Japanese Alps: when to go, Tateyama-Kurobe and Kamikōchi

The Japanese Alps are visited from late April to mid-November: outside that window, the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route and the Kamikōchi valley are closed. For the 2026 season, the Alpine Route was open from April 15 to November 30, and Kamikōchi from April 17 to November 15. Both sites are closed to cars, are partly booked in advance and each need a full day.

The dates change every year, depending on the snow. The ones in this article apply to the 2026 season. At the time of writing, in October 2026, the 2027 dates were not yet on the official websites of the Alpine Route and of Kamikōchi: check them again before you book.

Opening and closing dates of the Alpine Route and Kamikōchi

Marker (2026 season)	Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route	Kamikōchi
Opening	April 15	April 17 for the buses, April 27 for the full opening
Closing	November 30	November 15 in the evening
Snow wall	From April 15 to June 25	Not applicable
Kurobe Dam water discharge	From June 26 to October 15	Not applicable
Months to remember	April and May for the snow wall	July and August for walking, October for the autumn leaves
Private cars	Banned on the whole crossing	Banned all year round

Two details matter for the end of the season:

• November is a reduced month on the Alpine Route. In 2026, online sales were restricted from November 4 to the departure times and sections least exposed to snow, then limited to the Ōgizawa-Murodō side from November 11 to 30. The luggage transfer service stopped on November 8.
• Kamikōchi closes before the Alpine Route. After November 15, no bus goes up into the valley any more.

If you want both sites in the same trip, aim for late April to late October. To place this window in a wider trip, see when to go to Japan, region by region.

Which season to choose: snow wall, summer or autumn leaves

• From mid-April to late June, the snow wall. When the route opens, the snowploughs cut a corridor near Murodō whose walls reach up to 20 meters (65 ft). You walk through it, 15 minutes from the terminal.
• July and August, the open mountain. These are the months our travel books pick for Kamikōchi and the high plateaux, when the cities of the plain are stifling.
• October, the autumn leaves. The Kamikōchi website gives it as one of the busiest months in the valley. The color front can be followed in our kōyō calendar.

The Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route: the crossing and the tickets

The Alpine Route is not a road in the usual sense. It is a crossing of the Tateyama range, 37 kilometers (23 mi) long with about 2,000 meters (6,550 ft) of elevation change, which strings together six vehicles between Tateyama station, on the Toyama side, and Ōgizawa, on the Nagano side:

1. cable car from Tateyama (475 m) to Bijodaira (977 m), 7 minutes;
2. bus to Murodō (2,450 m), the highest point, 50 minutes;
3. electric bus under the mountain to Daikanbō (2,316 m), 10 minutes;
4. ropeway to Kurobedaira (1,828 m), 7 minutes;
5. cable car to Lake Kurobe (1,455 m), 5 minutes, then 15 minutes on foot along the crest of the dam, which is 186 meters high;
6. electric bus to Ōgizawa (1,433 m), 16 minutes.

The official website counts 6 to 8 hours between Tateyama and Ōgizawa, stops included, and 7 to 8 hours from Dentetsu Toyama station, in the city.

The tickets, at the adult fares in force since February 27, 2026:

• Tateyama to Ōgizawa, one way: ¥10,940;
• Dentetsu Toyama to Ōgizawa, one way: ¥12,360;
• Tateyama to Murodō, return: ¥7,380.

The online ticket, called the WEB Ticket, is bought on the official website with a reserved departure time. The operator says sales open “usually one month before”: for April and May 2026, they started on March 13. Same-day tickets are still sold at the ticket offices of Dentetsu Toyama, Tateyama and Ōgizawa, and cannot be bought the day before.

Watch out: The official website warns that same-day ticket sales may be restricted in early May, in mid-August and in early October. In those periods, do not count on the ticket office: book online as soon as sales open. The country’s other quota tickets are in what to book in advance in Japan.

Kamikōchi: how to get there and how long to allow

Kamikōchi is a flat valley at an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,900 ft), ringed by 3,000-meter peaks. You enter it by bus or by taxi, never in your own car.

• By car from Matsumoto: Sawando parking lot, ¥700 a day, then 20 to 30 minutes by shuttle or taxi. The taxi to the terminal cost ¥5,200 in 2026.
• By car from Takayama: Hirayu parking lot, ¥600 a day, same journey time. Taxi: ¥6,000.
• Without a car from Matsumoto: 30 minutes by train to Shin-Shimashima, then 60 minutes by bus. The return bus must be booked.
• Without a car from Takayama: 60 minutes by bus to Hirayu Onsen, then 25 minutes by shuttle.

Once there, everything is done on foot, on flat paths. From Kappa Bridge to Taishō Pond, allow 75 minutes for 3.8 kilometers (2.4 mi). From Kappa Bridge to Myōjin Pond, 60 minutes for 3 kilometers. The official website suggests a 4-hour circuit that links all three. The last bus leaves the valley at around 18:00, a time to check again on the day itself: allow the whole day, and arrive early.

Linking the two: how many days and where to spend your nights

Kamikōchi is reached from Matsumoto, the Alpine Route from Ōmachi, an hour’s drive further north. You need two full mountain days, so three to four nights in the area. Here is one possible split, to adapt: it is a suggestion, not a tour we sell as it stands.

Town	Nights	What for
Matsumoto	2	The castle, then Kamikōchi as a return trip via Sawando
Ōmachi Onsen	1	Sleeping as close as possible to Ōgizawa and leaving on the first departures
Toyama	1	The end of the crossing, after a day of transport

In the other direction, replace Matsumoto with Takayama for Kamikōchi, via Hirayu, and start the crossing in Toyama.

Tip: The crossing is done without a suitcase. The official luggage service carries them the same day between Ōmachi and Toyama for ¥4,000 per piece, in cash, with no booking (2026 rate). With a rental car, you either have to return it before the crossing or have it delivered to the other side: the official website mentions a vehicle transfer service, to arrange before you leave. The rental rules are in renting a car in Japan.

So, when should you go to the Japanese Alps?

• For the snow wall: from late April to late June, when Kamikōchi is open as well.
• For walking: July and August.
• For the autumn leaves: October, booking early.
• To avoid: November, too reduced, and the whole winter, closed.

Our Nikkō, Alps and Hokuriku stage places these two days in a route of 17 days and 69 places, with Nikkō, Matsumoto, Kanazawa, Shirakawa-gō and Takayama. It is part of Japan from north to south in 88 days, and the other regions are on the Japan page.