Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
Encyclopedia
The is a famous mountain sightseeing route between Tateyama
, Toyama
and Ōmachi
, Nagano
, Japan
. The whole route opened on June 1, 1971.
s with 5 different modes, namely funicular
, bus
, trolleybus
, aerial tramway
, and walking
.
The route is carefully built so that the surrounding environment is not damaged. Consequently, three lines go entirely under tunnels. (This is also to protect the lines from snow.) Among them, two are trolleybus lines. Trolleybuses have all gone from Japan, except for these two lines which are still used here as they don't exhaust gas.
The route goes through Tateyama
in the Hida Mountains
with a lot of scenic sites, including Kurobe dam
. Some stations have hotels around them and are used as bases for mountain climbing or trekking.
The section between Kurobe Dam and Ōgisawa was originally made for construction of the dam, while the section between Tateyama and Kurobeko was for tourists from the beginning. Currently, the route is purely a sightseeing one, only used by tourists. Although this is the only route that directly links Toyama and Nagano, it is impractical for normal users as it takes 6 transfers, roughly 5 hours, and costs ¥
8,060 just between Tateyama and Ōgisawa.
company that operates most lines in the route. Its official abbreviation is TKK. The word kankō (貫光) was coined by Muneyoshi Saeki, the first president of the company. According to him, kan (貫) means "time-space", and kō (光) means "outer space", while kan (貫) also (normally) means "to penetrate", as in "to penetrate Tateyama Mountains" and kō (normally) means "light". The word is a homophone
to kankō (観光; "sightseeing"), possibly intentionally.
Tateyama, Toyama
is a town located in Nakaniikawa District, Toyama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 28,123 and a density of 91.51 persons per km². The total area is 307.31 km².-External links:*...
, Toyama
Toyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....
and Ōmachi
Omachi, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 31,079 and the population density of 55 persons per km². The total area is 564.99 km²....
, Nagano
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The whole route opened on June 1, 1971.
Overview
The route is just 37 km in length, but the vertical interval is as large as 1,975m. It uses 7 different public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
s with 5 different modes, namely funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
, bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
, aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
, and walking
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
.
The route is carefully built so that the surrounding environment is not damaged. Consequently, three lines go entirely under tunnels. (This is also to protect the lines from snow.) Among them, two are trolleybus lines. Trolleybuses have all gone from Japan, except for these two lines which are still used here as they don't exhaust gas.
The route goes through Tateyama
Tateyama
Tateyama can refer to:* Tateyama, Chiba , a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan* Tateyama, Toyama , a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan* Mount Tate , a mountain range in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
in the Hida Mountains
Hida Mountains
The , or , is a Japanese mountain range which stretches through Nagano, Toyama and Gifu prefectures. A small portion of the mountains also reach into Niigata Prefecture. William Gowland coined the phrase "Japanese Alps" during his time in Japan, but he was only referring to the Hida Mountains when...
with a lot of scenic sites, including Kurobe dam
Kurobe dam
The or , is a variable-radius arch dam on the Kurobe River in Toyama Prefecture on the island of Honshū, Japan. It supports the 335 MW Kurobe No. 4 Hydropower Plant and is owned by Kansai Electric Power Company. At high, it is the tallest dam in Japan. It was constructed between 1956 and 1963 at...
. Some stations have hotels around them and are used as bases for mountain climbing or trekking.
The section between Kurobe Dam and Ōgisawa was originally made for construction of the dam, while the section between Tateyama and Kurobeko was for tourists from the beginning. Currently, the route is purely a sightseeing one, only used by tourists. Although this is the only route that directly links Toyama and Nagano, it is impractical for normal users as it takes 6 transfers, roughly 5 hours, and costs ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
8,060 just between Tateyama and Ōgisawa.
Tateyama Kurobe Kankō
The is a public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
company that operates most lines in the route. Its official abbreviation is TKK. The word kankō (貫光) was coined by Muneyoshi Saeki, the first president of the company. According to him, kan (貫) means "time-space", and kō (光) means "outer space", while kan (貫) also (normally) means "to penetrate", as in "to penetrate Tateyama Mountains" and kō (normally) means "light". The word is a homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
to kankō (観光; "sightseeing"), possibly intentionally.
Lines and stations
| Transfer station / terminus | | Elevation | | Transport mode | | Line name | | Distance | | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dentetsu-Toyama (電鉄富山) | 7 m | Railway | Toyama Chiho Railway Toyama Chiho Railway thumb|Type 9000 tramcar "Centram"The is a transportation company in Toyama, Toyama, Japan. The company is commonly known as . The private company operates railway, tram, and bus lines in the eastern part of the prefecture. It also operates as the agency of All Nippon Airways in Toyama area. The... : Main Line Toyama Chiho Railway Main Line The is a Japanese railway line that connects Dentetsu-Toyama Station in Toyama, Toyama Prefecture with Unazukionsen Station in Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture. It is owned and run by Toyama Chihō Railway.-Station list:... , Tateyama Line Toyama Chiho Railway Tateyama Line The is a Japanese railway line which connects Terada Station with Tateyama Station all within Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District Toyama Prefecture. It is owned and run by Toyama Chihō Railway.-Station list:... 1 |
34 km | Toyama Toyama, Toyama is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo.... |
Toyama Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources.... |
| Tateyama Tateyama Station (Toyama) is a train station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:*Toyama Chihō Railway**Tateyama Line*Tateyama Kurobe Kankō**Tateyama Cable Car -Adjacent stations:... (立山) |
475 m | Tateyama Tateyama, Toyama is a town located in Nakaniikawa District, Toyama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 28,123 and a density of 91.51 persons per km². The total area is 307.31 km².-External links:*... |
||||
| Funicular | TKK: Tateyama Cable Car Tateyama Cable Car The is a Japanese funicular line of in Tateyama, Toyama, with its official name . The company also operates another funicular, Kurobe Cable Car with the same official name. The line is a part of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route... |
1.3 km | ||||
| Bijodaira Bijodaira Station is a funicular station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:... (美女平) |
977 m | |||||
| Bus | TKK: Tateyama Highland Bus | 23 km | ||||
| Murodō Murodo Station is a trolleybus station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:*Tateyama Kurobe Kankō**Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus -Adjacent stations:... (室堂) |
2,450 m | |||||
| Trolleybus | TKK: Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus 2 | 3.7 km | ||||
| Daikanbō Daikanbo Station is a trolleybus and cable car station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:*Tateyama Kurobe Kankō**Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus **Tateyama Ropeway -Adjacent stations:... (大観峰) |
2,316 m | |||||
| Aerial tramway | TKK: Tateyama Ropeway Tateyama Ropeway The is Japanese aerial lift line in Tateyama, Toyama, operated by Tateyama Kurobe Kankō. The line, opened in 1970, makes a part of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route... |
1.7 km | ||||
| Kurobedaira Kurobedaira Station is a funicular and cable car station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:*Tateyama Kurobe Kankō**Tateyama Ropeway **Kurobe Cable Car -Adjacent stations:... (黒部平) |
1,828 m | |||||
| Funicular | TKK: Kurobe Cable Car Kurobe Cable Car The , officially the , is a Japanese funicular line in Tateyama, Toyama, operated by Tateyama Kurobe Kankō. The company also operates another funicular with the same official name. The line is a part of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. The line goes entirely under a tunnel to protect it from snow. It... 2 |
0.8 km | ||||
| Kurobeko Kurobeko Station is a funicular station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:... (黒部湖) |
1,455 m | |||||
| Walking | (15 minutes walk on Kurobe dam) | |||||
| Kurobe Dam Kurobe Dam Station is a trolleybus station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:*Tateyama Kurobe Kankō**Kanden Tunnel Trolleybus -Adjacent stations:... (黒部ダム) |
1,455 m | |||||
| Trolleybus | Kansai Electric Power Company Kansai Electric Power Company , also known as , is an electric utility with its operational area of Kansai region, Japan . The company is regarded as one of the leading companies in Kansai, as well as a leader of the Japanese electric power industry.... : Kanden Tunnel Trolley Bus 2 |
6.1 km | ||||
| Ōgisawa Ogisawa Station is a trolleybus station in Ōmachi, Nagano, Japan, operated by Tateyama Kurobe Kankō.-Adjacent stations:-External links:... (扇沢) |
1,433 m | Ōmachi Omachi, Nagano is a city located in Nagano, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 31,079 and the population density of 55 persons per km². The total area is 564.99 km².... |
Nagano Nagano Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano... |
|||
| Bus | Kawanakajima Bus Kawanakajima Bus is a bus company in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.- Headquarters :*2131-1 Oshimada-machi Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture 381-2212 JAPAN*Telephone Number: +81-26-254-6700- Area :*Nagano City*Shinano Town*Myōkō City, Niigataetc.-History:... , Kita Alps Kōtsū, and Matsumoto Electric Railway Matsumoto Electric Railway is a public transport company in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is the core company of Alpico Group and is wholly owned by Aplico Holdings Co., Ltd.The company was known as until its merger with two affiliate companies on April 1, 2011.- Headquarters :... : Ōmachi Alpine Line Bus 1 |
18 km | ||||
| Shinano-Ōmachi (信濃大町) | 713 m | |||||
- 1: Sometimes considered as a part of the route. However, most guided tours use chartered buses for this section.
- 2: The line goes entirely under a tunnel.