Things to Do in Toyama Without a Car: Trams, Sights and Day Trips

Toyama is the capital of Toyama Prefecture, on Toyama Bay, with the Tateyama range behind it. The Hokuriku Shinkansen stops at Toyama Station, the trams leave from the station and the Toyama Chiho Railway from Dentetsu-Toyama, so the city works as a base without a car. This guide covers getting there, the trams, the sights in town, the day trips to the mountains and Takaoka, and what closes in late autumn.

Times, fares and dates below come from Toyama City's official tourism site, Toyama Chiho Railway, the Kurobe Gorge Railway, the Fugan Suijo Line, JR and the towns' tourism pages, checked October 25, 2026.

Toyama sits on the Hokuriku side of the region in my Japanese Alps without a car guide.

Why go to Toyama

• The Tateyama range from town: the free City Hall Observation Tower and the bridge tower in Kansui Park both look out to the mountains on a clear day.
• The way into the mountains: the Toyama Chiho Railway runs from Dentetsu-Toyama to Tateyama, the start of the Alpine Route, and to Unazuki Onsen, the start of the Kurobe Gorge Railway.
• Toyama Bay: the prefecture's food site gives firefly squid from March to June and white shrimp from April to November, the shrimp caught off Iwase in Toyama and Shinminato in Imizu.

Getting to Toyama without a car

• From Tokyo: on the November 2026 timetable the Kagayaki 503 leaves Tokyo at 7:20 and reaches Toyama at 9:24, then Kanazawa at 9:44. My Tokyo to Toyama by Shinkansen or plane guide compares the train with the flight to Toyama Airport.
• From Osaka and Kyoto: take the limited express Thunderbird to Tsuruga and change to the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
• From Shirakawa-go: the Nohi Bus express takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to Toyama Station, and some buses must be booked. The fare is ¥2,400 before the December 1, 2026 fare change. See my guides to the Shirakawa-go bus and Shirakawa-go.
• From Takayama: the same bus line runs from the Takayama Nohi Bus Center via Shirakawa-go, ¥3,800 before the same fare change. My Takayama guide covers the town.

Tickets and the Hokuriku passes are in my Hokuriku Shinkansen tickets guide.

Getting around: the trams

The trams cost ¥240 a ride for adults and ¥120 for children, in cash or with a nationwide transport IC card. The city tram one-day ticket costs ¥650 for adults and ¥330 for children and also covers the Toyama Chiho Railway between Dentetsu-Toyama and Minami-Toyama.

The frequencies are from Toyama City's tourism site.

Things to do in Toyama city

Toyama Glass Art Museum

The museum is open 9:30–18:00 (last entry to the galleries 17:30) and closes on the first and third Wednesdays and over the New Year; the days can change during exhibitions. The permanent collection costs ¥200; the Glass Art Garden is on the sixth floor. Take the tram toward Minami-Toyama Ekimae to Nishimachi (about 9 minutes, then 1 minute on foot), or walk about 22 minutes from the south exit.

Fugan Canal Kansui Park and the canal boat

Kansui Park is 9 minutes on foot from the north exit and free at all hours. The observation tower on its bridge is open 9:00–21:30 and looks over the park to the Tateyama range.

Toyama Castle and the City Hall Observation Tower

Toyama Castle holds the Toyama City Local History Museum, which covers more than 400 years of the city's history: 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), ¥210 for adults, free for high school students and younger, closed December 28 – January 4. It is 10 minutes on foot from the south exit.

The City Hall Observation Tower, about 70 m up, is free and 7 minutes on foot from the south exit. From November to March it is open 9:00–18:00 on weekdays and 10:00–18:00 on weekends and holidays; from April to October it stays open to 21:00.

Iwase, the old port

Iwase grew as a port of the Kitamae trading ships, and its street keeps storehouses and old shipping merchants' houses, the city's tourism site says. Take the tram on the Toyamako Line to Iwasehama, 25 minutes from Toyama Station, every 10 to 15 minutes, or arrive by canal boat. The Mori House is closed after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake until its earthquake strengthening is done; the city expects to reopen it in fiscal 2027 or later, and says the date may change. The city's walking course lists the Baba House as open 9:00–17:00.

Day trips from Toyama

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

The Alpine Route runs April 15 – November 30, 2026. The Toyama Chiho Railway reaches Tateyama Station in about an hour from Dentetsu-Toyama, and the cable car platform is one floor up. Fares, web tickets and passes are in my Alpine Route tickets guide.

Kurobe Gorge and Unazuki Onsen

The Toyama Chiho Railway takes about 1 hour 30 minutes from Dentetsu-Toyama to Unazuki Onsen Station, and the Kurobe Gorge Railway's Unazuki Station is about 10 minutes on foot from there, says Toyama Chiho Railway. The Hakutaka Shinkansen takes about 15 minutes to Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen, which is a different station from Unazuki Onsen.

From October 1 to November 30 the gorge trains run the whole line from Unazuki to Keyakidaira: ¥2,480 one way for adults, plus ¥600 a ride for the relax cars. Restoration work means you can go only to Keyakidaira Station and the visitor center, and the railway suggests about an hour there. From December 1 to 6 a train runs from Unazuki to Sasahira and back for ¥2,260, booked by phone only.

At Unazuki Onsen Station the Kuronagi footbath and hand bath sit on the platform, free, 9:00–18:00 from April to November and 9:00–16:00 from December to March.

Takaoka and Gokayama

Zuiryuji in Takaoka has three buildings (the gate, the Buddha hall and the lecture hall) named National Treasures in 1997. It is open 9:00–16:30 (to 16:00 from December 10 to January 31), ¥500. The Hokuriku Area Pass, sold to short-term foreign visitors, covers the Ainokaze Toyama Railway between Toyama and Takaoka.

From Takaoka Station and Shin-Takaoka, Kaetsuno Bus runs the World Heritage Bus to Gokayama and on to Shirakawa-go. The Gokayama and Shirakawa-go free ticket costs ¥4,000 for two days. Each bus has 16 reserved seats, bookable from a month before to the day before, and other seats are first come. Some buses are suspended, including the 16:00 from Takaoka Station to Shirakawa-go.

Toyama Bay: seafood seasons and the view across the sea

Both seasons are from the Toyama Prefecture food site. I did not find opening hours or prices for places to eat on the official pages I read.

Himi City says the Tateyama range shows across the sea from the Himi coast on about 50 to 60 days a year, most often on cold, clear days from December to February. Its live camera is a quick check before you go.

Where to stay and how long

I would stay near Toyama Station: the Shinkansen, the trams, Dentetsu-Toyama for the mountain trains and the coin lockers are all there. Two nights gives you one day for the city and one day for Tateyama or Kurobe Gorge while they run. From December, when the mountain lines close, the city sights fit in one day. If you are going on to Kanazawa, my guide on where to stay in Kanazawa covers the areas there.

Luggage at Toyama Station

• Coin lockers: Toyama City lists six sites around the station, as of April 1, 2026. Those in the JR station concourse take ¥400–¥800 and are open 4:30–1:30 (next day); the west exit lockers are open 24 hours.
• Dentetsu-Toyama: lockers outside the gates take ¥500 coins only, 5:00–1:30 (next day).
• Bag storage: O'CLOCCA in Toyama Marche keeps bags 9:00–20:30 and can be booked ahead on ecbo cloak.
• Tourist information: the center on the first floor of the station's Crallte building is open 8:00–20:00 every day.

What closes in late autumn

The trams and the sights in town keep running through the winter, apart from their New Year closures, and December to February is when Himi City says the mountains show most often across the sea.

Getting to Toyama from Tokyo or Osaka

From Tokyo

Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo; the Kagayaki 503 leaves at 7:20 and reaches Toyama at 9:24.

From Osaka

Limited express Thunderbird to Tsuruga, then the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama.

Frequently asked questions

Keep planning

Sources

1. Toyama Glass Art Museum — Toyama City Official Tourism Website
2. Fugan Canal Kansui Park — Toyama City Official Tourism Website
3. Toyama Castle / Toyama City Local History Museum — Toyama City Official Tourism Website
4. Toyama City Hall Observation Tower — Toyama City Official Tourism Website
5. Trams (fares and lines) — Toyama City Official Tourism Website
6. Iwase walking course — Toyama City Official Tourism Website
7. Tourist information center — Toyama City Official Tourism Website
8. Coin lockers around Toyama Station — Toyama City Official Tourism Website
9. Mori House (closure notice) — Toyama City
10. FAQ (Tateyama and Unazuki Onsen) — Toyama Chiho Railway
11. Kurobe Gorge Railway 2026 operating plan — Kurobe Gorge Railway
12. Toyama Airport bus — Toyama Chiho Railway
13. City tram one-day ticket — Toyama Chiho Railway
14. Fugan Suijo Line (canal boat) — Fugan Suijo Line
15. Fugan Suijo Line 2026 timetable — Fugan Suijo Line
16. Firefly squid — Toyama Prefecture
17. White shrimp — Toyama Prefecture
18. Fares and operating sections — Kurobe Gorge Railway
19. Access — Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen Tourism Bureau
20. Station footbath Kuronagi — Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen Tourism Bureau
21. Zuiryuji Temple — Zuiryuji Temple
22. World Heritage Bus (Takaoka – Gokayama – Shirakawa-go) — Kaetsuno Bus
23. Tateyama across the sea (live camera) — Himi City
24. Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (English) — Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
25. Kagayaki 503 timetable (November 2026) — JR East
26. Hokuriku Area Pass — JR West
27. Shirakawa-go bus — Nohi Bus