Tateyama Snow Corridor in autumn

Hi, i read that Tateyama snow corridor is open only in mid April to mid June. I plan to visit Japan in autumn next year (around october to november 2015). If i go to Tateyama around that time, will i be able to see the snow corridor? I'm not a hiker, so my only concern going to Tateyama is to view the infamous snow corridor. If i couldn't see it, then i think i should reschedule my itinerary for a more suitable pace of my trip :)

Thank you in advance,
Mel.

No snow corridor in the Alpine Route during Oct/Nov although snow will start to fall during that period. The best time for the snow corridor is from late April to May. The top will start to melt by June but it can still be seen although it won't be as impressive due to the reduced height.

If you are going late Oct to early Nov a highly worthwhile destination in that region is Kurobe Gorge for beautiful autumn foliage.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7575.html
http://www.kurotetu.co.jp/en/

Hi, William5

Thank you for your reply.
Kurobe Gorge seems like a good choice to go for autumn view :)

I read the page above about Kurobe Gorge & i've been wondering if i could spend one night there. Perhaps you could advise where can i find a good ryokan to stay in Kurobe Gorge?

And one more question, can i go straight to Shirakawago or Takayama from Kurobe Gorge?

Thank you very much for all the helps :)
Mel.

most visitors to Kurobe stay in Unazuki Onsen; there are many ryokan and hotels.

Browse through the following link for some suggested lodging in Unazuki Onsen. We didn't stay overnight there but just did a day trip from Toyama.
http://www.unazuki-onsen.com/yado

There is no direct transport between Kurobe Gorge and Shirakawa-go or Takayama. For Shirakawa-go you take train to Kanazawa followed by a bus ride. If the train + bus connection is good the journey is a little less than 3 hrs. Takayama can be reached by train with 2 transfers and the journey is about 3 to 3.5 hrs.

Well, i've been to Kanazawa before & i think if it's possible, i'd like to skip that city & allocate my schedule for places i haven't been yet.

Is there any direct bus or train from Toyama to Takayama? Toyama seems to be easier to reach from Kurobe Gorge than Kanazawa.

And for staying the night in Unazuki Onsen, it seems the ryokans are quite expensive (more than 10k Yen/person). Is there any more economic guest house there? Or should i spend the night in Toyama like you did?

Many thanks again,
Mel.

Kanazawa was mentioned as it has direct bus connection with Shirakawa-go which you want to go and the train ride from Unazuki Onsen is shorter than going all the way to Takayama.

Yes, Toyama has direct rail link with Unazuki Onsen and also some direct though infrequent trains to Takayama by the Wide View Hida Limited Express.

We used Toyama as our base for Kurobe Gorge for the exact same purpose of trying to save a bit on accommodation. But by staying overnight in Unazuki Onsen you can get an early start and have more time for your onward journey.

Is there any direct bus or train from Toyama to Takayama?

Yes, but it is rather slow:
http://www.hyperdia.com/

Toyama seems to be easier to reach from Kurobe Gorge than Kanazawa.

From March 2015, the Hokuriku Shinkansen will move the cities even closer together. You could then take the shinkansen from Kanazawa to the new Kurobe-Unazuki-Onsen Station and transfer to the Toyama Chiho Railway for a short additional ride to Unazuki Onsen. It is probably faster (but more expensive) than taking the Toyama Chiho Railway directly from Toyama.

Thanks William & Uji for the replies :)

Well, my itinerary so far is:
1. Tokyo
2. Kurobe gorge
3. Takayama
4. Shirakawago
5. Return to Tokyo

However, i still haven't decided what route should i take, especially how to go to Kurobe Gorge from Tokyo.

Should i go via Matsumoto (and stay there so that i can visit Kamikochi & Okuhida) or go via Nagano (for Jigokudani Monkey Park & Shibu Onsen)?

Last, what route should i take to go to Takayama from Kurobe Gorge?

Many many thanks for the helps,
Mel.

As of now the train ride from Tokyo to Toyama is about 3 to 3.5 hrs with a transfer in Echigo-Yuzawa. When the new shinkansen line comes into effect the journey time is said to be just 2 hr 8 min direct.

Assuming you are doing a day trip to Kurobe Gorge from Toyama, you just backtrack from Unazuki Onsen to Toyama to pick up your luggage for your onward journey to Takayama. If you are lucky enough to catch the direct Hida express from Toyama to Takayama the journey would take less than 1.5 hr, if not it is about 2+ hrs with a train transfer. Personally I would choose to take the Kanazawa-Shirakawago route. Take direct train from Toyama to Kanazawa followed by direct bus to Shirakawa-go. Spending a night in one of the gassho-zukuri farmhouses in Shirakawa-go is a unique experience which many make special trip there just for that. From Shirakawa-go there is direct bus to Takayama.

From Takayama there are buses going to Okuhida and Kamikochi and without backtracking to Takayama you can continue by bus to Matsumoto. From Matsumoto it is just a short train ride to Nagano from where you can do side trip to Shibu Onsen and the Jigokudani Monkey Park. For your returning journey to Tokyo there is direct train from Nagano.

So, to put it in summary, the best route according your advise is:

Tokyo -- Toyama (via Echigo-Yuzawa) -- Unazuki Onsen -- Kurobe Gorge -- back to Toyama -- take direct train to Kanazawa -- take direct bus to Shirakawago & stay the night there -- Takayama -- Okuhida -- Kamikochi -- Matsumoto -- Nagano -- Shibu Onsen & Monkey Park -- back to Nagano -- back to Tokyo.

Indeed, that sounds the best route for me :)

One more question, if i decide to stay at Unazuki Onsen, should i return to Toyama to go Shirakawago via Kanazawa?

Many thanks again,
Mel.

I think you get the general idea, but as stated since you are travelling next fall the new shinkansen will let you go to Toyama from Tokyo direct and there is no need for a transfer in Echigo-Yuzawa.

Not sure how the new shinkansen line would affect the route but yes, Toyama is a transport hub coming back from Unazuki Onsen for your onward journey to either Takayama or Kanazawa/Shirakawago. As I mentioned earlier if Shirakawa-go is your first destination after Kurobe Gorge it is better to go to Kanazawa for a connecting bus as the journey is shorter. If you like you can go to Takayama first as there is also bus connection to Shirakawa-go from Takayama, just that the train journey from Toyama to Takayama is longer and may involve a train transfer.

u can take the bus from Takaoka Station (1 station from Toyama I think)to Shirakawa-go by bus

http://www.japan-guide.com/bus/gokayama.html

I think u can reach Shirakawago faster n cheaper (except if u want to stroll in Kanazawa)

As mentioned above & here http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018_nagano.html , the new Hokuriku Shinkansen will be extended to Kanazawa on the next march. I realized that The Hakutaka (the orange line) will make stop at Kurobe-Unazukionsen & Shin-Takaoka.

If i decide to skip Toyama & stay at Unazuki Onsen (i'm trying to allocate my budget there, lol), i assume i can go straight to Unazaki onsen from Tokyo using Hakutaka in the new Hokuriku Shinkansen right?

The same goes for Shirakawago, using the same Hakutaka train, i can go straight to Shin-Takaoka & take direct bus to Shirakawago as Sun suggested, right?

Your understanding is correct, just note that from Kurobe-Unazukionsen station you still have to transfer to the Toyama Chiho Rail for Unazuki Onsen.

For the Shirakawa-go part you have to look into it a bit more and plan carefully as there are some unknown factors involved. If you start early half a day for Kurobe Gorge should be fine, but still it is doubtful if you can make the Takaoka-Shirakawago bus 12.20 departure or else you have to wait for almost another 4 hrs for the next bus. Another doubt is whether the new Shin-Takaoka station is right next to the old Takaoka station or whether the bus to Shirakawago will also stop by the new station. If not you may have to transfer to a local train for the old Takaoka station. The best way to go about it is depending on what time you leave Unazuki Onsen, see which train + bus schedule can take you to Shirakawa-go at the earliest convenience. Below is the Kanazawa-Shirakawago bus schedule. There are 3 afternoon departures and the journey time is about 75-85 min, shorter than the Takaoka-Shirakawago bus which takes 2 hrs.

http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/shirakawago_kanazawa.html

BTW, keep monitoring those bus timetables as they may be rescheduled next year especially when the new shinkansen line is up and running.

Indeed like you said, my biggest concern regarding the new Hokuriku line will be their time schedules & where the new station like Shin-Takaoka will be placed.

Though i like preparing things in advance, it seems the best way to do for now is waiting until March & check their new features, while working on my itinerary.

So far, my itinerary concludes above. And i've been wondering if i should travel on October or November to get the best autumn leaves to view in Chubu area. Does anyone know what is the best time to go?

It is always difficult to accurately foresee the unpredictable weather these days. As mentioned in my first response in average year late Oct to early Nov is the time for koyo in Kurobe Gorge. When we were there the second week of Nov there was still some to enjoy but the season seemed to have past its prime. Another good koyo destination on your list is the area around Okuhida. Autumn colour in Shin-Hotaka had just begun when we went there late Oct.

So based on the above I think early Nov is a good bet for both Kurobe Gorge and Shin-Hotaka. But there was our experience only and condition may vary each year. The best thing of course is to wait till after next summer to decide if your flight schedule needs not be fixed ahead of time.

Thank you very much William :D
Your advises are really helpful.

I went to Japan at April 2014 & you really helped me back then too.

Many many thanks again for all the helps :)

Hi mchan, thank you for your kind words.

I can't recall helping you April this year, but I do remember you were going to Kanazawa, Takayama, Tonami and Namerikawa in 2013 and you were pretty excited when flower and animal destinations were mentioned back then! How was that trip, and did you see tulips, hotaruika and alpaca !?

Hi William, it's very nice for you to remember me :D
I remember your wife likes flowers as well, so i asked so many questions back then, lol.

And to correct my post above, what i meant is April 2013 ^^! Back then, you helped me lots for my trip.

Too bad i didn't go to Tonami & Namerikawa. I didn't have enough time to go there. I was just spend my time at Tokyo, Takayama, Shirakawago, Kanazawa, Kyoto & Osaka, 3 weeks full. Really loveeee every single trip of it hehehe..

I didn't see tulips, hotaruika & alpaca (too bad T_T), but i had a quite good view of sakura at Takayama since it was the fullbloom time when i visited there. And i tried gasso-zukuri at Shirakawago. That's an amazing experience, just a bit too crowded in the afternoon. That's why i want to visit Takayama & Shirakawago again :)

Kanazawa is a nice city too, but it didn't left as much impression as Takayama & Shirakawago for me. I visited Kenrokuen, but unfortunately there was no flower there, so it's a bit of disappointment :(
For addition, the 21st Century Museum was closed for maintenance. Only Chaya District & Nagamachi that were quite fun for me.

Kyoto & Uji were fun too, though there weren't much flower at that time back there. But i strolled through many housing residents & got nice views of flowers in their house :)

I can hardly wait to visit Japan again next year. Thank you very much for always helping me here, William. I hope we can meet & traveling together someday. And please send my regard for your wife :D