The Cat Station Is the End of the Line, For Now

The car has no windows. None. Just an iron floor, a wooden bench, a low guardrail, and then the gorge — the whole of it, air and rock and river, arriving on your face as the train leans into the first curve past Unazuki. Steam-era engineering, still running. Two feet, six inches between the rails.

You do not look at the Kurobe Gorge through glass. You are set down inside it.

The river runs jade far below. The canyon walls close in, sheer, then pull back for a bridge, then close again. It is Japan's deepest V-shaped valley, and the little narrow-gauge line stitches its way up the side of it on ledges cut for hydroelectric work a century ago. Wind in the open car. The smell of cold water and pine. And then — a fact worth stating before anything else about the beauty.

Where The Line Currently Ends

As of this writing, the Kurobe Gorge Railway does not run its full route. Service turns back short of Keyakidaira. It has done so for three consecutive seasons — 2024, 2025, and 2026 — and the reason is a bridge.

The Kanetsuri Bridge was struck by rockfall from Higashi-Kanetsuri-yama during the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. Repairs on the slope and the crossing have kept the upper section closed since. So the train runs a turnaround service on the lower part of the line, and the honest position is this: visitors right now cannot ride to Keyakidaira.

Not yet.

Key fact: The full line to Keyakidaira is confirmed to reopen on 1 October 2026, after roughly two and a half years closed. Until then, service turns back short of the full route.

For the 2026 season, the timetable ran in two stages. The line opened on 20 April, running Unazuki to Sasadaira Station through 23 April. From 24 April through 30 September, service ran Unazuki to Nekomata Station. This is the current-status picture, and it is dated on purpose — the repair timeline is real, checkable, and moving.

Nekomata, The Cat Station At The Turnaround

Nekomata is the only station in Japan whose name carries the word neko — cat. And for the length of this repair period, it is not merely a scenic pause partway up the valley. It is the end of the line. The turnaround. The place the train stops, empties, and heads back down.

That is a temporary situation, and it is worth understanding why. Nekomata was never one of the line's traditional boarding stops. It became the terminus only because the track above it was cut. Once the full route resumes, Nekomata will no longer be a station where passengers board or alight at all — only Unazuki, Kuronagi, Kanetsuri, and Keyakidaira will serve that role.

So there is a small, closing window here. For now, and only for now, the cat station is where the railway ends. When Keyakidaira reopens, that quirk quietly disappears.

Guests drawn to the oddity of riding to Japan's one cat-named terminus have a finite season in which to do it.

The Railway Itself

The full route, when it runs complete, covers 20.1 kilometres from Unazuki to Keyakidaira. Roughly one hour and twenty minutes one way. The gauge is 762mm — genuine narrow gauge, the kind built for hauling materials up terrain no road could reach.

The open cars are the point. JR West describes the line as a sightseeing railway reaching a route no car can follow, with open-air baths tucked in near the stations. There are windowed "relax" carriages too, for the cautious or the cold. But the open car is the true experience, and it comes with a plain warning from the operator: mountain weather changes fast. Bring extra layers. What starts warm at Unazuki can turn sharp in the shade of the upper canyon.

Kuronagi Station

A short hike from Kuronagi leads to Kuronagi Onsen, one of the valley's remote hot-spring stops. Beside the station, the Atobiki Bridge crosses the Kuronagi River sixty metres above the water. It is a vertiginous, quiet place — the sort of spot that makes the whole detour worthwhile.

Kanetsuri Station

Kanetsuri serves a public outdoor onsen and a ryokan directly at the stop. A hot bath, the river running past, the canyon walls rising on both sides. Both Kuronagi and Kanetsuri sit within the currently reachable section, which means these onsen stops are real, present experiences — not something held hostage to the closure further up the line.

How Do You Reserve The Kurobe Gorge Railway?

Reservations open three months before your travel date and close at 15:00 the day before, for individual travellers. The booking method depends on how far the train is going, not simply on the date.

Shorter runs — to Kuronagi, or a round trip to the current turnaround point — are generally bookable online or by phone. Longer runs toward Kanetsuri and beyond have required phone-only booking during parts of the repair period. The split is by segment, by distance travelled, not one fixed rule for the whole line. That distinction matters, and it shifts as more of the line reopens.

Group bookings of fifteen or more are phone reservation only, regardless of segment or date. The Kurobe Gorge Railway Customer Center operates seasonally, roughly April through November, from 9:00 to 16:30, on 0765-62-1011. The operator also lists travel agencies such as JTB and Kinki Nippon Tourist as ticketing channels.

Because these rules move with the repair work, our concierge team will confirm the exact current booking before we commit to a date. For questions, contact our concierge.

Getting There

The line begins at Unazuki. ANA notes it is roughly 25 minutes by train from Shin-Kurobe Station, on the Toyama Chihou Railway, to Unazuki Onsen Station — then about a five-minute walk to Unazuki Station, where the gorge railway departs.

Unazuki Onsen makes a natural base: a hot-spring town at the mouth of the valley, quiet, well-suited to a night before an early ride.

Within walking distance, ANA describes Sarutobi Gorge — a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and Special Natural Monument — around thirty minutes on foot. A short, verifiable walk that pairs well with the railway for guests who want more than the train alone. Our team at Japan Royal Service can build these quieter walks around your ride rather than leaving you to guess distances on the day.

When Does The Full Line To Keyakidaira Reopen?

Full-line operation between Unazuki and Keyakidaira resumes on 1 October 2026, per the railway's own announcement and confirmed by Japanese travel-industry press. From that date, Nekomata will no longer be used for boarding or alighting.

There is a further point worth carrying forward. Even after the full line reopens, Keyakidaira itself is expected to remain restricted. Restoration continues on the slopes and retaining walls near the station, and visitors are limited to the station building, its rooftop viewing area, and the visitor centre "for the time being," per the railway's own wording. So reaching Keyakidaira again does not immediately mean roaming freely around it. That, too, will change on its own timeline — and it, too, is worth re-verifying.

The practical reading: the autumn reopening turns the full 20.1-kilometre route back on just as the canyon foliage arrives, which makes early October a compelling window for those who want the complete ride.

In our experience, that is precisely when demand concentrates, and precisely why seat strategy and reservation timing repay early attention.

What Japan Royal Service Arranges

Reservation and booking for the train. Stated plainly, once: our team handles the timing, the segment-specific booking method, and the seat security so the ride slots cleanly into a wider day.

Around that, we shape the rest. A night at Unazuki Onsen. A quiet walk to Sarutobi Gorge. Private chauffeured transport from Toyama or Shin-Kurobe so you are not threading local connections with luggage. Or a longer tailor-made itinerary that folds the gorge into a Northern Alps arc — nature, engineering, and hot-spring quiet across several unhurried days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Ride The Kurobe Gorge Railway All The Way To Keyakidaira Right Now?

No. As of this writing, service turns back short of the full route because of earthquake-related bridge damage. Full-line operation to Keyakidaira is confirmed to resume on 1 October 2026.

Why Is Nekomata Currently The End Of The Line?

Nekomata serves as the turnaround point only during the current repair period, after the track above it was closed. Once the full line reopens, Nekomata will no longer be a boarding or alighting station — making its role as terminus a temporary, closing-window situation.

How Far In Advance Can I Reserve A Seat?

Reservations open three months before your travel date and close at 15:00 the day before for individual travellers.

The booking method depends on how far the train is going; longer runs have required phone-only booking during parts of the repair period.

What Should I Wear In The Open-Air Cars?

Bring extra layers. The operator warns that mountain weather is unpredictable, and the open cars offer no glass between you and the canyon air. Temperatures drop noticeably in the shaded upper valley, even on warm days at Unazuki.

Are The Onsen Stops Currently Reachable?

Yes. Kuronagi and Kanetsuri stations both sit within the currently running section. Kuronagi offers a short hike to Kuronagi Onsen, and Kanetsuri serves a public outdoor onsen and ryokan directly at the stop.

Why Choose Japan Royal Service

A public scenic railway with a shifting timetable, segment-dependent booking rules, and a repair situation that changes each season is exactly the kind of thing that rewards a watchful concierge. We track the operating status against the railway's own announcements, so you are not planning around last year's information.

More than that, we place the ride inside a day that makes sense — the right base at Unazuki Onsen, private transport that removes the fiddly connections, the quiet walks and hot-spring stops that turn a train ride into a full experience. That is the difference between catching a train and being carried, unhurried, into one of Japan's deepest valleys.

To plan your Kurobe Gorge journey, reach our team privately via WhatsApp or LINE, or contact us here.