Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Murodō Station of Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート, Tateyama Kurobe Arupen Rūto) is a mountain sightseeing route between Tateyama, Toyama and Omachi, Nagano, Japan. The whole route opened on June 1, 1971.

Overview

Kurobe dam
"Snow Walls"

The route is just 37 km in length, but the vertical interval is as large as 1,975 m. It uses 7 different forms of public transport with five different modes, namely funicular, bus] trolleybus, aerial tramway, and walking.

The route is carefully built so that the surrounding environment is not damaged. Consequently, three lines go entirely under tunnels. (This is also to protect the lines from snow.) Among them, two are trolleybus lines. Trolleybuses have all gone from Japan, except for these two lines which are still used here as they do not exhaust fumes in the tunnels.

Tateyama Kurobe Kankō

The Tateyama Kurobe Kankō (立山黒部貫光) is a public transport company that operates most lines in the route. Its official abbreviation is TKK. The word kankō (貫光) was coined by Muneyoshi Saeki, the first president of the company. According to him, kan (貫) means "time-space", and kō (光) means "outer space",[1] while kan (貫) also (normally) means "to penetrate", as in "to penetrate Tateyama Mountains" and kō (normally) means "light". The word is a homophone to kankō (観光; "sightseeing"), possibly intentionally.

Sights

The route goes through Tateyama in the Hida Mountains with many scenic sites as well as walking trails, including Japan's largest dam, Kurobe dam. Some stations have hotels around them and are used as bases for mountain climbing or trekking, mainly near Tateyama Station as well as up on the mountain by Murodo Station.

There are many sights along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. From the highest to the lowest, these sights include the following.

Located by Oyama peak is Oyama Shrine, where climbers can receive a blessing and warm sake from a priest. There is also a rest area where climbers may buy food, drinks, and souvenirs. This peak is better known but it is some way from the highest point of the mountain (Onanjiyama).

Located on Murodo Plateau from Murodō Station is a shopping area and onsen bath. The onsen on Tateyama is famously known for its use of sulfur spring water for the bath, leaving a noticeable aroma that can be detected even while ascending the mountain. Visitors can also find several hiking and walking paths that take them through the beautiful valleys, and take a look at Devil's Valley (Jigokudani). With many volcanic areas in Japan by the same name, visitors are no longer able to walk within the sulfur valley due to gas-related safety concerns.

From April 15 to mid-June, one can enjoy the sparkling snow walls named Yukino-ōtani, which tower anywhere from 15 to 20 meters high (roughly 50 to 65 feet). They flank the road leading to Murodo Station, where visitors can enjoy hot, delicious food after walking between the impressive, but chilly, snow walls. There are many charter services from Taipei, Inchon and Thailand during the high season to reach Murodo at this time.

From Murodo, visitors can also reach Kurobe Dam, which stands at 186 meters (610 feet), making it the tallest dam in Japan. From Murodō Station, visitors should take the Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus (10 minutes), followed by the Tateyama Ropeway (7 minutes), and finally the Kurobe Cable Car (5 minutes). From the last stop, a 15-minute walk will take visitors to the dam.

Midagahara is a flat walking area filled with flowing plains interrupted by blue ponds. Near the bus stop that returns visitors to Bijodaira back down the mountain is a slightly hidden walking path. Midagahara is accessible from Tateyama Station via the Tateyama Cable Car (7 minutes) followed by Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route bus (about 40 minutes) that goes in the direction of Murodō Station.

On clear days, climbers can see Shōmyō Falls (the tallest waterfall in Japan) across the valley while traveling along the main road from Tateyama Station to the Murodo Plateau. For a closer look, visitors can take a bus from Tateyama Station to the Shōmyō Falls stop (about 20 minutes). From there, visitors can walk to the falls up a steady slope (about 20 minutes). There is a large bridge as well as two viewing platforms to get views of the Falls.

The section between Kurobe Dam and Ōgisawa was originally made for construction of the dam, while the section between Tateyama and Kurobeko was for tourists from the beginning. Currently, the route is purely a sightseeing one, only used by tourists. Although this is the only route that directly links Toyama and Nagano, it is impractical for normal users as it takes 6 transfers, roughly 5 hours.

Access

During summer, shuttle buses between Toyama and Murodō are available. From the top of the mountain, it is possible to see Mt. Fuji on a fine day.

Lines and stations

Transfer station / terminus Japanese Elevation Transport mode Line name Distance Location
Dentetsu-Toyama 電鉄富山 7 m Railway Toyama Chiho Railway: Main Line, Tateyama Line 1 34 km Toyama Toyama
Tateyama 立山 475 m Tateyama
Funicular TKK: Tateyama Cable Car 1.3 km
Bijodaira 美女平 977 m
Bus TKK: Tateyama Highland Bus 23 km
Murodō 室堂 2,450 m
Trolleybus TKK: Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus 2 3.7 km
Daikanbō 大観峰 2,316 m
Aerial tramway TKK: Tateyama Ropeway 1.7 km
Kurobedaira 黒部平 1,828 m
Funicular TKK: Kurobe Cable Car 2 0.8 km
Kurobeko 黒部湖 1,455 m
Walking (15 minutes walk on Kurobe dam)
Kurobe Dam 黒部ダム 1,455 m
Trolleybus Kansai Electric Power Company: Kanden Tunnel Trolley Bus 2 6.1 km
Ōgisawa 扇沢 1,433 m Ōmachi Nagano
Bus Kawanakajima Bus, Kita Alps Kōtsū, and Matsumoto Electric Railway: Ōmachi Alpine Line Bus 1 18 km
Shinano-Ōmachi 信濃大町 713 m
1: Sometimes considered as a part of the route. However, most guided tours use chartered buses for this section.
2: The line goes entirely under a tunnel.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 貫光について (in Japanese). Retrieved 2009-06-12.

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