Kurobe Dam

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About Kurobe Dam

Kurobe Dam sits on the upper course of the Kurobe River, in the heart of the Northern Alps, on the Alpine Route section nearest Omachi. It is a concrete arch dam, 186 meters high, the tallest in Japan. It was built between 1956 and 1963 to generate power for the Kansai region, a difficult project carried out in an area without roads. More than 170 workers died during construction and are commemorated by a memorial on site.

To bring materials and workers in, the Kanden Tunnel was bored through the mountain from Omachi. The crossing of a water‑and‑sand filled fault inside the tunnel is the best‑known episode of the project, recounted in books and a film. Today the tunnel is used by the electric bus that links Ogizawa to the dam.

From the tunnel station, a stairway of more than 200 steps leads up to the viewpoint, where you can see the whole dam and Kurobe Lake behind it, surrounded by peaks. The roughly 500‑meter walkway along the top of the dam connects the station to the funicular that continues toward the Toyama side. A sightseeing boat operates on the lake during the season.

From late June to mid‑October the dam usually opens the spillway and water jets down the face of the structure, creating mist and, on sunny days, rainbows. Visiting depends on the Alpine Route season, which generally runs from mid‑April to the end of November.