REPORT

The brief summer season along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route has arrived. Visitor numbers rose sharply following the end of the rainy season in the Kanto-Koshin region on 7/20 (Mon., public holiday), and both the free Ogisawa Municipal Parking Lot No. 1 (170 spaces) and No. 2 (60 spaces) were already full when I arrived at 6:30 a.m. The paid Ogisawa Parking Lot (350 spaces; JPY1,000 for 12 hours) was also around 30% full. Today, I boarded the first Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus at 7:30 a.m., then transferred to the Kurobe Cable Car, Tateyama Ropeway, and Tateyama Tunnel Electric Bus, arriving at Murodo (pictured) at 8:55 a.m.
[Murodo-daira]

As I set out from Murodo Terminal along the stone-paved trail toward the summit of Mt. Oyama, I was amazed by the sheer number of chinguruma flowers. Some had already developed feathery seed heads, but as I gained elevation, still-flowering plants (pictured) became increasingly dominant. Large numbers of kobaikei-so, kijimushiro, and miyama-senkyu could also be seen between Murodo-daira and Ichinokoshi.
[Murodo-daira]

I met a woman from the Netherlands (pictured) who told me, “Hello! The mountains are beautiful, and it’s exciting to be able to touch snow in summer.” There are six remaining snowfields between Murodo-daira and Ichinokoshi, ranging from around 5 to 30 meters in length. The soft, granular snow was easy to cross in ordinary hiking boots by following the existing footsteps.
[Murodo-daira]

Although the sun was strong, a cool breeze blowing through from the Sea of Japan made the climb comfortable, and I gained elevation steadily. Ichinokoshi Sanso (pictured, upper right) was bustling with hikers taking a break. I also stopped outside the lodge to drink some water, rest briefly, and retie my boots before beginning the steep ridge climb up to Mt. Oyama. (Continued in Mt. Oyama, Pt. 2.)
[Murodo-daira]

　　
*The annual water discharge is scheduled to continue through 10/15 (Thu.), although it may be suspended due to weather or other operational conditions.

[Kurobe Dam]
*Place … Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture; Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture
*Opening Period … April 15, 2026 – November 30, 2026
*Fees … Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus (Ogizawa – Kurobe Dam) Round-trip adults JPY3,200, elementary school students JPY1,600
　
[Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route]
*Place … Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture; Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture
*Opening Period … April 15, 2026 – November 30, 2026
*Parking lot on the Ogizawa Station side … Passenger cars JPY1,000 / 12hours (*Free parking is also available)
*Transportation costs from Ogizawa to Tateyama Station … adults JPY10,940, elementary school students JPY5,480
　
*Request for the original data of our photographs　
　
reported by Snownavi