Kurobe Dam黒部ダム

Each summer the dam releases water from two valves high on the wall, a spray of 10 tonnes a second or more that falls into the gorge. It keeps the Kurobe River running through the gorge below, including past Unazuki, when the summer flow is low. On sunny days a rainbow forms in the mist.

The 2026 discharge ended on 15 October. If you are here for it, plan for late June to mid October in 2027 (this year ran 26 June–15 October); the dates are not announced.

The observation deck is up 220 steps from the tunnel bus station, at about 1,508 m. The discharge viewing stage is on a barrier-free path from the front of the rest house, so prams and wheelchairs reach it. The Rainbow Terrace (レインボーテラス), the newer viewing plaza, is the closest view of the discharge, almost level with it and misty. You can also walk the 492 m crest.

Without the discharge, the deck and the crest are still the views: the arch, the green lake and the peaks behind it.

The lake behind the dam is what the Toyama-side route runs beside. From Kurobeko Station, at the lake end, you walk 15 minutes along the dam to the tunnel bus station; it is the one stretch of the crossing that costs nothing extra.

The Garbe lake cruise, about 30 minutes on Kurobe Lake, ended on 10 November 2024. Its operator, Kanden Amenix, cited falling passenger numbers and an ageing hull. Older guides still list it.

The leaves at the dam were at peak on 20 October this year; by the last week of November there can be snow on the slope. The photograph here is from the closing day in 2024. Wear what you would for the high mountains: the dam stands at about 1,500 m and the mist from the wall makes it colder.

The dam restaurant serves a green curry made with spinach paste, with the rice shaped as the arch of the dam, and a milder children’s version. Toilets are at Kurobe Dam Station, on the observation deck and in the restaurant house.