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  • Toyama prefecture lies along the Sea of Japan

  • a unique location with a large coastline as well as mountain ranges that make up a majority of its interior

  • here you can find traditional farmhouses tucked away in hidden mountain villages

  • a stunning route that cuts through the heart of the Japan Alps

  • one of the country's deepest gorges

  • and a multitude of other experiences worth going for.

  • On this trip we're going to attempt to explore Toyama prefecture's most captivating attractions in four days

  • Here's the plan

  • we start our journey by taking the shinkansen to Toyama prefecture

  • On the first day we'll visit Kurobe Gorge and stay in Unazuki Onsen at the entrance of the gorge

  • On day 2 we head over to the remote village of Ainokura and spend the night there in a traditional farmhouse

  • The third and fourth days will be spent traversing the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route

  • with a night stay at its highest point before going home on day four.

  • My name is Raina Ong, staff writer for japan-guide.com

  • and today I'm on assignment uncovering the best places to go in Toyama.

  • Day 1

  • To get to Kurobe Gorge, we'll first take the Hokuriku shinkansen from Tokyo to Kurobe-Unazukionsen Station.

  • From there we're going to transfer to local trains to Unazuki Onsen town the entry point into the gorge

  • Then we'll take the Kurobe Railway as far as possible into the gorge to Keyakidaira Station

  • explore a bit

  • and then head back to spend the night in Unazuki Onsen Town.

  • We're at Unazuki Station and we're going to be taking that cute orange train over there into the Kurobe Gorge and back

  • The Kurobe Gorge is the deepest v-shaped gorge in Japan

  • and some say the view at the gorge is pretty gorgeous

  • So this rock wall over here is known as the "hito kui iwa"

  • which is, when translated, becomes "man eating cave."

  • I'm staying in a ryokan tonight in this beautiful Japanese room

  • and tonight's dinner will be a multi-course meal

  • and I'm looking forward to it

  • Day 2

  • After a relaxing night at Unazuki Onsen

  • today we'll take the train to Shin-Takaoka here a direct bus will take us to the remote village of Ainokura

  • where we will explore the quaint town and stay overnight in one of the farmhouses

  • It's day two and we're at an Ainokura one of the villages where you can see

  • traditional Japanese gassho zukuri farm houses like the ones you see around me

  • Gassho zukuri is a style of construction where the steep thatched roofs are said to resemble hands in prayer

  • The best way to appreciate Ainokura is to stay at one of the farm houses

  • and that's what I'll be doing tonight

  • Day three

  • Today we bid farewell to our farmhouse and travel back to Toyama station to begin our traverse of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route

  • It is a spectacular journey carved through the northern Japan Alps connecting Toyama and Nagano Prefecture

  • will be taking different modes of transport to complete the route starting with the train at Toyama station followed by a cable car

  • then bus

  • tunnel trolley bus

  • ropeway

  • another cable car

  • and lastly a tunnel trolley bus once more

  • However today, we'll only be going as far as the midpoint at Murodo and spend the night there

  • I took this train from

  • Toyama all the way to Tateyama station where I am now

  • and today we're going to the highest point on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route

  • We boarded the the bus in the cloud, but here Murodo we've broken through them

  • and behind me over there, that's mount Tateyama where it's the highest mountain in the region

  • Day four

  • Our last day is relatively easy

  • We complete the rest of the Alpine route

  • see Kurobe Dam along the way

  • and then head home

  • We're at Kurobe Dam, our last stop for this trip

  • and fun fact the dam is also Japan's tallest at 186 meters

  • Thus ends our whirlwind tour of Toyama

  • I hope this video has been enjoyable and perhaps even inspires you to experience Toyama for yourself

  • For more information about Toyama or to watch another video click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com

  • your comprehensive up-to-date travel guide firsthand from Japan.

  • Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe for more videos about Japan

  • Happy travels

Toyama prefecture lies along the Sea of Japan

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