Rob here. Though it's unusual for me to chime in (Megan does such a wonderful job of blogging, amiright?), I'm here to tell you about one of my favorite parts of our recent trip to Japan. While I can't rank our experiences with any certainty, I know this is right near the top!
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
After a night of filling our bellies at Kitchen Rakuraku and sleeping at the Shunko-in temple (see Megan's previous posts), we departed Kyoto on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Toyama near the northwest coast of Honshu. After grabbing an awesome bacon & banana sandwich from Starbucks in Toyama station, we boarded the significantly more rustic Toyama Chiho Railway train for the 1 hour ride to Tateyama, the start of our alpine adventure.
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is a totally unique route through the Northern Japan Alps. Although only 37 km long, the route has a total change in elevation of nearly 2,000 meters. The full route has 7 different legs of public transportation, using 5 modes: funicular, bus, trolley, aerial tramway, and yes - walking.
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Top: location of the Alpine Route relative to Kyoto and Tokyo
Bottom: the various methods of transportation used to traverse the Alpine Route |
Once arriving in Tateyama, the first step is to take a funicular/cable car up the side of the mountain to Bijodaira. From Bijodaira, you board the Tateyama Highland Bus and take a long winding bus ride further up into the mountains (1473 m change in altitude). Many hairpin turns later, you begin to see snow. And a bit later,
a lot of snow. This experience was a bit of a shocker considering it was 90*F (32*C) the entire time we were in Kyoto!
One of the most famous sections of the alpine route is the Yukino-ōtani ("the gorge of snow") approaching the town of Murodo. Murodo is the highest point on the route (2450 m) unless you want to climb Mt Tateyama (3015 m) on foot. This area of Japan has some of the heaviest snowfalls in the world -- 7 meters is the annual average, with some years seeing as much as 20 meters of snow! This section of the route is only open from mid-April through November every year as it is not possible to keep the road clear of snow during the winter months.
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| Cable car ride from Tateyama to Bijodaira |
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| Bus ride into the mountains. Try as we might, no sightings of Jon Snow at the Wall. |
From Murodo (after eating some delicious noodle bowls), we took the Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus to Daikanbo. This 10 minute electric trolley bus ride cuts right through Mount Tateyama. From Daikanbo, we were treated to probably the most spectacular views on the route.
The next step from Daikanbo is to take a 1.7 kilometer cable car down to Kurobedaira. The ropeway is the only one in Japan to have zero support pylons along its span. Quite the engineering feat considering the distance and the 488 meter change in elevation!
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Top: R+M enjoying the view from Daikanbo
Bottom: Our cable car is on its way up from Kurobedaira |
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| Cable car between Daikanbo and Kurobedaira. All of this travelling called for an ice-cold beer. |
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| Hanging out in Kurobedaira |
As we were spending the night in a ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) in Murodo, we had to turn around at this point and retrace our steps back up the mountain. And here's where it got interesting.
We had reservations at the Raichoso ryokan, which is purportedly no more than a 30 minute walk from the Murodo station. However, I don't think either of us were prepared for exactly what kind of walk this was going to be. It was a proper hike in the mountains, complete with long snowy sections, not exactly the terrain Megan's Chucks were designed for! To make matters worst, we got lost. Multiple times. As it started to rain (the first time since we arrived in Japan), we rather futilely made our way around a lake towards what we thought was our ryokan. Unfortunately on arrival we discovered we'd gone the wrong direction and not only had to backtrack quite a ways, but continue on for another 20-30 minutes in the other direction.
Megan did not seem particularly amused. But I have to say, this little adventure might have been my favorite part! We did finally make it to the ryokan where it was toasty warm, and we had a nice pot of hot tea waiting in our room. After a delicious dinner, we spent about 30 minutes at the natural hot spring onsen in the hotel. The area has natural sulfuric gases which provide not only hot water for the baths but quite the aroma and plenty of discolored snow.
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| Setting off on our snow hike. Not well prepared, but still enthusiastic! |
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Top left: This map was our nemesis. Top right: First building on the hike. Definitely not our hotel.
Middle left: Also definitely not our hotel. In fact, in the completely wrong direction. Middle right: We were lucky enough to see a Japanese ptarmigan, a bird that has been designated a special national natural treasure.
Bottom row: Megan is happy to be hiking in extremely weather appropriate clothing. |
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Top left: Oh no, heading into the "Poisonus Gus Zone"! Top right: Only cheaters use skis.
Bottom left: Our hotel! For real this time. Bottom right: Made it. Time for some hot tea! |
Rest & recuperate at the Park Hyatt
As our trip was drawing to a close, we had one last treat in store. And one which felt well earned after our snow hike and hours upon hours of public transport adventuring.
Being a huge fan of Japan (and movies), my father has previously had occasion to stay at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo (of Lost in Translation fame). As a wonderful Christmas present, he and mom treated us to a perfect stay at this Tokyo institution. What a way to cap off the trip! The PH offers near-surreal levels of personal service and hospitality (almost creepily so!), but it was oh so nice to be pampered at the spa, sleep in a giant soft bed, and have a beautiful meal at the NY Grill. A perfect end to a perfect trip. Thanks mom & dad!!
