Kurobe Gorge Railway

The line was built from the 1920s to carry men and materials for the hydroelectric dams in the Kurobe gorge, on 762-millimetre gauge because nothing wider would fit, and it still does that work; passenger operation is a sideline that happens to be spectacular. It runs about twenty kilometres from Unazuki to Keyakidaira in eighty minutes, crossing bridges high over the river, through more than forty tunnels, past dams and power stations, in a gorge with no road access at all. The standard carriages are open-sided benches with a roof and no glass, which is the point and also why a jacket matters even in August; closed carriages with windows cost more. The line shuts entirely from December to April because of snow. At Keyakidaira there are short walks, a bridge over the gorge and a riverside outdoor bath.

What you actually see

• Open-sided carriages - benches with a roof and no glass, on 762-millimetre gauge.
• A working service line - built for the dams and still doing that job.
• Twenty kilometres with no road - forty tunnels and high bridges through the gorge.
• Keyakidaira - short walks, a gorge bridge and a riverside bath at the far end.

When to go

May to November; late October for colour. A day.

Honest expectations

The line closes entirely from December to April. Open carriages are cold and wet in rain - bring layers regardless of season. Autumn seats sell out and should be booked. Landslides have closed sections for long periods.

Nearby

Unazuki Onsen is at the lower end; Toyama and the Tateyama route are west.