REPORT

On 7/18 (Fri.), the day before the start of the three-day weekend, the free parking lot at Ogizawa Station was already full before 6:30 a.m., showing just how popular the area has become. I arrived at Murodo Terminal (elevation 2,450m) around 9:00 a.m. and headed straight to the “Tateyama Tamadono Fountain” (pictured), which has been available as a drinking water source since June 2024. In related news, from 7/19 (Sat.) through 8/31 (Sun.), a photo contest is being held on instagram where participants capture photos of people drinking water from the spring in the Tateyama area.
[Murodo Daira]

To help prevent altitude sickness, I took my time ascending and headed toward Mikurigaike Pond, where a bit of snow still remained. Along the way, in front of the Tateyama Murodo Mountain Lodge, I was fortunate to encounter a rock ptarmigan with five chicks. The trail was lined with blooming alpine flowers, including iwa-icho, iwa-kagami, Shinano kinbai, chinguruma, and Hakusan ichige. I then began the proper climb toward Mt. Oyama, and arrived at the Ichinokoshi Mountain Lodge (elevation 2,700m) around 10:30 a.m.
[Ichinokoshi to Sannokoshi]

This year, there’s an unusually large amount of lingering snow, and between Murodo and the Ichinokoshi Mountain Lodge (pictured), I crossed seven snow patches—about 50m, 60m, 30m, 5m, 100m, 10m, and 20m in length. I even heard a few surprised voices calling out as people slipped, but crampons weren’t necessary on any of the sections. From Ichinokoshi Lodge (pictured), the steep climb began. I took it slow, using both hands to help me up, and it wasn’t long before I found myself out of breath.
[Ichinokoshi to Sannokoshi]

That said, the morning’s cloud cover helped block much of the direct sunlight, making the climb less exhausting than it might have been under a clear sky. “It’s tough, but every break comes with a spectacular view,” said a fellow hiker who happened to pause for a rest at the same time. Looking back, I could clearly see Mt. Fuji and Mt. Yari to the right, and Toyama Bay and the Noto Peninsula to the left. (*To be continued in Tateyama Oyama, Pt. 2.)
[Ichinokoshi to Sannokoshi]

　
[Kurobe Dam]
*Location … Omachi, Nagano Prefecture & Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture
*Operating Period … April 15, 2025 – November 30, 2025
*Fare … Round trip by electric bus (Ogisawa – Kurobe Dam): JPY3,200 for adults, JPY1,600 for elementary school students
*Parking … Ogisawa Station: JPY1,000/day for passenger cars (free parking is also available)

[Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route]
*Location … Omachi, Nagano Prefecture & Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture
*Opening period … April 15, 2025 – November 30, 2025
*Ougisawa Station Parking lot … JPY1,000/12 hours for passenger cars (*Free parking is also available)
*Required time … Approximately 1 hour from Hakuba Village to Ogisawa Station by car.
*Transportation from Ogisawa to Murodo … JPY12,300 round trip for adults, JPY6,150 for children
　
reported by Snownavi