Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route 2015

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28th April 2015.
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine (pronounced “Alpen”) Route is known as the “Roof of Japan”. The route passes through the dynamic scenery of Mt. Tateyama in the Japan Alps. It is traversed using a variety of vehicles with an elevation change of 2400 meters from Toyama Prefecture to Nagano Prefecture.



The route is approximately 90 km long and you will be impressed by the variety of scenery that can be seen in different seasons.

In spring, accumulated snow, especially around the upper sections of Midagahara and Murodo, form a majestic snow corridor whose snow walls reach up to 20 meters high. A section of the snow corridor (Yuki-no Otani) around Murodo is open to pedestrians usually from mid April to mid June.

In 2015, the snow corridor is open to pedestrians from April 16 to June 22. On the opening day, the snow walls reached a height of up to 19 meters.

The following is a list of transportation and attractions along the Alpine Route, in order from west to east:


Toyama Chiho Railway
Running through rural Toyama Prefecture, this train gets you from Dentetsu Toyama Station (next to JR Toyama Station) in central Toyama City to Tateyama Station in about one hour. It runs around the year.

Tateyama Cablecar
The Tateyama Cablecar ascends from Tateyama Station to Bijodaira Station in only seven minutes. This is the only section of the Alpine Route for which it is possible to make advance reservations (in direction of Murodo only).

Highland Bus
This bus requires roughly 50 minutes for the journey between Bijodaira Station and Murodo.There are a few bus stops along the way. During spring, the bus runs along the Tateyama Snow Corridor.

Tateyama Snow Corridor (more details)
From April to May, the road from Bijodaira to Murodo runs between up to 20 meter high snow walls. The snow corridor is most spectacular around Murodo, where an approximately one kilometer passage is open to pedestrians from around mid April to mid June.

Murodo
Murodo offers fantastic views of the Tateyama Mountain Range. In summer and autumn, hiking trails lead to the surrounding peaks and to the nearby Jigokudani "Hell Valley". Volcanic activity can be observed at the valley, although the trails in the area can get closed due to high concentrations of volcanic gases. The Murodo Station complex includes Hotel Tateyama, Japan's highest located hotel.

Tateyama Trolley Bus
Electric powered buses transport travelers through the tunnel between Murodo and Daikanbo. The one way journey takes 10 minutes

Daikanbo
This is the transfer station between the Tateyama Trolley Bus and the Tateyama Ropeway. The small station has an observation deck with great views of the mountains.

Tateyama Ropeway
This 1.7 kilometer long ropeway operates without any support towers between the lower and upper stations, making it Japan's longest one-span ropeway. The one way trip takes seven minutes . Due to the ropeway's relatively small capacity, it tends to be a bottleneck on busy days.

Kurobedaira
Kurobedaira is the transfer station between the Tateyama Ropeway and Kurobe Cablecar. The station offers a restaurant, souvenir shop and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.

Kurobe Cablecar
This cablecar runs entirely inside a tunnel, which is a rarity among cablecars. The one way journey between Kurobedaira and Kurobeko Station (next to Kurobe Dam) takes five minutes

Kurobe Dam
Kurobe Dam, with a height of 186 meters, is Japan's tallest dam. From late June to mid October, up to 15 tons of water per second are spectacularly discharged through the dam. Sightseeing cruises are operated on the lake from June to early November.

Kanden Trolley Bus
Electric powered buses transport travelers through the tunnel between Kurobe Dam and Ogizawa.

Ogizawa-Omachi Bus
A regular bus service connects Ogizawa with JR Shinano-Omachi Station via Omachi Onsen. The one way trip takes 40 minutes .