REPORT

The massive scale of the engineering and the brilliant fall colors make for a striking combination! The foliage along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is running about a week ahead of normal this year and, as of 10/15 (Thu.), has reached its peak around Kurobe Dam (1,470 m). From Ogizawa Station, the gateway to the area, it takes just 16 minutes aboard the Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus to reach this spectacular autumn scenery. (Round trip: ¥3,200 adults, ¥1,600 elementary school students)
[Kurobe Dam]

The fall colors stretching downstream along the Kurobe River from the dam crest were equally impressive (pictured), and today, 10/15 (Thu.), marked the final day of the seasonal sightseeing water discharge. (※The small rainbow visible at the lower right of the photo is created by the spray from the discharge). As I climbed the steep outdoor staircase from the discharge viewing area toward the dam observatory, I found myself stopping again and again to photograph the dramatic autumn views.
[Kurobe Dam・Dam Crest]

The Dam Observatory was packed with visitors who had climbed the 220-step underground staircase from the station. Despite the three-day weekend having come and gone, the Alpine Route was still so busy that additional cable car and ropeway services were running throughout the day. In contrast, the free rest area directly below the observatory (pictured, with a shop, vending machines, and restrooms) proved to be a quiet little spot where you could sit down and take your time enjoying the fall colors.
[Kurobe Dam]

I met two visitors from Miyagi Prefecture who had come from the Tateyama Station side via the cable car and buses. They told me, “This is our first time on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. It’s such a beautiful place, and even the air and water taste wonderful. We don’t have mountains this big back home, so it makes us want to try climbing them.” Elsewhere along the route, the foliage around Murodo-daira, Daikanbo, and Tengu-daira is beginning to fade or has already fallen, Kurobe-daira (pictured) is beginning to fade, and the colors around Ogizawa are about halfway to peak.
[Kurobe-daira]

　　
*The annual water discharge is scheduled to continue through 10/15 (Thu.), although it may be suspended due to weather or other operational conditions.

[Kurobe Dam]
*Place … Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture; Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture
*Opening Period … April 15, 2026 – November 30, 2026
*Fees … Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus (Ogizawa – Kurobe Dam) Round-trip adults JPY3,200, elementary school students JPY1,600
　
[Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route]
*Place … Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture; Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture
*Opening Period … April 15, 2026 – November 30, 2026
*Parking lot on the Ogizawa Station side … Passenger cars JPY1,000 / 12hours (*Free parking is also available)
*Transportation costs from Ogizawa to Tateyama Station … adults JPY10,940, elementary school students JPY5,480
　
*Request for the original data of our photographs　
　
reported by Snownavi