When will you travel?
Please note that the tourist services in this year 2015 on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route will end on 30 November.
The coming 23 November will be a national holiday in Japan; major popular tourist spots may be crowded with visitors during the expanded weekend from 21 through 23 November 2015.
How long does it take to complete one full route of Alpine way? With the gateways on the both sides (in Toyama and Nagano Prefectures) included,
it takes more than 5 hours either to travel
Dentetsu-Toyama [Railroad] Tateyama (in Toyama) --((Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route))-- Ogizawa (in Nagano) [Bus] Shinano-Omachi
or the reverse.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7550.htmlOn alpen-route.com, it is said that a one-way traverse between Tateyama and Ogizawa may take 6 to 8 hours.
http://www.alpen-route.com/en/transportation/timetable-faresAnd, on the website it is also recommended that visitors hoping to experience new snow in Murodo in this November would choose the gateway from Shinano-Omachi in Nagano Prefecture, because the bus operation between Murodo and Bijodaira may be suspended due to large amount of snow.
http://www.alpen-route.com/en/visiting-in-novemberTokyo to Toyama (Morning) - Alpine way (full route) - Catch a train to Takayama on the same day, by 3-4pm so that we can get a glimpse of the scenery on the way. Is this possible? No; if you travel by that way, you cannot reach Takayama Station by 7 pm.
Takayama to Tokyo ((Morning) - Alpine way (full route) - Catch a train to Takayama on the same day Will it work this way? No, it cannot work.
To Takayama Station, Toyama Station is closer than Shinano-Omachi Station.
Will you need to travel from / via Tokyo?
Which place in Tokyo Metropolis will you start exactly from?
It may be better to travel from the Ogizawa side (in Nagano) as far as to Murodo (in Toyama) and back, get to Matsumoto (in Nagano), stay there for that night and head to Takayama (in Gifu) on the following day.
(One express bus line is connecting Matsumoto and Takayama in 2 and a half hours.)
- Leaflet with discount coupons (in Japanese)
on the Tateyama gateway (by Toyama Chihou Tetsudou)
and on the Alpine route between Tateyama and Ogizawa:
http://www.alpen-route.com/_wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/omote.pdf: These discount coupons can be valid until 30 November 2015.
If you plan to travel on the Alpine Route by 30 November 2015 and you dare to stay in Takayama (in Gifu) for that night, it seems logically possible to do the following course, leaving Tokyo Station around 6:15 am and reaching Takayama Station around 9:45 pm.
{During 4 through 30 November 2015}
Tokyo Station {06:16}
[JR Hokuriku Shinkansen: Kagayaki 501]
{07:39 (Track 12)} Nagano Station {07:50 (Track 2)}
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e1105.html: Here you can get through Shinkansen Transfer Gate
to the non-Shinkansen area.
[JR lines: Rapid for Matsumoto]
{09:04} Matsumoto Station {09:22}
[JR Oito Line: Local for Minami-Otari]
{10:20} Shinano-Omachi Station;
http://www.alpen-route.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2015timetable...Shinano-Omachi bus stop {10:30}
[Local bus]
{11:10} Ogizawa bus stop;
Ogizawa Station {11:30}
[Kanden Tunnel Trolley Bus]
{11:46} Kurobe Dam Station
[Walking; about 15 min.]
Kurobeko Station {12:20}
[Kurobe Cablecar; about 5 min.]
{12:25} Kurobedaira Station;
Kurobedaira Station {12:40}
[Tateyama Ropeway; about 7 min.]
{12:47} Daikanbo Station;
Daikanbo Station {13:00}
[Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus; about 10 min.]
{13:10} Murodo Station;
When services to Dentetsu-Toyama Sta. are OK:
Murodo bus stop {14:30 / 15:30}
[Tateyama Highland Bus]
{15:20 / 16:20} Bijodaira bus stop;
Bijodaira Station {15:30 / 16:30}
[Tateyama Cablecar]
{15:37 / 16:37} Tateyama Station;
Tateyama Station {16:15 or 16:22 / 17:22 or 17:25}
[Toyama Chihou Tetsudou]
{17:17 or 17:27 / 18:28 or 18:29} Dentetsu-Toyama Station
[Walking; about 10 - 15 min.]
Toyama Station {19:49}
[JR Takayama Line]
{20:38} Inotani Station {20:40}
[JR Takayama Line]
{21:43} Takayama Station.
When services to Dentetsu-Toyama Sta. are not OK:
http://www.alpen-route.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2015timetable...Murodo Station {14:15}
[Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus; about 10 min.]
{14:25} Daikanbo Station;
Daikanbo Station {14:40}
[Tateyama Ropeway; about 7 min.]
{14:47} Kurobedaira Station;
Kurobedaira Station {15:00}
[Kurobe Cablecar; about 5 min.]
{15:05} Kurobeko Station
[Walking; about 15 min.]
Kurobe Dam Station {15:35}
[Kanden Tunnel Trolley Bus]
{15:51} Ogizawa Station;
Ogizawa bus stop {16:30}
[Express bus]
https://www.alpico.co.jp/access/express/nagano_omachi/{18:10} Nagano Station East Entrance bus terminal;
Nagano Station {18:50}
[Hokuriku Shinkansen: Kagayaki 513]
{19:36 (Track 13 or 14)} Toyama Station {19:49 (Track 2)}
https://www.jr-odekake.net/eki/premises.php?id=0541465: Here you can get through Shinkansen Transfer Gate
to the non-Shinkansen area.
[JR Takayama Line]
{20:38} Inotani Station {20:40}
[JR Takayama Line]
{21:43} Takayama Station.
