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Chubu-Sangaku NP, Toyama
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Locals first rode the railway as free passengers on a work train. From 1929, tourists could pay to ride—but their permits warned that safety was not guaranteed. Formal public service began in 1953.
A famous chemist helped set this railway in motion: Jokichi Takamine, known for Takadiastase and adrenaline research, pursued Kurobe hydropower to supply electricity for Japan’s aluminum industry.
The trolley bento at Unazuki Station is a pocket-size map of Toyama flavors: 3-color Kurobe rice topped with local Meisui pork, plus white shrimp, firefly squid and grilled yellowtail among its sides.
When earthquake damage made staff-only Nekomata Station a temporary terminus in 2024, the railway appointed 442 pet cats as honorary assistant stationmasters. The station name includes “cat” (猫).
Avalanches threaten the railway at Udo Gorge, so crews temporarily dismantle a bridge there during the winter shutdown. The railway also removes the track from this danger zone before the next season.
A 1925-built, two-axle H-type passenger car still runs in its original style. The railway calls it the oldest active passenger car on a Japanese private railway—and the shortest, lightest and smallest-capacity.
One local tale says Nekomata got its name when a mouse fleeing a cat couldn’t climb a sheer cliff and turned back—then the cat had to turn back too. The railway notes that several name-origin stories exist.
Atobiki Bridge’s name means “step backward.” The blue span at Kuronagi stands 60 m above the river; local lore says people looking into the steep ravine instinctively retreat.
After a dam was built, a handrail-free suspension bridge was made so Japanese macaques could still cross the river. From the train, lucky passengers may see a whole troop use this monkey-only crossing.
Built for a gorge with little level ground, the railway uses 762 mm narrow-gauge track. Its 20.1 km route crosses 21 bridges and passes through 41 tunnels.
Look for Meguro Bridge, a 1934 railway crossing about 75 m long. Its unusual Vierendeel frame has no diagonal braces; a Toyama heritage inventory lists it as one of only 2 such bridges in modern Japan.
The 1936 Kurobe River No. 2 Power Station was once described as the Orient’s largest. Architect Bunzō Yamaguchi gave the powerhouse an International Style façade of clean geometry and broad eaves.
Near Yanagibashi Station, the New Yanagihara Power Station was designed to look like a European castle floating on the reservoir—a playful surprise among the gorge’s rugged cliffs and forests.
The first red bridge out of Unazuki is Shin-Yamabiko Bridge; its train sounds echo into the hot-spring town. The former railway bridge nearby is now a footpath, where walkers wave as the trolley passes.
Moriishi, or “Forest Stone,” recalls a time when Kaga-domain officials patrolled these remote mountains to stop trespassers and illegal logging. A large stone once marked the boundary between lands.
A natural rock resembling a Buddhist figure gave Hotokeishi (“Buddha Stone”) its name. Mountain travelers once prayed there for safe passage, and the stone still wears a small red hood.
Near San-nabiki Mountain, early snow can appear above autumn-red leaves and green foothills, creating the layered colors called “Kurobe’s Five-Stage Dyeing.” The mountain gets its first snow ahead of neighboring peaks.
