Hi there! I would like to seek a little advice on whether Kurobe Gorge is worth visiting if I’m already doing the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route and Kamikochi.
Dates: around 20th Oct – 1st Nov
Note that this is a trip for next year so nothing is booked yet.
Day 1:
– Fly into Nagoya
– Train to Matsumoto
– Relax for the rest of day
– Stay in Matsumoto
Day 2:
– Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route
– Stay in Toyama
Day 3:
– Kurobe Gorge Railway
– Train to Takayama
– Stay in Takayama
– Hoping to find an onsen hotel for <20,000 JPY
Day 4:
– Kamikochi
– Stay in Takayama
Day 5:
– See whatever we have not seen in Takayama
– Head to Nagoya (anytime during the day)
– Chill exploring in Nagoya
– Stay in Nagoya
From Day 6 onwards, we will be spending it in Kyoto and Osaka, and eventually flying out from Osaka. This part of the trip is more flexible since we’re not travelling around that much.
My biggest dilemma is for Day 3 as Kurobe Gorge is pretty far out and not exactly the cheapest either. With the current plan, most of my Takayama exploring time would be in the late evenings/night. I’m wondering if I should skip the gorge so that I can have more time in Takayama.
My other options are:
1. Skip Kurobe Gorge and head directly to Takayama on Day 3 (or even head directly to Takayama on Day 2)
2. Head to Unazuki Onsen station and do the little walks around that area, but skip the railway itself. It seems like you can get pretty decent views from the area around the train station, so going on the railway is not necessary ? Then head to Takayama after so we have more daylight time there.
3. Extend my trip by a day and use the extra day for Takayama. Of course this seems like the easiest solution, but I would put this as the last option to consider.
Appreciate any advice I can get! (and apologies for any formatting issues)
by plolmo