Originally Posted by
nickoakden
Just one little additional question - can I bring my big backpack along? Put it under the bus or something?
I'd love to do the alpine route, but I don't especially want to pay to get my backpack delivered from A to B. Quite apart from not wanting to get involved in the form-filling-in, it's going to cost enough to get *me* there, never mind my bag as well.
There isn't any "under bus" luggage storage (nor any "under cable car" or "under ropeway" storage). I have also heard that surcharges are payable for luggage over 10Kg (although I didn't see anyone weighing luggage - just about everyone had small day packs or shoulder bags).
If you went up and came down the same side of the mountain, you wouldn't need to carry your luggage. (Just leave it at a hotel in Toyama). And if the costs of the Alpine Route are stretching your budget, you could easily visit the mountains elsewhere in Japan for less money.