Full Day Tour to Kurobe Gorge and Unazuki Onsen from Kanazawa
Description
In the Northern Japanese Alps lies a small beautiful onsen town sitting at the entrance of an even more amazing sight, Japanese deepest V-shaped gorge, Kurobe Gorge. On this tour you can experience the great natural beauty of Japan with the small town feel of a popular onsen resort. Your local guide will show you foot baths and healing buddhas, ride on the trolley train across spectacular gorges and finally walk in nature with onsen water rivers. City and scenery, bridges and buddhas, trolley trains and scenic walks, fully enjoy a lesser traveled part of Japan in Unazuki Onsen and the Kurobe Gorge! NOTE: The full trolley train, damaged by an earthquake in 2024, will reopen from October 1, 2026. Until that time, we will compensate for the shortened route by adding a stop at Shomyo Falls, the highest waterfall in Japan.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Travel by private bus from Kanazawa to Unazuki Onsen station. This town's architecture is similar to how it was when it was started as an onsen resort town 100 years ago. We will have a short walk through the old hiking route to the Kurobe Dam. On the way, we will get a taste of the scenery that lies in store for us on the trolley train and learn a bit more about the history of the area! After that, we'll have some free time in the town and an early lunch. Your guide will show you some restaurants in the area.
Meet up at Unazuki Onsen Station to get ready for the trolley train. There are no shops or restaurants once we get on the train, so feel free to bring some snacks and drinks with you to enjoy as we go. On the way, we'll see Kurobe Dam, a bridge for monkeys to cross the river, a statue of a buddha made to protect travellers and arrive at Nekomata Station. Due to the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, the full route of the Kurobe Gorge Trolley Train is currently undergoing repairs, expected to reopen fully in 2026. Around 60% of the route is open, ending at Nekomata, which has been converted into a temporary rest area. The area is still worth a visit, though! Many of the main sights are within the visible section and the area is one of the most beautiful Japan has to offer.
Before we leave, we'll have time to do some last-minute shopping around Unazuki, visit the famous "Healing Buddha" or enjoy a relaxing time in the footbath, which uses the same water that is piped to the town's hot springs. Soon, though, it's time to leave and begin our journey back. Feel free to kick back and relax on the bus ride but this is also a good time to ask any questions you have about the next stage in your Japan journey, or even get some good dinner recommendations for the evening! Back at the station, it's time to say our goodbyes. We hope you enjoyed the day and you have a great time travelling this beautiful country.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.
Reviews(18)
Excellent day riding the open air narrow gauge railway through the stunning gorge. We also did a short hike to a gorgeous waterfall. Mike has a winning personality and we learned so much about Japan. We would highly recommend this tour.
An amazing day with Garrett - the day was perfect from start to finish. Picked up in a luxury vehicle, guided all day by the kindness of our driver and Garrett who was very well informed and provided such an interesting and fun experience for us all. The scenery was breathtaking! Highly recommend - we are all smiling tonight -thank you !
Such a fantastic tour, would reccomend this to everyone. Garrett was the perfect guide to take us on the Kurobe Gorge Railway and to see the incredible autumn leaves at Shomyo Falls. Other highlights were getting to soak our feet in the onsen baths and trying to the local delicacy, 'black ramen'. I was a solo traveller but I felt at home with the group, also a great fit for groups and duos.
Excellent day tour of Kurobe gorge and Unazuki Onsen town. Amazing views on the trolley train. Explored the town during our free time and enjoyed the foot bath. Daniel was a great tour guide!
Mike was an awesome guide showing me and the tour group around unazuki onsen and getting us on the trolley to ride through Kurobe gorge. Very friendly and fun to chat with, and of course the gorge itself was amazing. The tour was delayed due to construction slowing down the bus from picking me up at the station, but Snow Monkey Resorts kept me up to date with emails and a missed (my fault) phone call, so even when things weren’t perfect it was handled well.
This was a spectacular day tour. Our guide, Mike, was very helpful, welcoming, fun and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this tour. And if Mike’s your guide you will have a most enjoyable day!
It was a dam gorgeous day 😄. The tour had some incredible views with a guide so knowledgeable that he could answer questions ranging from the history of Kabuki to Hadrian's Wall (yes the one in Scotland). Garrett's ability to not only add context and history to the Gorge and Dam but also to fill any down time with endless information about Japan and beyond was incredible. Another guest (non intentionally... I think) made it his mission to dig out every single fact in Garrett's head, and I have a feeling he didn't manage to even get close. If you're looking for some gorgeous views in a picturesque village and valley, with an incredibly skilled guide, give this tour a go.
Our guide Daniel gave us an excellent experience at Kurobe Gorge. He pointed out a few hidden (but publicly accessible) areas we would have never found on our own. Kurobe Gorge is not an easy place to get to, so the transportation help this tour provides will save you a lot of time and potential headaches. The Kurobe Gorge and trolley train themselves are amazing to experience for the best of Japan's natural scenic beauty.
Our 2 guides were amazing - courteous, knowledgeable and fun. The tour however is far too long for what it offers. Without travel, you could easily do the whole thing in 2.5 hours (half day tour).
I booked this at the last min available, and it was so with it. Amazing things to see. While the train ride can get very life in some places, it's so with it. Gorgeous views the whole time
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