A journey through the Japanese Alps

A Journey through the Japanese Alps

 

By Lee Hyon-soo

 

The Hida, Kiso, and Akaishi mountain ranges rise like pillars supporting the center of Honshu, Japan’s main island. Their grand, rugged forms resemble the European Alps, earning them the name “the Japanese Alps.”

 

To see the Japanese Alps, my wife and I traveled to Japan together with several friends of ours and their spouses. We chose the Tateyama–Kurobe Alpine Route. This route uses cable cars, buses, and ropeways, and each time we switched modes of transport, a new landscape unfolded before our eyes.

 

Our journey began in Tateyama. As the cable car we boarded slowly climbed the steep slope through dense greenery, the mountain revealed its inner layers, peeling away its secrets one by one. The smell of earth drifted quietly through the windows, and from time to time the sound of water flowing along the hillside rode in on the wind.

 

Upon reaching Bijodaira, we transferred to a highland bus. The bus ascended the steep, winding road shaped by countless curves. At some point, the trees outside the window grew small, and the clouds seemed close enough to touch if we only stretched out our hands. It felt as though the bus was traveling along the boundary where earth and sky meet.

 

Stepping onto the ground at Murodo, 2,450 meters above sea level, we immediately felt a change in the texture of the air. Soon, the famed “Snow Corridor” came into view. Snow accumulated through the winter forms towering white walls on both sides of the road. Its height varies each year, but in some years it reaches up to 20 meters. Walking along the 500-meter passage carved through these gleaming walls was an almost otherworldly experience.

 

We boarded another bus from Murodo and passed through a tunnel to reach the Daikanbo Observation Deck. The ridgeline and the shimmering Kurobe Lake seen from the deck held colors beyond description. Each time sunlight streamed through the clouds, the lake pulsed like a turquoise heart, while the mountains stood around it like steadfast guardians.

 

To move to our next destination, we boarded a ropeway gondola. Stretching a total of 1.7 kilometers and supported without pillars along the way, the ropeway allowed us to enjoy nearly 360-degree views of valleys, lakes, and mountain peaks below.

 

From Kurobedaira, we descended again by cable car—and suddenly a massive gray wall rose between the cliffs. It was the Kurobe Dam. Standing 186 meters tall, it is Japan’s highest arch-shaped dam. Water discharged from the dam cascaded like a waterfall, scattering into sunlight, and its thunderous roar vibrated deep within our bodies.

 

Finally, we boarded the bus toward Ogizawa and entered a tunnel once more. Darkness wrapped around us, and at the far end of the tunnel, a faint glow swelled into dusk. The mountain peaks held a reddish tint, and the day’s final breath slowly sank into the deepening dark.

 

The majestic scenery of the Japanese Alps is a beauty that no photograph can fully capture—one must experience it physically to truly feel it. For anyone who loves nature, a journey through the Japanese Alps is an experience not to be missed.

 

This journey now stands among my unforgettable memories, alongside past ascents of Japan’s Mount Fuji, Switzerland’s Jungfrau, and Korea’s Mount Geumgang and Mount Baekdu.