1 Day Tour from Kanazawa: Kurobe Gorge and Unazuki Onsen

In the Northern Japanese Alps lies a small beautiful onsen town sitting at the entrance of an even more amazing sight, Kurobe Gorge, Japan’s deepest V-shaped gorge. On this tour you can experience the great natural beauty of Japan and 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, stroll through nature with unusual onsen water rivers. City and scenery, bridges and buddhas, trolley trains and quaint walks, fully enjoy a lesser traveled part of Japan in Unazuki Onsen and the Kurobe Gorge!

Highlights

• Experience one of Japan’s most scenic areas – Kurobe Gorge!

• Enjoy walking through the onsen town of Unazuki Onsen.

• Ride the trolley car through the stunning gorges as you go deeper and deeper into the mountains.

*For those looking to join the tour from Toyama, Nagano and Tokyo, please see the FAQ Section below

NOTE: Due to the January 1st Noto Earthquake there was damage to one of the bridges that leads to the final station. For that reason, this tour will be a slightly modified version until the full railway is repaired. Right now the time for it to be fully repaired is sometime next year. There is still about 60% of the railway that you can enjoy, including the deepest part of the gorge.

Description

This tour has tour starting points, the first being Kanazawa Station. Your guide will meet you in front of the Information Center near the Shinkansen Ticket Gates. You will have the opportunity to put your belongings in a coin locker at the station as well if you feel the need. From there we will hop on the shinkansen to the second starting point of the tour.

The tour’s second start point is Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen Station, where your guide will meet you in front of the Shinkansen Ticket Gates at 9:00 am. You will have the opportunity to put your belongings in a coin locker if you need. Once we have left the inside of the station building, we will walk to Shin-Kurobe Station which takes about 3 minutes.

Next we will hop on the local train to Unazuki Onsen Station. It’s a short ride so enjoy the Japanese countryside as we make our way into the mountains.

Finally, we arrived at Unazuki Onsen proper. This onsen area was founded just over a hundred years ago and even today it is recognized as having the clearest onsen spring water in all of Japan. The architecture of the town reflects its time period, which was the 1920’s in the Taisho period. This was a time of significant mixing of western and Japanese styles so the buildings give a kind of modern retro feel to them.

Right after coming off the train, we will head on a walk out of the town to get some nice views of the town itself, one of the red bridges and the beautiful valley. There is a small 20-30 minute walk where we will see the stunning valley from all different angles. There is also certain times when the train runs across the bridge and we will wait at one of the observation decks to get the picture!

When we get back to the town center it’ll be time to prepare for lunch. There isn’t a designated lunch time for this tour so please eat before the train in town. There are plenty of options in and around the station so feel free to ask your guide for recommendations.

We will hop on the trolley train to deep inner parts of Kurobe Gorge next. Enjoy the breathtaking views as you feel the air rush through the train car. This is a long ride so make sure to dress for the weather. There is a roof on the carriage, but it is not 100% effective at keeping all the rain out. The train will take about an hour and forty minutes in total, including one stop where you can get off and walk around the station area shortly. The train is on a shortened version currently, running between only Unazuki and Nekomata Station. Even now you can still see the deepest gorge in Japan, beautiful waterfalls and lakes and other interesting sights throughout.

The long spectacular train ride will eventually come to an end and next we will walk around the town. There is time for you to explore and get a feel for the onsen water’s quality with one of the town’s covered foot baths. A Buddha statue where you pour onsen water over the part of him that you want to be “healed” is also a fun activity to try out. At the far end of Unazuki Onsen is the Omokage Observation Deck , an unusually shaped lookout. You can see the town and valley from a different angle with the nice river running right below.

It is finally time to go home so we will head over to Unazuki Onsen Station, hop on a train to Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen Station. This is the official end of the tour so we will say our goodbyes and get ready for our trips back.

TOUR MEETUP POINT

1 / KANAZAWA STATION @ 08:00 A.M.

The meetup point is outside of the Shinkansen ticket gates, in front of the information center. If you are heading out from the gates, look forward and to the right and you will see a four large sumo wrestlers lined up. This is where we will be meeting. For those coming from outside the station, you will find this sign immediately inside of the East Entrance of Kanazawa Station. You may wait nearby there until the tour begins at 8:00 A.M. Be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag.

2 / KUROBE-UNAZUKI ONSEN STATION @ 09:00 A.M.

The meetup point is outside of the Shinkansen ticket gates. When you exit from the gates head towards the East Gate and wait inside near the doors. Please wait nearby there until the tour begins at 9:00 A.M. Be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag.

NOTES

Included

• English speaking guide throughout the tour
• Shinkansen train tickets from Kanazawa Station to Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen Station (For Kanazawa Start)
• Train tickets to and from Shin-Kurobe Station to Unazuki Onsen Station
• Trolley train tickets to and from Unazuki Onsen Station and Nekomata Station

Excluded

• Lunch (bento)
• Accommodation
• Transportation to chosen start point

Other Information

• This tour involves several hours of walking in the outdoors. We recommend that you wear shoes and clothes which are easy to walk in. Please check the weather forecast before you head to the meetup point and prepare an umbrella or rain coat if necessary.

• In winter the temperatures will be below 10℃ at the high , and in the morning and evening may be close to or below 0℃. Please wear warm clothing and footwear appropriate for snowy and cold conditions. There may also be snow and ice on the road/sidewalk, and so you should take care to not slip by preparing the correct shoes for such conditions.

• There will be free time along the way for guests to enjoy the locations at their own pace. However, please make sure that you are at the respective meetup points at the time stated by your guide. If you get lost or need assistance, feel free to call the number which is listed on your tour pass, and our staff will assist you immediately.

• If you have special dietary needs, it is advised that you either bring a bento from your hotel or buy one ahead of time. The area around Unazuki Onsen Station may not have the specifics of what you require. There is a convenience store in the town, though.