In Japan, there is a road called Snow no Otani (雪の大谷), which is located in Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, and its full name is Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート).
Due to the proximity of Tateyama Town to the Sea of Japan, the northwest monsoon carries a large amount of water vapor when it passes through the Sea of Japan in winter. Due to the mountainous uplift, it is one of the heaviest places in the world, with an average snow cover of about 7 meters.
This snow-covered road is only open to the public from mid-April to mid-November every year.
Every year from mid-November, the Tateyama Kurobe begins to close the mountain. After a winter of snowfall, the ground can reach 20 meters of snow, and the road is buried under a layer of snow that can cover the height of a five-story building.
In order to ensure the passage of the road, the operator can only find the position through GPS and dig down meter by meter with the equipment. First, an excavator is used to loosen the accumulated snow, and then a forklift "brings out" the loose snow, and the snow thrower throws the snow onto the roadbed.
This "stepped" snow removal operation is repeated every day. Finally, the snow walls on both sides of the road are scraped flat by a machine, and the remaining snow on the road surface is swept away, so that the snow wall road is formed.
♀️ Take a walk in the "Snow Valley".
The Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route was originally built to transport materials for the Kurobe Reservoir, and after the completion of the reservoir, it was opened to the general public and opened on June 1, 1971.
In 2021, Snow no Otani celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Fifty years ago, only one of the two lanes of Snow Valley was cleared of snow, and buses rubbed against each other as they crossed the snow walls. In recent years, due to the development of snow removal technology, both lanes of the road have been cleared of snow, and the width of the road has been expanded from 50 meters to 450 meters. After obtaining enough space, it was possible to take a walk in the "Snow Valley".
Snow valley on a single lane
Snow valley with dual carriageway and trails
Today, people can walk along the Snow Wall Highway for about 500 meters.
On the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of its opening, the official replica of the single-lane snow valley when it first opened, so that everyone can take a bus to experience what the "snow valley" looked like 50 years ago.
Yuki-no-Otani also publishes a snow calendar to display and introduce information such as the number of snowfall days, and to answer questions such as how is the snow piling up this year.
The snow plow that gave birth to the Snow Wall, which also has its own name, Kumataro, will also be exhibited to the public during the event.
Stay until spring
Gear up to see the snow
Recently, the official website of the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route has announced that it will be open from April 15 to November 30 in 2024, with the rest of the mountain closed.
In spring, hiking in the snow-covered mountains is a very rare experience. The travel guide on the website recommends visiting Snow Otani in June, when the snow on both sides of the road is still more than 10 meters high.
In the spring snow of Otani, the highest amount of snow has remained at around 16 to 10 meters over the past 10 years.
In the spring of Snow Otani, the temperature is around 10°C.
The mountaineering area is 3,000 meters above sea level, the mountain is also covered with snow, and the temperature is very different from that of the flatland. The official website will also remind everyone to enter the mountains according to winter clothing. Walking in the snowy valley in June, you feel like the wind is being blocked by a wall, and the snow wall makes you forget the cold.
Summer, autumn
and the snow that just fell in winter
The 37.2km Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route runs on two routes – one from Ogizawa Station in Nagano Prefecture and the other from Tateyama Station in Toyama Prefecture – with six different modes of transport to choose from – the Tateyama Ropeway, Tateyama Kogen Bus, Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus, Tateyama Ropeway and Kurobe Ropeway.
Tateyama's various means of transportation, stops, and hours
From the 17th to the 19th century, Mt. Tate, Mt. Fuji and Mt. Haku were listed as the three sacred mountains in Japan, and it was believed that there were mountain gods in Tateyama, and many practitioners visited to practice it.
In the 19th century, Tateyama became a religion of gods and Buddhas, which attracted mountaineers to experience the atmosphere of the area in the natural landscape, and promoted the development of mountaineering in Japan.
The Kurobe Reservoir is one of Tateyama's most scenic spots, and the route used to transport construction materials during the construction of the reservoir dam is now the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route. The Kurobe Reservoir was built over a period of seven years and is the largest reservoir in Japan, and was officially completed and opened in 1963. In 1968, Yujiro Ishihara produced the film "The Sun of Kurobe", which was set in this reservoir.
Summer and autumn at Kurobe Reservoir
July and August are the summer months in Tateyama and are also the best seasons for sightseeing, mountaineering and hiking. Most of the hiking trails in Tateyama are concentrated in the halls. Murodo is a volcanic plateau near Tateyama and it is located on the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, where snow can be maintained until July. Summer is also the best season to see the green leaves.
Autumn is from the end of September to the beginning of November, and it is also the season of autumn leaves. At this time, the foot of the mountain is covered with green leaves, the middle is red autumn leaves, and the top of the mountain is covered with snow.
The first item in the autumn foliage calendar in Central Japan is the distribution of autumn foliage viewing time on the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route.
Winter in Tateyama represents snowfall. In earlier years, snow begins to fall in late September. This early snowfall usually melts within 2 to 3 days.
From mid-November, the snow does not melt and accumulates until spring, when the snow of Otani is revealed.
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When spring comes, do you want to go to Snow Otani to see the snow?
Information & Image Sources:
https://www.knt.co.jp/tabiplanet/kokunai/190206/
https://www.alpen-route.com/index.php
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1121155-d1220498-Reviews-Tateyama_Kurobe_Alpine_Route-Tateyama_machi_Nakaniikawa_gun_Toyama_Prefecture_Ho.html
https://www.instagram.com/tateyamakurobe_official/