to Kurobe Dam, or up at Tateyama.

8) Kurobe Dam: The tallest dam in Japan, measuring 186 metres (610 ft) tall.  From June to October, it releases regular discharges of water, and cruise boats ply the reservoir above.

Shinano-Omachi Station.
663highland / CC BY-SA

9) Omachi: The eastern end of the Alpine Route, boasting numerous hot-spring resorts.

Costs

Tickets for the Alpine Route may be purchased from stations at either end.  Costs vary depending on the distance travelled, but one-way tickets for the whole length cost ¥11,050 per person.  For any given ticket, stopovers along the way are allowed, but backtracking is not.  A few money-saving value tickets are available, some of them exclusively for foreign visitors.

• The Tateyama-Kurobe Option Ticket, ¥9,800, covers a one-way journey across the Alpine Route, including the express bus to/from Nagano.  It is good for five consecutive days, but must be purchased no later than the day before you intend to start using it.  It must be purchased inside Japan, and is available at Narita, Haneda, and Kansai airports, and major train stations in the JR East and JR West areas.  Train transportation to and from the Alpine Route itself is not included.  More information: (English)
• The Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Pass, ¥17,830 (¥18,850 when purchased inside Japan), covers JR trains between Nagoya and Toyama (via Takayama), between Nagoya and Shinano-Omachi (via Matsumoto), and transportation along the Alpine Route itself.  It may be pre-purchased online for a discount, and exchanged or purchased directly at Chubu Centrair airport, and at major train stations in the JR Central area.  More information: (English)
• JR Central also sells the "Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Kippu", a family of tickets which combine Alpine Route transportation with round-trip train fare from Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, or other cities, for eight consecutive days.  Unlike the above passes, these are sold to Japanese citizens as well as foreigners, although they may not be as good a value as the alternatives.  Costs for these tickets vary depending on the starting city, and which of several routes are taken.  More information: (Japanese)

Starting City	Route	Cost
Nagoya	"Hida Course" (via Takayama)	¥18,950
	"Shirasagi Course" (via Kanazawa)	¥22,250
Kyoto	"Hokuriku Round-trip" (via Itoigawa/Kanazawa)	¥23,660
	"Hokuriku/Chuo Course" (via Matsumoto/Nagoya)	¥26,220
Osaka	"Hokuriku Round-trip" (via Itoigawa/Kanazawa)	¥24,710
	"Hokuriku/Chuo Course" (via Matsumoto/Nagoya)	¥27,370

Access

With an early start, it is possible to traverse all or part of the Alpine Route as a day trip from Tokyo.  From Tokyo, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano (80-100 minutes, ¥8,340 reserved, JR Pass OK), and an express bus to Ogizawa (105 minutes, ¥2,800).  These buses depart from the East Exit of Nagano Station, on the same side as the Shinkansen tracks.  On the other side, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Toyama back to Tokyo (130-160 minutes, ¥12,960 reserved, JR Pass OK).  This trip can also be done in the opposite direction.

A longer, but more scenic, approach from Tokyo is to take the Azusa or Super Azusa limited express from Shinjuku to Matsumoto (160 minutes), followed by the JR Oito line to Shinano-Omachi (55 minutes, total ¥7,390 reserved, JR Pass OK).  The bus between Shinano-Omachi and Ogizawa takes 40 minutes, and costs ¥1,390.  Unlike the express buses from Nagano, the Option Ticket is not valid on these buses.

Coming in from western cities takes even more time, and while it still may be possible to go and come back in a single day, it is less advisable.  From Nagoya, take the Shinano limited express either to Nagano, or via Matsumoto to Shinano-Omachi (3 hours, total ¥7,460 / 6,800 reserved, JR Pass OK).  On the way back, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa (25 minutes), followed by the Shirasagi limited express to Nagoya (3 hours, total ¥9,210, JR Pass OK).  Alternately, there are a few direct Hida limited express trains that go straight to Nagoya, via Takayama (4 hours, ¥7,790 reserved, JR Pass OK).

From Kyoto, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya (35-50 minutes), followed by the Shinano either to Nagano, or via Matsumoto to Shinano-Omachi (3 hours, total ¥11,130 / 10,800, JR Pass OK).  On the way back, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa (25 minutes), followed by the Thunderbird limited express to Kyoto (130 minutes, total ¥9,040 reserved, JR Pass OK).  From Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station), add an extra 15 minutes and about ¥550 both ways.

Tips

• While day trips along the route are possible from the above-mentioned cities, you will be very pressed for time if you attempt it.  A better idea would be to spend the night at one of the cities at either end of the route.  Some good choices are Nagano, Matsumoto, and Omachi on the east side, and Toyama or Kanazawa on the west.  There are even a couple of hotels along the route itself, including the Hotel Tateyama at Murodo, which just so happens to be the highest hotel in Japan by elevation.
• Wait times can be a serious issue at certain points along the Alpine Route.  On weekends, and during the snow wall season from April to May, prepare for queues at transfer points to last an hour or more.  Bottlenecks to be particularly aware of include the trolleybuses and the Tateyama Ropeway, due to limited capacity and/or departure frequency.  The Apline Route's official website includes a calendar of projected wait times per day: (English) (Japanese)
• Luggage forwarding services are available for part or all of the Alpine Route, ranging in cost from ¥1500 to ¥2500 per piece.  In order to have it arrive at the other end on the same day, make sure you drop it off early enough.  The same-day delivery times vary depending on where you're sending your luggage from.  More information: (English) (Japanese)
  
• Private cars are not allowed on any section of the Alpine Route between Tateyama and Ogizawa.  There are free and/or paid parking lots at both ends.  For those who wish to have their car delivered from one end to the other, instead of backtracking, this will cost ¥26,000 for most cars.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

Trivia

• Kurobe Dam was constructed between 1956 and 1963, to meet the growing electricity needs of the post-war Kansai region.  Of the 10 million people who were employed over the course of this period [citation needed], 171 workers lost their lives.  A monument made in their honour may be found along the reservoir.
• Since "Omachi", the name of the town at the east end of the Alpine Route, is a common place name in Japanese, it is often referred to as Shinano-Omachi.  Shinano Province (信濃国, Shinano no Kuni) is the former name of Nagano Prefecture before 1871.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Know Your Trains: Shirasagi and Thunderbird

A 683-series Thunderbird train at Kanazawa Station.
Taken on Tuesday, 15 May 2018.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I made my way up from Kyoto to Toyama, my base camp for the next few days.  Now, it's pretty obvious how one would get there from Tokyo, and that would be on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.  But with that line not yet extended westward, there are a couple of limited-express train services that offer the fastest and most direct access from western cities.  The "Shirasagi" starts from Nagoya, and the "Thunderbird" starts from Osaka and Kyoto, with both ending up in Kanazawa, where one may transfer to the Shinkansen.  In 2015, these were also supplemented by some new, smaller-scale services called the "Dinostar" and "Noto Kagaribi".

Name	Start Station	End Station(s)	Time	Max. Frequency*
Shirasagi	Nagoya	Kanazawa	3 hours	1 per 1-2 hours
	Maibara		1 hour 50 minutes	1 per hour
Thunderbird	Osaka	Kanazawa	2 hours 30-50 minutes	1-2 per hour
		Wakura Onsen	4 hours	1 per day
Dinostar	Fukui	Kanazawa	45 minutes	3 per day
Noto Kagaribi	Kanazawa	Wakura Onsen	1 hour	1 per 3 hours

*Departures are based on April 2019 schedules and are subject to change.

The Thunderbird starts from Osaka Station and goes along the Kyoto and Kosei lines, passing Lake Biwa to the west.  Meanwhile, the Shirasagi starts from Nagoya Station and goes along the Tokaido and Hokuriku lines, passing Lake Biwa to the east.  Note that a few Shirasagis, mainly during the early morning or late evening, start or end at Maibara instead of Nagoya.  From Tsuruga Station on, both trains follow the same path up the Hokuriku Main Line, until reaching Kanazawa.  The Dinostar follows a shortened version of this section, between Fukui and Kanazawa.  Finally, rounding out the lineup on hand, the Noto Kagaribi goes north from Kanazawa up the Noto Peninsula, via the IR Ishikawa and JR Nanao lines.  One Thunderbird per day also continues along this path.  There are even more once-daily services like the Business Thunderbird (Osaka-Kanazawa) and Ohayo Express (Tsuruga-Kanazawa), which I felt were of too little use for travellers to list in detail.

No.	Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Line	Shirasagi	Thunderbird	Dinostar	Noto Kagaribi
A47	Osaka	大阪	JR Kyoto (A)	I	X	I	I
A46	Shin-Osaka	新大阪		I	X	I	I
A38	Takatsuki	高槻		I	O	I	I
A31	Kyoto	京都		I	X	I	I
			JR Kosei (B)
B25	Katata	堅田		I	O	I	I
B14	Omi-Imazu	近江今津		I	O	I	I
CA68	Nagoya	名古屋	JR Tokaido (CA)	X	I	I	I
CA72	Owari Ichinomiya	尾張一宮		X	I	I	I
CA74	Gifu	岐阜		X	I	I	I
CA77	Ogaki	大垣		X	I	I	I
CA83	Maibara	米原		X	I	I	I
			JR Hokuriku (A)
A09	Nagahama	長浜		O	I	I	I
A01	Tsuruga	敦賀		X	O	I	I
	Takefu	武生		X	O	I	I
	Sabae	鯖江		X	O	I	I
	Fukui	福井		X	X	X	I
	Awara Onsen	芦原温泉		X	O	X	I
	Kaga Onsen	加賀温泉		X	O	X	I
	Komatsu	小松		X	O	X	I
	Matto	松任		O	O	I	I
	Kanazawa	金沢		X	X	X	X
			JR Nanao
	Unoke	宇野気		I	I	I	O
	Takamatsu	高松		I	I	I	O
	Hakui	羽咋		I	O	I	X
	Yoshikawa	良川		I	I	I	O
	Nanao	七尾		I	O	I	X
	Wakura-Onsen	和倉温泉		I	O	I	X

Legend
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.

Notable Stops

• Shin-Osaka: The economic and culinary centre of the Kansai region.
• Kyoto: Japan's history-laden former capital city.
• Nagoya: An economic centre with industrial and historical sites.
• Maibara: A good place to transfer to/from the Tokaido Shinkansen.
• Tsuruga: The future terminus of the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
• Fukui: The eponymous capital of Fukui Prefecture
• Kaga Onsen: A collection of hot-spring towns at the base of the sacred Mt. Haku.
• Komatsu: Close to the regional airport.
• Kanazawa: A historically-preserved city, famous for the Kenroku-en garden.
• Wakura Onsen: A hot-spring town and bus hub on the Noto Peninsula

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The Shirasagi, Thunderbird, and other such trains alternate between using 681-series and 683-series trainsets.  Train arrangements also vary, with services using sets of 3, 6, or 9 cars.  On Thunderbird services that go all the way to Wakura-Onsen, only cars 1 through 6 are used beyond Kanazawa.  In all cases, seats are laid out 2+2 across with 97cm (38 inches) of seat pitch in regular cars, and 2+1 and 116cm (45 inches) in the Green Car.

Service	Total Cars	Non-Reserved Cars	Reserved Cars	Green Cars
Shirasagi	6	2 (Cars #5-6)	3 (Cars #2-4)	1 (Car #1)
Thunderbird	6	3 (Cars #5-7)	5 (Cars #2-4, 8-9)	1 (Car #1)
	9	2 (Cars #5-6)	2 (Cars #5-6)
Dinostar	6	2 (Cars #5-6)	3 (Cars #2-4)	1 (Car #1)
Noto Kagaribi	6	2 (Cars #5-6)	3 (Cars #2-4)	1 (Car #1)
	3	2 (Cars #1-2)	1 (Car #3)	0

A 683-series Shirasagi train near Kurikara Station, on the former Hokuriku Main Line (currently the IR Ishikawa railway). Before 2015, these trains used to take this route to get to Toyama.
By Toshinori baba [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Tips

• Coming from Nagoya, it may be faster to take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Maibara, and transfer to a Shirasagi from there.  This can save up to half an hour of travel time, offers more frequent connections, and only costs about ¥200 (unreserved) to ¥700 (reserved) extra, if not using the Japan Rail Pass.  Only Kodama and some Hikari trains stop at Maibara.
• Thunderbird and Noto Kagaribi trains use the IR Ishikawa line, which is not normally covered by the Japan Rail Pass.  However, a special provision of the pass allows users to ride the section between Kanazawa and Tsubata, as used by those trains, for free.

Trivia

• The name "Shirasagi" (しらさぎ) means "white heron".  (Coinicidentally, this is also a common nickname of Himeji Castle.)  The Shirasagi train service was started in 1964.  Originally it went all the way to Toyama, but seems to have been truncated at Kanazawa with the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
• The "Thunderbird" (サンダーバード, Sandābādo) service was started in 1995, and was formerly named "Super Raicho" until 1997.
• The Thunderbird is a successor to the "Raicho" (雷鳥, raichō) limited express between Osaka and Toyama, in service from 1964 to 2011.  The name "Raicho" literally means "lightning/thunder bird", hence its modern name, but is also the Japanese name of the Rock ptarmigan, a bird which is common in the Hokuriku region.
• The name "Dinostar" (ダイノスター, Dainosutā) is a reference to Fukui Prefecture's association with dinosaurs.  Many dinosaur fossils have been found in the area, and the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, regarded as one of the best dinosaur museums in the world, is just over an hour east of downtown Fukui,
• The name "Noto Kagaribi" (能登かがり火, lit. "Noto bonfire") refers to bonfires lit during summer festivals on the Noto Peninsula.

Concept Hotel WaQ

This article is based on a visit made on Tuesday, 15 May 2018.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I introduced the city of Toyama, where I would be kicking off a series of day-trips across the northern Chubu region.  Looking to inject some classical Japanese style into my accomodations, while still remaining accessible for me and my grandmother, I chose to stay at a place called the Concept Hotel WaQ (コンセプトホテル和休, Konseputo Hoteru Wakyu).  The Concept Hotel WaQ, pronounced "wa-kyu" and meaning "peaceful rest", combines the facilities of a Western hotel with the customs of a Japanese inn.

At the lobby, you have to take your shoes off before stepping in.  The shoe lockers here have these sliding wood-block keys, labelled with a hiragana letter and a number.  Instead of toiletries and other amenities being provided in each room, you have to pick what you need from racks near the front desk, which I actually like.  I generally pack my own toiletries instead of using those provided by the hotel, so it’s good to know I’m not wasting so many resources in that regard.

The twin room I booked, while smaller than other twin rooms I've experienced in Japan (which is saying something), was nonetheless manageable.  To get a Wi-Fi password for your wireless devices, you will have to get a code from the hotel's info channel on the TV.  You have to do this again every day, but the connection itself works well enough.

The beds are regular twin-size mattresses, not futons, and laid right on the floor instead of on a bed frame, but I still had no trouble sleeping on them.  These beds, and much of the furniture in this room, stand very close to the floor.  I'm sure my grandmother needed me to provide the occasional push or pull to help herself up, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

The view out of our window faced to the north, over the train tracks.  The Sea of Japan is out somewhere in this direction, but there's four miles (6.5km) of urban sprawl in the way, so don't count on seeing it for yourself.

In addition to small en-suite showers in each room, there are shared onsen baths, one each for men and women, which were on the hotter side as onsens go (which, again, is saying something).  And, as if that wasn't hot enough for you, they each have sauna rooms as well.  I've read that the ladies' bath is less-developed than the mens', basically just a Jacuzzi tub, but my grandmother just stuck to our own shower, so neither she nor I can confirm that.

But gender inequality aside, for what class of hotel this is, the staff goes above and beyond in its level of service.  Despite the staff knowing no or little English, they were very helpful in checking us in, introducing its more unique rules, and picking up and shipping off our luggage via delivery service.  They also serve Japanese-style breakfasts for free; while we opted to eat our own breakfasts instead, on our first morning, the concierge noticed we seemed to be skipping breakfast, and gave us a couple of Soyjoy bars so we wouldn’t go hungry.  I think that says it all.

Speaking of food, here are some things I tried around the area.  At Tateyama Soba, a noodle restaurant in front of Toyama Station, we shared a bowl of shrimp tempura udon.  I had never eaten any noodles with chopsticks before, and thus couldn't get the technique down.  Apparently slurping is involved.  Those things on the bottom-left are minced fish patties called kamaboko (蒲鉾).  They were tasteless and rubbery; not something I preferred to eat more than to look at, at least.  The ones at this place were decorated with the kanji for Tateyama (立山), a mountain range near Toyama.

I also tried a matcha (green tea) flavoured cookie with white chocolate chips, picked up from a 7-11 store at the station.  Now there's a more familiar taste, albeit one filtered through Japanese eccentricities.  I kinda liked it.  But thinking about it now, this combination makes a lot of sense.  During tea ceremonies, you're usually given a sweet of some kind to counteract the bitterness of the tea.  It was only a matter of time before someone decided to cut out the middleman and just put the essence of the tea in the cookie itself!

Awkward musings aside, as long as your tastes in accommodation aren't overly discerning, I would highly recommend the Concept Hotel WaQ for anyone staying in Toyama.  Its elegant and economical design is a model for other hotels to follow.  And its proximity to Toyama Station served us well for the many times we would use it leave and come back from day trips.  Find out where we went, after a new Know Your Trains article, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Concept Hotel WaQ

Address: 1-1-1 Takaramachi, Toyama-shi, Toyama-ken 〒930-0007

Access: Concept Hotel WaQ is within 5 minutes on foot from Toyama Station.

Directions: From the South exit of Toyama Station, turn right at the end of the plaza, crossing the tram tracks.  Continue straight past the next traffic light.  The hotel will be on your right by the end of the block.

Website: (Japanese)

Introduction to: Toyama

This article is based on a visit made on Tuesday, 15 May 2018.

Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Toyama (富山, lit. 'wealthy mountain') is the capital city of the eponymous Toyama Prefecture, which is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the north and the Tateyama mountain range to the south and east.  It was established as a castle town after the Warring States period, and soon rose to fame for its production of medicines and paper.  From the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Toyama grew further in importance as an industrial port city, its progress temporarily stunted from air-raid bombings near the end of World War II.  For today's travellers, Toyama is an ideal base for making day-trips to popular sites in the northern Chubu region, which is what attracted me to staying in this city, but it also has some unique attractions of its own.

Main Attractions

菅野崇 [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

1) Toyama Castle: A castle with a reconstructed keep tower.

By Asturio Cantabrio [CC BY-SA 4.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

2) Toyama Glass Art Museum: A museum of modern, colourful glass art displays.

By tsuda [CC BY-SA 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

3) Toyama Municipal Folkcraft Village: A collection of craft museums in traditional-style houses.

えむかとー [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

4) Kansui Park: A public park built around a canal, with a modern art museum located nearby.

くろふね [CC BY 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

5) Iwase: An old-town neighbourhood near the port, lined with museums, craft shops, and pre-war heritage.

Orientation

Toyama is a moderately-sized city, with the major train station, Toyama Station, roughly in the centre of it all.  Its downtown area, including Toyama Castle and the Glass Art Museum, can be reached a 15-minute walk south from Toyama Station.  For those who do not wish to walk, tram and local bus lines are also available.  The following rail companies operate in Toyama:

• JR West operates the high-speed Hokuriku Shinkansen, and the Takayama Main Line (CJ) to the south.
• Ainokaze Toyama Railway operates the Ainokaze Toyama line to the west and east of Toyama Station.  A former JR line, the Japan Rail Pass is not valid on the Ainokaze Toyama line, except for trips between Toyama and Takaoka stations.
• Toyama Chiho Railway, or "Chitetsu" for short, operates three rail lines out of the adjacent Dentetsu-Toyama Station.
• Chitetsu also operates three tram lines, starting from Toyama Station itself.  All tram lines have a flat fare of ¥210 per ride.
• Tram Line 1 heads south to Minami-Toyama station, on the Chitetsu Tateyama train line.
• Tram Line 2 combines the southern route of Line 1 with an west-bound route to the University of Toyama.
• Tram Line 3 makes an anticlockwise loop south through the city centre.
• Toyama Light Rail operates a fourth tram line, the Toyama-ko Line or "Portram", heading north from Toyama Station to the city's port.  It has a flat fare of ¥210 per ride.

The tram lines in Toyama use two unique IC cards: Ecomyca, for the Chitetsu lines, and Passca, for the Toyama Light Rail line.  Using these cards on their respective lines offers a slight discount on fares, lowering them to ¥180 for Chitetsu trams, and ¥190 for the Portram.  The two lines are compatible with each others' cards, but not with any other IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.).

Access

Toyama is a stop on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, ever since its extension in 2015.  From Tokyo Station, take a Kayagaki (135 minutes) or Hakutaka (150 minutes) train to Toyama; this costs ¥12,960 for reserved tickets.  From Kyoto and Osaka, take the Thunderbird limited express to Kanazawa (135-165 minutes), followed by the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama (all services, 25 minutes); this costs ¥9,040 from Kyoto and ¥9,590 from Osaka.  All of the above options are free with the Japan Rail Pass and Hokuriku Arch Pass.

For those coming in by air, Toyama Kitokito Airport (IATA code: TOY) is 7km (4 miles) south of Toyama Station.  All Nippon Airways runs domestic flights from Tokyo-Haneda and Sapporo-Chitose airports.  International flights are also available from Seoul, Shanghai, Dalian, and Taipei.  There are no rail links to the airport, but buses are available to Toyama Station (25 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥410).  More information: (English) (Japanese)

Excursions

1) Takaoka: A neighbouring city with a rich bronze-casting history and one of Japan's largest Buddha statues.
Access: Hokuriku Shinkansen (Hakutaka/Tsurugi) from Toyama Station to Shin-Takaoka (8 minutes, ¥1,210 non-reserved, JR Pass OK); or Ainokaze Toyama Railway to Takaoka (18 minutes, ¥370, JR Pass OK).

2) Kanazawa: A city with multiple undisturbed historic districts and one of Japan's top three garden parks.
Access: Hokuriku Shinkansen from Toyama Station to Kanazawa (20 minutes, ¥3,390 reserved, JR Pass OK).

3) Shirakawa-go: A village famous for its thatched-roof farmhouses, where one can stay overnight.
Access: Nohi/Chitetsu bus from Toyama Station to Shirakawa-go (80 minutes, ¥1,730 one-way / ¥3,120 round-trip).  Schedule: (English)

4) Takayama: A city with a well-preserved old town.
Access: JR Hida limited express from Toyama Station to Takayama (90 minutes, ¥3,420, JR Pass OK).

5) Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route: A multi-stage path through spectacular seasonal settings.
Access: Chitetsu Tateyama line to Tateyama (Limited express: 50 minutes, ¥1,440; Local: 70 minutes, ¥1,230).

6) Kurobe Gorge: A railway-lined canyon with beautiful autumn foliage.
Access: Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen (12 minutes, ¥1,470 non-reserved, JR Pass OK), followed by the Chitetsu Main line to Unazuki-Onsen (25 minutes, ¥640).

Aoi Matsuri

This article is based on a visit made on Tuesday, 15 May 2018.

Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.


The Aoi Matsuri (葵祭, lit. 'hollyhock festival'), also known as Kamo-no-Matsuri (賀茂祭), is an annual festival procession held in central Kyoto on the 15th of May.  It is one of Kyoto's three biggest festivals, alongside the Gion Matsuri in July and the Jidai Matsuri in October.  The festival's origins, although unclear, date to the 7th century AD, even before Kyoto became the capital city of Japan.  According to ancient texts, it came about in order to appease the Shinto gods of the Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines, who were believed to be responsible for a stretch of disastrous weather.

The procession starts from the Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所, Kyōto Gosho) at 10:30 in the morning.  At 11:15 AM it reaches Shimogamo Shrine (下鴨神社, Shimogamo Jinja), where it stays for ceremonies until 2:20 PM.  At this point, it departs for Kamigamo Shrine (上賀茂神社, Kamigamo Jinja), arriving at 3:30 PM and ending there.  It takes 45 to 60 minutes for the parade to pass by any given spot from its start to end.  There is paid seating at each of the three main destinations; for more information, read the Cost section at the end of this article.

For our part, we stayed at Kyoto Imperial Palace park to watch the parade there, and after it left the area, we went on our own way from Kyoto to our next destination.  The palace itself is the former home of the Emperor of Japan, until Emperor Meiji moved the seat of power to Tokyo in 1868.  Since then, the former palace has been open to the public.  Until recently, you could only visit as part of a free guided tour; whilst it is now possible to explore the complex without prior arrangement, English-language tours are still conducted today.  It is nestled in the middle of a vast, 89-hectare (220-acre) public park, which also includes a couple of Shinto shrines and the secondary Sento Imperial Palace.

The Aoi Matsuri parade starts from the palace complex down this long avenue, on its way through the park.  It consists of over 500 people, and the occasional draft animal, dressed in costumes of the Imperial court from the Heian period (AD 9th-12th centuries).  From the signs on these saddles, it looks like some real police officers joined in to help lead the procession in-character.

The rituals at the Kamo shrines include horse races and horseback archery.  I wonder if these men are taking part in any of that...?

The equipment and costumes of the procession incorporate leaves and petals of the hollyhock flower (shown atop this basket), for which the festival is named.

Hollyhock petals are also featured in the emblem of the Tokugawa clan (shown in the middle of this drum), the shoguns who ruled Japan during the Edo period.

Not all of the flowers featured during the procession were hollyhocks, but they still coordinated well with the many colours of the marchers' robes, from yellow...


...to white.

The weather that day was clear, sunny, and unusually warm, with temperatures in Kyoto reaching highs of over 30°C (86°F).  I'm sure this young lady appreciated the shade.  On the other hand, we in the paid seats were instructed to take down our own umbrellas when the parade started, so as not to block other peoples' views.  Good thing we had hats!

The centrepiece of the procession is a maiden known as the Saio (斎王, saiō).  In early traditions, the Saio was a young female member of the Imperial family who pulled double-duty as the priestess of the two Kamo shrines.  Nowadays, since 1956, the Saio selected for this function can be any unmarried woman from Kyoto.  The kimono worn by the Saio for this event is called a Junihitoe (十二単), named after the twelve pieces it is (nominally) comprised of.

Now that the role of Saio is open to the public, any one of these young girls could earn this prestigious honour.  I'd bet that's something to look forward to...!

Finally, on our way out, we met this charming fellow who, although not taking part in the parade itself, was dressed for the occasion and let us take his picture.  I have no idea whom he was, but I do hope he enjoyed himself that day!

Well, that's it for me for Kyoto.  Find out where we set up camp next, and how we got there, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Hours: The festival parade takes place on the 15th of May, at the times listed earlier in this article.  In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held on the following 16th, and if that date gets rained out too, it will be cancelled for that year.

Cost: Paid seating is available at the Imperial Palace and Shimogamo Shrine for ¥2,700, and at Kamigamo Shrine for ¥1,000.  Tickets for the Imperial Palace and Shimogamo Shrine can be purchased through convenience stores and certain websites.  Tickets for Kamigamo Shrine must be purchased at the shrine itself, at noon on the festival day.  Seating with an English audio guide included is available only for the Imperial Palace, for ¥4,300.  These tickets can be purchased at the tourist information centres at Kyoto Station and Kyoto Tower.

When I attended the festival in 2018, I bought my tickets online from Voyagin (English).  For 2019, they cost US$31 for regular seating at the Imperial Palace and US$50 for seating with audio guides.  Tickets for Kamigamo Shrine go on sale at noon on the day of the festival, at the shrine itself.

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Address: 3 Kyōto-gyoen, Kamigyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 〒602-0881

Access: The front gate of the Kyoto Imperial Palace park is 3 minutes on foot from Marutamachi Station, exit 1.  From Kyoto Station, take the Karasuma (K) subway line to Marutamachi (K07, 7 minutes, ¥260).

Shimogamo Shrine

Address: 59 Shimogamo Izumigawachō, Sakyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 〒606-0807

Access: From Kyoto Station (stand A2), take bus #4 or #205 (anti-clockwise) to Shimogamo Jinja-mae (下鴨神社前, 30 minutes, ¥230).  Upon exiting the bus, the entrance to the shrine grounds will be on the left-hand side.

You can also walk to Shimogamo Shrine in 10-15 minutes from Demachi-Yanagi Station.  From Kyoto Station take the JR Nara (D) line to Tofukuji (D02, 2 minutes, ¥150, JR Pass OK), followed by the Keihan Main Line to Demachi-Yanagi (KH42, 11 minutes, ¥270).

Kamigamo Shrine

Address: 339 Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 〒603-8047

Access: From Kyoto Station, take bus #4 (stand A2) or #9 (stand B1) to Kamigamo Misonohashi (上賀茂御薗橋, 40-50 minutes, ¥230).  The shrine entrance is directly in front of the bus stop.

You can also walk to Kamigamo Station in 25 minutes from Kitayama Station.  From Kyoto Station, take the Karasuma subway line to Kitayama (K03, 15 minutes, ¥290).