Toyama Prefecture

A bayside prefecture at the foot of the Northern Alps, known for the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route and its snow walls.

Toyama Prefecture lies in the Hokuriku region of central Honshu, facing Toyama Bay to the north and ringed by the Northern Alps to the southeast. The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is the biggest highlight: in spring you can walk between the towering snow walls of the "Yuki-no-Otani," and in summer and autumn enjoy alpine plants, the Kurobe Dam and autumn leaves. The gassho-zukuri villages of Gokayama are World Heritage-listed together with Shirakawa-go in Gifu, and Toyama Bay's white shrimp, firefly squid and sushi are well regarded. The route is usually open from mid-April to November. The Hokuriku Shinkansen connects Tokyo and Toyama, and Toyama Airport also has flights.

Destinations

• Toyama & Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
• Kanazawa

Itineraries

• Hokuriku Shinkansen Slow Travel – Travel along the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Fukui through Kaga and Kanazawa to Toyama, connecting temples, coastlines, an…
• Shoryudo Nagoya-Takayama-Kanazawa – Head north from Nagoya via Gero, Takayama, and Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa. A classic train and bus route for first-time v…
• Tokyo to Kyoto via Japan Alps – Bypass the Tokaido and take the mountain route from Tokyo to Kyoto via Matsumoto, Kamikochi, Takayama, and Kanazawa.
• Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Hakuba & Matsumoto – Cross Tateyama from Toyama via the Kurobe Gorge to the Nagano side, then follow the mountain line through Hakuba and Ma…
• Tokyo, Hokuriku, Takayama & Kyoto Northern Route – Skip the Tokaido route and travel via Karuizawa, Nagano, Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, and Takayama to Kyoto.