Toyama & Tateyama Alpine Route

Himi Banya Gai (廻鮮氷見前寿し — Kaiten Sushi)

We hit the expressway from Toyama Station in our rental car and made a beeline for Himi. Himi Banya Gai (ひみ番屋街) is basically the gateway to Himi food culture — a roadside market, shopping complex, and fishing harbour all rolled into one. The star of the show was 廻鮮氷見前寿し (Kaiten Himi Mae Sushi), a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant serving straight-from-Toyama-Bay ingredients: shiro-ebi (white shrimp), nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), hotaru-ika (firefly squid) and more. The melt-in-your-mouth nodoguro nigiri and the sweet, creamy shiro-ebi were on another level. We also grabbed some kombu bread (昆布パン) from the souvenir section — a humble little loaf with kelp kneaded into the dough that somehow tasted exactly like Toyama.

Kawanoeki Shinminato & Imikawa Canal Area

Often dubbed the "Venice of Japan," Imikawa Canal in Shinminato is lined with fishing boats and connected by a series of wooden bridges — every angle is pure postcard material. We admired the stained-glass Kagura Bridge and the charming covered Higashihashi Bridge before ducking into 番屋カフェ (Banya Café). Sitting by the window watching fishing boats drift past on the canal while enjoying a silky caramel pudding and a café latte felt like the perfect slow-travel moment.

Toyama Chiho Railway to Tateyama

After dropping off the rental car at Toyama Station, we switched to the Toyama Chiho Railway (Toyama Local Railway). The retro cream-and-red livery cars have a real nostalgic charm. The roughly one-hour ride through mountain scenery to Tateyama Station felt like a journey within the journey — the kind of local train ride you don't forget.

Toyama's Local Delicacy: Sasa-zushi (笹寿司)

Served as part of our dinner at Green View Tateyama, sasa-zushi is a style of oshi-zushi (pressed sushi) wrapped in sasa bamboo leaves, topped with mountain vegetables, salmon, and kombu. The delicate fragrance of the bamboo adds a subtle freshness to the whole thing — a taste that feels as rooted in the mountains as the hotel itself. It got us genuinely excited for what the next morning had in store on Tateyama.

Tateyama Cable Car

The Alpine Route starts at Tateyama Station, where the orange cable car hauls you steeply up to Bijodaira. That lurching climb through the dense forest — watching the snow patches grow bigger as you gain altitude — instantly puts you in "mountain adventure" mode. By the time you reach the top, you know you're somewhere special.

Murodo — Snow Canyon (雪の大谷)

Stepping off the bus at Murodo (alt. 2,450 m), we were met by an absolutely staggering snow corridor. Known as Yuki no Otani (雪の大谷), the Snow Canyon features walls of snow that can reach up to 20 meters on either side — the crown jewel of the entire Alpine Route. Walking through it wrapped in mist, surrounded by this white, otherworldly landscape, you genuinely feel like you've been transported to another planet. Even in May, the sheer depth of snow packed on these mountains is a humbling reminder of Tateyama's scale and severity.

Kurobedaira (黒部平)

Disembarking from the Daikanbo Ropeway, we emerged into Kurobedaira (alt. 1,828 m) — and the North Alps peaks, still capped with snow, filled the entire horizon. Wild and beautiful doesn't quite cover it. From here, a underground cable car drops you down to Kurobe Lakeside Station, leading you right to the dam.

Kurobe Dam (黒部ダム)

The undisputed highlight of the Alpine Route. Standing at the top of Japan's largest arch dam — 186 meters tall — the sheer scale is genuinely overwhelming. The contrast between the mist-veiled North Alps behind you and the jade-coloured Kurobe Lake below takes your breath away. We walked the full length of the dam crest to feel both the height and the depth. For lunch, we headed inside the dam complex for the legendary 黒部ダムカレー (Kurobe Dam Curry): rice moulded into the shape of the dam, with curry flowing around it like the lake. Eating it while gazing at the real thing through the restaurant window was a moment worth every step of the journey to get here.

Zenkoji Temple (善光寺), Nagano

The Kanden Tunnel EV Bus deposited us at Ogizawa, from where we bused into Nagano City for the final chapter of the trip: Zenkoji Temple. Founded over 1,400 years ago and welcoming worshippers of all Buddhist sects, this is very much a "temple of the people." Passing through the imposing Sanmon gate and walking the stone-paved approach to the main hall, you feel the weight of history in a way that's almost the opposite of Tateyama's raw, elemental grandeur — quieter, more settled. We wrapped things up with some soft-serve ice cream from one of the approach stalls. A sweet ending to a seriously packed two days.