19-05-2025
Camping Beyond the Highest Point of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
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Spring in Toyama brings to mind many iconic sights: vibrant tulips, firefly squid washing ashore, and the towering Snow Corridor. From the sea to the mountains, this region is full of remarkable natural attractions. This time, I set out to climb the Tateyama Mountain Range during one of its most demanding seasons — the lingering snow period.
My destination lay deeper into the mountains than Murodo, the highest point along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route at 2,450 meters. Murodo is well known among international travelers for its dramatic Snow Corridor, but I was heading beyond it. Hikers walk across a snowy field with large backpacks.
After getting off the bus at Murodo, I bundled up in winter gear, strapped on light crampons, and set off along a snow-covered mountain trail.
Not long into the hike, I noticed a small crowd gathered ahead. It turned out they were admiring two rock ptarmigans, a bird designated as a Special Natural Monument of Japan. These elusive birds are unique to the area — Murodo is even nicknamed the "Land of the Ptarmigan." Delighted by the encounter, I quickly took a photo with my smartphone. Two ptarmigans standing in the snowfield.
After gently climbing up and down the snow-covered trail for about an hour, I arrived at my destination: Raichozawa Campground. Spread out across the snowfield was a colorful array of tents, scattered like spring blossoms.
On clear days, this campsite offers spectacular close-up views of the Tateyama peaks. From mid-April, when the Alpine Route reopens, it becomes a popular spot for climbers and backcountry skiers.
I leveled a patch of snow with a shovel, pitched my tent, and built a snow wall for wind protection. Nearby, I heard cheerful voices and spotted a group flying a flag. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was the Indonesian flag. They were filming videos while enjoying their snowy camping experience. Snow walls had been built around the tent as windbreaks.
According to Akira Shizusaki, the manager of the Raichozawa campsite office, "Some Indonesian YouTubers have been introducing the Tateyama Mountains online. In recent years, we've seen more and more visitors from Indonesia."
As evening settled in, I had an early dinner before nightfall to prepare for the cold night ahead. At a mountain campsite, the night view has its own charm — tents glowing softly under a sky full of stars. A cluster of glowing tents under a starry sky. The image combines 89 photos with 10-second exposures.
I set up my camera on a tripod and captured long-exposure shots every 10 seconds for about half an hour. I wanted to experiment with different compositions, but as the night deepened, the tent lights gradually flickered out.
By 10 PM, most campers were asleep, and only a few tents still glowed. Taking that as my cue, I crawled into my own tent and called it a night. Watch a timelapse of the stars seen from Raichozawa Campground.
Author: Ikue Mio, The Sankei Shimbun
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