A new tourist route, the "Kurobe-Unazuki Canyon Route," connecting Keyakidaira Station (Kurobe City), the terminus of the Kurobe Gorge Railway in Toyama Prefecture, and the Kurobe Dam (Tateyama Town), was unveiled to the press on the 26th, coinciding with the practical training of expert guides, ahead of its public opening on October 2nd. The route traces the history of power development along the Kurobe River, passing through roads originally built for the construction of dams and power plants, and utilizing a series of unique vehicles.

The Canyon Route is a construction route developed in conjunction with the construction of Kansai Electric Power's Kurobe River No. 3 and No. 4 power plants. The approximately 18-kilometer route involves riding a trolley train and a vertical shaft elevator that ascends and descends a 200-meter elevation difference. Visitors can also experience the "Incline" cable car, which ascends a steep 34-degree incline in 20 minutes, and the high-temperature tunnel, which exceeded 160 degrees at the time and was the setting for Akira Yoshimura's novel "High-Temperature Tunnel," by riding a battery-powered locomotive, experiencing a part of the difficult construction work of that era. Furthermore, from the observation deck overlooking Mount Tsurugi, you can enjoy the magnificent mountain scenery of the Northern Alps without having to undertake a full-fledged climb.

Currently, it is still used for the maintenance and management of Kansai Electric Power's power generation facilities and for transporting construction materials, and until now, it was only accessible through guided tours. Due to its high popularity, with applications for the tours exceeding capacity, Toyama Prefecture entered into an agreement with Kansai Electric Power to offer it as a travel package. Initially, the aim was to open in 2024, but it was postponed due to the Noto Peninsula earthquake of that year.

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