Kurobe Gorge Railway reservation - necessary?

We are travelling to Kurobe Gorge from Osaka for a day at the end of Oct 2017, around 16-21 Oct (have not decided which day yet). We will probably do a trip from first stop to the last stop, stopping in between and then do a straight return trip from last stop to first stop.

1. Which is best time to go? Mid or end Oct?

2. Is a reservation necessary? Is it the time period where there are peak crowds?

Thanks for the information.

In average year autumn foliage season in Kurobe Gorge is from the second half of Oct to mid Nov and the best time for it is early Nov. Late Oct should be fine and is definitely better than mid Oct.
And yes, it would be saver to book the train ticket beforehand.

I know I would be able to reserve tickets from the first stop to last stop.
But if we plan to get off at every stop on our return trip (from last stop to first stop), would we be able to book tickets for that?
What would be the best way to ensure we would not miss out on tickets?

Thank you!

we plan to get off at every stop on our return trip (from last stop to first stop), would we be able to book tickets for that?

Unfortunately, no. You Just have to purchase individual tickets.

We are travelling to Kurobe Gorge from Osaka for a day .
if we plan to get off at every stop on our return trip (from last stop to first stop).

Are you planning to do a day trip? If you are, you might not have ample time to visit all the stations.

We have decided to travel from Tokyo instead (shorter travel).

Given our limited time at Kurobe Gorge, which train stops do you think we should stop and explore at?

Thank you

With limited time it�fs best to take the train all the way to the last stop Keyakidaira. Walk down to the riverside with view of Sarutobikyo Gorge. Coming back up hopefully you can also walk across Okukane Bridge (it was blocked due to fallen rocks while we were there). A couple of hours in this area should let you take in all before taking the train back to Unazuki.

http://www.kurotetu.co.jp/en/railway/keyakidaira.html

There isn't much time savings coming from Tokyo, maybe 15-30 minutes at best.

As others have said. You have a long day, and doubtful you'll have much time to explore each station. Aim for the find one.

I meant final station.

You have 4.5-5.0 hours travel one way to reach the final station with optimal transfers. So could take longer depending on the transfers.

I was facing a same dilemma when visiting Kurobe Gorge early November a few years ago. Finally decided to stay the night at Unazuki-onsen in order to catch the earliest Kurobe Gorge train the next morning. The earliest train was half empty, as most of the tourists had not arrived yet.