Rail Trip Part 5 - Tips for a More Comfortable Ride on the Kurobe Gorge Railway

I took a retro train from Shin-Kurobe Station on the Toyama Chihō Railway to Unazuki Onsen Station. From there, I boarded the Kurobe Gorge Railway's trolley train at Unazuki Station.
I was torn between choosing a car without windows or backrests and one with windows and backrests, but since my elderly mother was with me and it might be cold that day, I booked a car with windows in advance.
It was a beautiful, clear day!
The trolley train has 12 cars, and 4 or 5 of them have windows (the number of cars seems to be adjusted based on the number of passengers).
The windowless cars were packed with tour groups. The cars with windows had plenty of space, and there were only six of us in car number 10.
It was a warm day, so the windows were wide open. We were able to move freely from side to side to match the scenery and took lots of photos. While windowless cars are the classic choice for the trolley train, the one-way trip takes 50 minutes. I thought that the cars with backrests might actually be more comfortable. (It costs an extra 500 yen.)

By the way, you won't be able to enjoy the best views unless you sit on the right side on the way there and the left side on the way back. While the car is assigned, seats are not, so boarding early is essential to secure a good spot.
As for us, we ended up rushing on just two minutes before departure. Although the platforms for the Toyama Chihō Railway's Unazuki Onsen Station and the Kurobe Gorge Railway's Unazuki Station are close, the ticket gates are separate, making a 10-minute transfer very hectic. I ended up having to make my mother run.
I regret not waking up a little earlier to catch an earlier train, which would have allowed us to stroll around the hot spring town or relax at the footbath on the platform of Unazuki Onsen Station before boarding the trolley train.

It would have been even more convenient to stay at a ryokan near Unazuki Onsen Station, but as it happened, everywhere was fully booked on the weekday we visited. We ended up staying at a ryokan closer to Shin-Kurobe Station.
Due to the Noto earthquake, the Kurobe Gorge Railway is currently not running to the final stop, but is instead turning back at Nekomata Station. Still, it was a luxurious time to gaze at the gorge while feeling the pleasant breeze.

A little extra detail from the rail trip: stink bugs kept flying in through the windows one after another. Before we departed from Nekomata Station, a station attendant worked hard to remove the bugs that were clinging to the windows. I don't have any photos, haha.