Attractions & Eats

"Beautiful sights, engaging hands-on activities, and a charming setting await you in Omachi, a city enveloped in the great outdoors.
When you come to Kurobe, join up with the squad and check out local history, fun facts, and popular souvenirs that you definitely do not want to miss!"

Recommended Attractions

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
Kurobe Dam
Chojiya Salt Road Museum
Miasa Highland Miso Warehouse

Recommended Eats

Kurobe Dam Curry
Gold Leaf Soft Serve Ice Cream
Hacider

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Cutting through the Northern Alps, an area referred to as the “Roof of Japan,” the Kurobe Alpine Route is a sightseeing route in the mountains, where you can bask in the great outdoors. It is a total of 90 km in length. The route opened in its entirety in 1971, connecting our city of Omachi in Nagano Prefecture to Toyama City in Toyama Prefecture.
There are four recommended areas: the Daikanbo area, where you can look out at the lake and mountains from a precipice; the Murodo area, which has one of the highest cable-car stations in Japan and is a good base for sightseeing and mountaineering; the Midagahara area, where you can see numerous alpine plants; and the Bijodaira area, a treasure trove of wild birds (it retains its name from a time when women were not permitted to go any farther).
Six forms of transportation, including a trolley bus, cable car, and ropeway, are used along the route. Using the different modes of transportation and walking around these four areas is the best way to enjoy the route. You can get across in around three hours, making it a very convenient journey.
Mt. Tateyama has been revered as a sacred mountain since the Edo period and is known to have been visited by those carrying out mountain ascetic practices. Learn the history of the land, and you may make some interesting discoveries.

Official website

Kurobe Dam

The impressive form of the Kurobe Dam presents a spectacular sight to the many visitors who come to see it. Its construction, including the challenge they faced with the shear zone, is depicted in the film The Sun of Kurobe and is still marveled at as the great project of that century. Feel the weight of the time and lives that the dam took to build.
There is more to Kurobe than just history. From June 26 through October 15, 10 tons of water are released per second in an impressive display of the pent up water’s force. The new observation deck and Rainbow Terrace are so close, it is as if you could reach out and touch the water. These lookout points offer beautiful views of the dam rearing up in contrast to the Tateyama Mountain Range. Even with wheel chairs and baby carriages, you can easily access this point for a great view of the water being released. No matter what spot you choose, you will be sure to experience a thrill.
We recommend giving yourself a little extra time to explore; take a walk along the path across the dam and gaze out at the Northern Japan Alps or take a ride on the Kurobe Lake Pleasure Cruise ship the Garube. Even in the summer time, bring your jacket since the temperature drops with higher altitude.

Official website

Omachi Onsenkyo

Not far from the Kurobe Dam and surrounded in a calming aura of green, you will find Omachi Onsenkyo. This hot spring area is located higher up on the Kurobe Alpine Route and features hot spring bathing for not only overnight guests, but for day-trip visitors as well.
Enjoy forest bathing in the surrounding highland forests of birch, oak, and beech trees. Visitors who come from all over the country and from overseas are delighted by the vast natural landscape.
Kuzu Hot Springs in Takase Gorge, the source of Omachi Onsenkyo. Its beginnings are said to date back to the second half of the 18th century. Old documents show that the long cherished hot springs were caught up in a giant flood. Troubled by this, the locals approached the Matsumoto Domain and were able to get the hot springs restored.
The weak alkaline waters are around 66°C before reaching the baths. Warm your aching body through and through.
Rejuvenation and wellness! Take it easy in the townscape preserved through the efforts of local organizations, the Tourism Association, and the residents themselves.

Official website

Chojiya Salt Road Museum

Did you know that the Chikuni Kaido (highway) was once called the Salt Road? Starting at Matsumoto, Nagano and running through Omachi, the road reaches Itoigawa in Niigata. Long ago, it sustained the mountain kingdom of Shinshu. Records show that around the time of the Edo period, salt and other goods from the sea were brought from Echigo and Hokuriku.
The former Hirabayashi family were salt merchants in Omachi, a place that once flourished as a post town along the Salt Road. The name of their house has since been changed to the Chojiya Salt Road Museum, and the building is used to pass on the history and culture of that time. There are three storehouses on the property that were built starting in the Edo period and finished in the Meiji period. You can view antiques from daily life and clothing. It was designated a National Cultural Property, the first one of its kind in Omachi, in 2017.
In addition to an attraction, it also serves as a well-used multipurpose facility, connecting the people from present day with the land. At the adjacent horseback archery hall, you can learn about the Nyakuichioji Shrine Festival that takes place in the summer. Stop in and check it out.

Official website

Miasa Highland Miso Warehouse

This miso warehouse has miso making experiences, tours, and tastings. The interior activity, exhibit, and shop areas were renovated in 2017, but the warehouse still continues to keep the miso chilled just as it has since long ago.
Headquartered in Nagano City, the company Marukome originally fermented its miso here naturally. Situated on the east side of Omachi City, Miasa Highlands sits at an altitude of 1,000 m. The cool climate is perfect for fermenting miso over long periods.
The miso is stored in wooden barrels made especially from cedar grown in Neba in southern Nagano. It is worth a trip just to see the barrels that are made only from cedars that are 60 years old or older and have been nurtured by the pristine waters of the Yahagi River, which flows through the prefecture. They would like to leave future generations with the long-used methods of fermenting this special miso over a long period of time.
Certain content requires reservation in advance. Please see the homepage before visiting.

Official website

Kurobe Dam Curry

A dam that rears up majestically surrounded by a landscape covered in greenery. These two features are superbly recreated on a single plate as the famed Kurobe Dam Curry.
The dam shape of the rice and the green from the spinach in the roux makes for a commendable recreation. The potato salad embodying the water gushing forth and the rest of the edible scene before you make this one of the local specialties. The curry is just a tad spicy, but have no fear, the children’s sweet curry and the mildly spicy Arch Curry are also available to choose from.
The shovel spoon that is also available for purchase completes the experience.
The Dam Curry that has made it to local gourmet status first came about in 1965. It started out as Arch Curry sold first at Ogisawa Resthouse. Over the years, the number of shops offering Kurobe Dam Curry in Omachi has increased. Finding the dish that you like best out of the varying designs from the different shops is part of the fun.

Gold Leaf Soft Serve Ice Cream

Another local specialty is the Dazzling Buried Treasure Soft-serve Ice Cream that is cloaked in gold leaf on the front. The shimmering gold leaf is amazing to behold. The motif is gold that I buried in the snow at the time of Sarasaragoe. As the name implies, there is something hidden in the creamy center.
They also serve Kurobe Dame Curry Soft-serve Ice Cream, which has a distinct curry flavor. No matter which flavor you choose, prepare yourself!

Hasaitai Chocolate Mousse

Surprise your taste buds with this delectable chocolate mousse, an edible shear zone. When you dig into the rough chocolate cookie boulders and mousse, you will hit jelly ground water.
As shown in the film The Sun of Kurobe, the most perilous part of the dam’s construction was the shear zone. Now then, even as you dig into the sweet mousse, you might find yourself giving a thought to the people of that time.

Hacider

Hacider—just one sip of this local cider will give you a taste of Kurobe’s refreshing landscape.
The name comes from combining one of the famous parts of the dam’s construction, hasaitai or “shear zone”, and cider. The cider is made with pure, cold natural water that wells up from the shear zone. Served at 4°C, the mildly sweet drink is full of minerals and a popular souvenir.
Also available for purchase at Yakushinoyu and some cafés and hotels in Omachi Onsenkyo.
Notice the retro packaging.