Kurobe Gorge Railway Pass

This was a fantastic day trip from Toyama. The starting point alone, Unazuki Onsen, offered a lot to explore, from small shops and delicious food (!) to a great insight into the mining past. The train ride itself, however, topped everything! Ultra-beautiful landscapes during a peaceful ride across the rural Japanese mountains were definitely one of the absolute highlights of my trip to Japan. I absolutely recommend it and would definitely do it again!

Ticket exchange is at the green same-day ticket window, not the orange reservation window. When exchanging tickets, you can also purchase indoor carriage seat tickets for ¥600. For all ticket types, round trips must be in the same carriage. Buying online first (¥2540) is cheaper than buying on-site (¥2820). If you buy on Klook, you will immediately receive a QR code, making it super convenient to exchange tickets at the counter! If the season is right, the scenery is as beautiful as the promotional photos.

I took the Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Kurobe-Unazukionsen Station. Across the street is Shin-Kurobe Station, which is an unmanned station, so you don't need to buy a ticket there. When exiting Unazukionsen Station, you pay cash to the station attendant. After exiting the station, walk straight ahead to your left and you'll find the Kurobe Gorge Railway station. Exchanging tickets at the Green Window was very convenient. Perhaps because I visited in the summer, the scenery wasn't as picturesque as in the photos; the river water was brown. I recommend not going all the way to Nekomata; stopping at Kuronagi is sufficient. The regular train seats don't have backrests, but the 'Relaxing Car' seats do. If you plan on sitting for a long time and might want to nap, the 'Relaxing Car' is definitely more comfortable. The corner pancake shop in the hot spring town has beautiful pancakes that make great souvenirs.

Convenient and great experience. Redemption was simple and effortless. As of Oct 2025, the latter half of the route is under maintenance so we turned back half way.

Using the QR code to redeem tickets is super convenient! You exchange your tickets at the green "day of" ticket window. You can also purchase indoor carriage seating tickets for ¥600. For all ticket types, the outbound and return journeys must be in the same carriage. It was likely peak season on the day I visited, and it took an hour from exchanging the ticket to riding the small train, so I recommend allowing plenty of time. The scenery is beautiful and worth a visit.

Redemption Guide: Although I had planned to take the Kurobe Gorge Railway before, I wanted flexibility in my itinerary, so I only finalized it around 11 PM the night before. I bought the tickets immediately and received the voucher within minutes. At Unazuki Onsen Station, the ticket exchange counter is located next to the station, up a sloped path, where you can buy the train tickets. Very convenient! Redemption Guide:

Really nice experience, so pretty colours during the autumn (but It recommend to choose indoor carriage, as it can be a little bit chilly in the open carriage). Highly recommend!

easy to redeem and flexibility to change timing of riding the train subject to weather conditions

really worth going, the scene is very breathtaking and the weather is just nice

Redeeming the physical tickets was fairly smooth, the canyon scenery is beautiful, and it's a place worth visiting.