Epic AUTUMN Day in JAPAN 🍁🚠🏔️ Tateyama Kurobe ALPINE ROUTE Across the Japanese Alps!

Today you're in for an adventure because we're travelling the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route across the Japanese Alps. Nicknamed the Roof of Japan, this journey can be done starting in Toyama or Nagano, and it involves a 2400 meter elevation change across the Japanese Alps using multiple modes of transportation. That was incredible. This includes trains, buses, ropeways, cable cars, and even your own two feet. This tunnel feels a little bit like Star Wars. This was an epic journey where we got to experience different landscapes and seasons all in one day. Can you take it back? This is totally fine. I don't need a jacket. And we're going to show you exactly how you too can do the same trip. Alrighty, good morning guys. We're currently here at the train station in Toyama. The Dentetsu Toyama Train Station. And it is 7 am. We are going to attempt to do the Alpine Route. Now getting tickets for the Alpine Route especially during peak foliage is a little bit tricky. We tried booking tickets online but it is basically impossible to do because you get to a point where they are asking you to insert Japanese characters for your name and there is no bypassing that. So the other alternative is to show up at the station on the day of. They release a certain number of tickets and you need to be one of the first people there to snatch those tickets. So like I said it is 7 am. This office doesn't open until 7.30 am. So we're going to have a quick little breakfast and then try our luck. There's also a vending machine where you can supposedly buy the tickets but it looks very confusing so we're going to try and deal with a real person as soon as they open. I got something called the Ultimate Cheeseburger. I wouldn't quite agree with that name but it'll do for this morning. Sustenance before we go on the Alpine Route. Looks like we got it. Tickets! So pay with cash or credit card. Credit card. Pay together or pay by one. And we're going the whole route. One way. Two adults. 8-11. And these are the different times we're going to be arriving. The cable call at 9.40. It looks like we have 20 minutes and then we continue on. So what we're going to have to do once we pay for all of this we're going to have to figure out our luggage forwarding situation which apparently is further down there. Yeah. So we'll see. The baggage forwarding service was super easy to arrange. As soon as we walked through the first set of gates, there was an area to drop off our luggage. This is a paid service and at the time of our trip it was 2,500 Yen per bag. We didn't want to spend the whole day lugging our heavy bags on and off 7 modes of transportation so we thought it was well worth it. Baggage forwarding. 2,500 Yen. That way we're not carrying luggage all day. Casually. So we are all aboard and the interesting thing about this journey is that we're going to be riding 7 different methods of transportation as we cross the Japanese Alps. That is insane but also equally parts exciting. Yes. I can't wait to do it all. And right now we are on our first leg of the journey. First up we rode the Toyama Chiko Railroad, which is a 65 minute journey. We departed from Dentetsu Toyama Station and traveled to Tateyama Station. The first leg of the journey was all about getting out of the city and eventually we were traveling along the Joganji River and it wasn't too long before we were surrounded by green mountains. Yeah we sure did. What a journey. So that was just over an hour and we started off of course in the city centre and then we were traveling through the outskirts of the city and there started to be some more traditional houses and then we hit rice fields and then suddenly we're like I wonder when we're going to see the mountains and they just started to appear. And like a few minutes later we were right in the thick of the mountains, we were going through a tunnel, we could see these beautiful forests. What a journey. I mean that was just incredibly scenic and that is not even the best part. That is just getting here. Now the real adventure starts as we take the cable car. Cable car. Mode of transport number two. Yeah, we have about 15 or 20 minutes before it goes. Up to 940. Next we rode the Tateyama Cable Car from Tateyama Station to Bijodaira. This was a 7 minute ride. The cable car climbs 502 meters and covers a distance of 1.3 kilometers. This has been very fast paced so far. Yep. So we rode the little. That wasn't the cable car yet. The funicular. We took the funicular. Yep. 7 minute ride. Yes. Very steep. We saw snow monkeys. We did. That was the coolest part. They were waiting at the top of one of the tunnels and I'm like oh there is snow monkeys. And I was like trying to capture it but there was this leg on my camera. I did capture it but not quite as well as I would have liked. But yeah, nice scenic ride up. Start seeing the fall colors. And then we arrived and basically we've all been escorted onto this next bus so we continue the journey. Yes, we're going up to Murodo and I believe we're taking the Highland bus right now. So that is going to be our third mode of transportation. Yeah, out of 7. The Tateyama Highland bus was our next mode of transportation on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. We took the express bus which was a 50 minute journey from Bijodaira to Murodo. However, there is another bus that makes a stop halfway at Midagahara. There are some hotels at this stop for those staying overnight, so make sure you know which bus you're boarding so you don't end up in the wrong place. The Tateyama Highland bus covers 23 kilometers and you experience an almost 1500 meter altitude change. We went from green landscapes to fall foliage to a snowy landscape. It was quite the journey and yes, it was a very windy road. It is a winter wonderland. Yeah. And we were taking a nap for a bit and we woke up and there is snow. So we just arrived at Murodo. This is the highest peak here. We're over 2400 meters above sea level and we're just going to go up to the viewpoint before we get on the trolley bus because they really keep you moving here. It's like go, go, go. Next mode of transportation. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who doesn't have a jacket. Not my wisest decision but I'll use my Canadian DNA today to keep you warm. That's Sam's own doing. I set out a jacket this morning and he packed it away in his suitcase. I'll grab it later. And of course we forwarded our luggage. Woo! I take it back. You take it back? This is totally fine. I don't need a jacket. I don't know. I feel really comfortable. You've been here two minutes. I feel fine. I don't think any of us are dressed appropriately for this weather. We all came thinking it was autumn and it is a winter's day. The path is really like slushy and wet so hiking boots or winter boots would have been a better idea. And also along the way like when you get on this bus I think we're currently on our third mode of transportation you do have the option of getting off at some of the different stops along the way. There are three different stops where you have hotels and you can stay overnight. It is something that we considered but honestly it was a little bit pricey when we were looking at accommodations it was like anywhere between three to four hundred dollars for the night. And it is Ryokan style so like you do get fed, you do get your meals there and you also have access to the onsen but we still thought it was a bit much. And the hotels do look a little bit weathered like they've seen better days. So that is why we're doing the trip in one day and now we're just walking along this little trail trying not to get our shoes too too wet because it is still early in the day and we've got a ways to go. Waddle waddle like a penguin. Azuki. Okay, so we grabbed a little warm bun. This might be the ultimate snack to have when you're up in the mountains that have snow. This is the Azuki steamed bun. I can't wait to try it. Let me rip that in half for you guys. Oh, you see the steam goodness. I saw that on the way up and I'm like we've got to get that. We've got to get that. Delicious. It is only 300 Yen. The perfect snack to keep you warm when you didn't bring your jacket. Then we got on the Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus which runs from Muroro to Daikanbo. This is a 10 minute bus ride through a narrow tunnel that crosses Mt. Tateyama. This green bus is powered by electricity so it doesn't produce any exhaust fumes. We travelled 3.7 kilometers with an elevation gain of 134 meters. This tunnel feels a little bit like Star Wars just because you've got the lights going past you so quickly it almost looks like little stars. It is a bit of an optical illusion that tricks your eyes. So yeah, this is pretty cool. This is now our fourth method of transportation. Crossing the Japanese Alps. We then boarded the Tateyama Ropeway, the mode of transportation we had most been looking forward to on this journey across the Japanese Alps. The Tateyama Ropeway covers a distance of 1700 meters without the use of a single pylon along the way. Those are the columns you typically see when you're riding a cable car, chairlift or gondola. This is the only such cable car in Japan which makes it pretty unique. The journey takes you from Daikambo to Kurobedaira and it is a seven minute trip and the elevation change is 488 meters. Alrighty, so we just got off the ropeway. That was incredible. Yeah, I would call that a feast for the eyes. Yes. Friends, the colors. The absolutely stunning fall colors here in the Japanese Alps. You don't really get to notice it until you get up into the mountains. Yes. I mean the greens, the oranges, the ambers, the reds, the burnt oranges. Everything in between. What color did I miss? And then also the snow. The snow like high up on the mountains. So it was just so beautiful. We really are here at like peak foliage season. So mid-October. It's funny because in the city the temperature hasn't quite dropped yet so it is still quite green but here in the mountains it is just absolute perfection. Yeah, what a complete difference and my goodness I just wish I could do that cable car ride like three or four times. I know. It is a shame it is so short. It is just a few moments. It is like don't blink. And don't spend too much time on the camera either. Make sure to enjoy it with us. Such an awesome shot there of the car. Then it was time to ride the Kurobe Cable Car from Kurobedaira to Kurobe-ko. What's unique about this mode of transportation is that it is the only underground cable car in Japan, meaning it is unaffected by the heavy snowfall in this region. This was the shortest journey so far. We traveled 0.8 kilometers, had an elevation change of 373 meters, and the ride only took five minutes. Made it to the Kurobe Dam. We sure did. What an impressive sight this is. I mean it is just the scenery just keeps getting better on this trip. Yeah. Every stop we go to it is a little more spectacular and I can't wait to get a different vantage point as we walk over to the other side of it. Yes, look at the color of the water guys. Look at that dreamy turquoise. Dreamy emerald. The Kurobe Dam is a 186 meter arched dam and the tallest dam in all of Japan. It was built between 1956 and 1963. We noticed there was an option to go on a sightseeing boat ride on Kurobe Lake, however, we skipped it because we still had a bit of a journey ahead of us and we wanted to make it to Nagano City before dark. And we have to walk across the dam following this sign to catch the electric bus. Hey! This brings us to our next mode of transportation. Riding the Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus from Kurobe Dam to Ohizawa Station. This was a 16 minute journey where we travelled 6.1 kilometers with an elevation change of 37 meters. We had a bit of time before we could catch the next local bus to Shinano to pick up the luggage we had forwarded, so we decided to grab some food inside the station. Okay, we have completed the official journey. Done. Yes. What a trip. I feel like it is a testament to the marvels of Japanese engineering that such a trip exists. It is absolutely amazing. It would be amazing to come in the spring too. I think it is spectacular with the autumn fall colors. I think we came at just the right time. It was a good idea to come on a weekday too. Anyways, we're just waiting to catch a local bus now. We've got to go pick up our luggage and we have 35 minutes to kill, so we're going to grab a little bite here at the station. Kure. Okay, so I thought I would check in with a little explanation in case you guys want to do this journey and you're also hauling a whole bunch of luggage that you don't want to carry around all day because we did see some people doing that. It just looks like a pain. You just can't enjoy the viewpoints and all of that. So as you know we dropped off our luggage back in Toyama and it was sent all the way to Shinano Omachi. So we finished our tour in Ogizawa and then we had to take a bus to Shinano Omachi. There is an express bus to Nagano but if you get on the express bus you're going to bypass your luggage. So no express bus for you. Yeah. If you have luggage in tow. And it is super easy to pick up. Like we're at the train station right now and the place is basically across the street. So one way to look at it guys is to look for the taxi cabs and then go across the street and it has the big blue sign that says baggage forwarding service. You can't miss it. So that is what we did. So basically our ticket that we paid for to do this alpine crossing that got us from Toyama to Ogizawa. Since then we've bought two more bus tickets. One to come to Shinano and another one to go to Nagano. So it is like a lot of steps but if you have the schedule it all makes sense. You know it tells you right up top here like each segment and you know what time each thing is leaving. So basically grab a schedule and you'll save yourself the headache. We've got to wait one hour now until the bus to Nagano and that will be the end of the journey. We're sleeping in Nagano. What a day. I can't remember the last time we took that many modes of transportation. But it was fun. It was. Come on. Don't go. Ah. No. Yeah. But yeah we are tired. Fun fact. We both fell asleep on the last bus. We keep falling asleep. Like 90% of the last little bus ride we fell asleep. But in all fairness the sightseeing trip was over at that point. And that is a wrap of our day traveling the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route. Loads of fun, ever-changing scenery, we experienced 3 seasons in one day, and we got to ride different modes of transportation along the way. We did this journey from Toyama to Nagano, but you can also do it in reverse. Since booking online was a bit of a problem for us foreigners, I'll share my tips for getting tickets. If you're visiting during peak foliage season like we were, try to do the journey on a weekday. Weekends will be busier. And also show up at the station early and get in line for a chance at tickets that are released on the day of. Definitely forward your luggage to the end point and pack an extra layer because it'll be much cooler when you reach the mountaintop. Lastly, if you enjoyed this video, we invite you to give it a like, subscribe, and join us for more travels across Japan. Tata!