The Kurobe cuts one of the deepest gorges in Japan through the granite of the Northern Alps, a river of dam, tunnel and sheer rock where iwana live in cold pockets at the foot of immense walls. Hard, dramatic, half-wilderness water reached by mountain railway and trail, fished by those who go deep into the range.
Under the surface
A river in one of Japan's deepest granite gorges, in the heart of the Northern Alps, between sheer walls and the famous Kurobe dam. Iwana hold in cold pockets beneath the cliffs; access is by mountain railway, tunnel and trail. Spare, dramatic, half-wilderness keiryu.
Wading: Deep gorge, sheer walls, cold swift water, serious access
- River
- Granite
- Confined
- Pocket water
- Step pool
