I'm hoping to do the Tateyama-Kurobe "Alpine Route" for my next trip to Japan. (This is a series of trains, buses, and cable cars by which one can go across the mountains from Toyama to Shinano-Omachi.)

Has anyone ever taken this trip? I'm assuming we can drag our lightweight luggage along with us, but does anyone know if there are places along the route so that we could check it for an hour or two to do some walking/hiking? There are various short hiking routes avilable at different points, but I'd rather not have my suitcase rolling along behind me . . .

This would be approximately October 15. The information from JNTO says its usually open until around November, so I'm assuming it would still be passable, but would the weather in mid-October be nice enough for it to actually be enjoyable?

Any other wisdom regarding this activity?