Kurobe Dam 黒部ダム

Seven years in the making, the Kurobe Dam ranks among Japan's greatest feats of engineering. Traversing the embankment of the Kurobe Dam on foot is a highlight of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, allowing you to experience the grand scale and height of the dam.

You can get to the dam via the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, from either the Toyama or Nagano side.

From Toyama, start at Dentetsu Toyama Station and travel all the way to Kurobe Dam via train, trolley bus, cable car, ropeway and other means of transportation. The journey takes about 4.5 hours and costs around 8,960 yen (one way).

From Nagano, take the limited express bus from Nagano Station to Ogizawa Station in Omachi (3,100 yen one way, about an hour and 45 minutes). Then take the electric bus from Ogizawa Station to Kurobe Dam, which is about 1,570 yen one way, and takes about 16 minutes (round trip fare is 2,610 yen). The Kurobe Dam is located within the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, and if you are traveling the route, you will pass the Kurobe Dam.

The Kurobe Dam is the intake facility for the Kurobe No. 4 Power Station, and was built over a period of seven years with the labor of over 10 million people to supply electricity needed to fuel Japan's post-war economic growth. This event captured the hearts of citizens, and was made into a 1968 movie starring Toshiro Mifune. 171 people died during construction, and a monument stands in their honor.

From June 26 to October 15, you can enjoy the powerful sight of water discharged at Kurobe Dam. Climb up the long stairway to the observatory to be rewarded with panoramic views of the dam and Lake Kurobe below.

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route operates from mid-April to the end of November every year, but it is best to visit in early summer or early autumn to see the magnificent water discharge.

Related link Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route: https://www.alpen-route.com/en/