Crossing the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route: A Mountaineering Novice Takes on Japan's Three Holy Mountains (Part 2)

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route [Toyama to Nagano Route]

In the first half, we made a sudden decision to climb to the summit of Tateyama Oyama, but from here we were supposed to descend and head home safely... or so we thought...

Strolling around Mikurigaike Pond

After seeing the best views, we descended; now let's take a closer look from below. The descent from the summit also takes about 2 hours, so please be careful not to sprain your ankles on the stone pavement⚠️

Since there are many tourists around the pond, you might need to line up to take photos...
There is a circuit path around it, and this is a course that can be enjoyed even with light gear! There are alpine plants along the way💐

Nearby, there are mountain huts equipped with hot springs, souvenirs, light meals, and lodging.
Since we had only eaten snacks since breakfast, we finally had lunch (we actually wanted to eat the udon at Murodo Terminal, but it was closed).

While we were taking a break at the terrace seats, a person staying at this mountain hut who was sharing our table said something shocking.
“Which side did you guys come from?”
Me: We came from the Toyama side and are heading to Nagano!
“Are you staying here (Mikurigaike Onsen)?”
Me: No, no, we're going back on a day trip~
“Are you sure you can make it back?”
Huh?

We were all confused.
“Isn't the last bus leaving soon?”
Come to think of it, what time is the last bus?
Cold sweat ran down our spines as we had been relaxing and drinking beer.
It turned out we hadn't been paying attention to the return time.
(As an excuse, we had initially planned the return time properly, but since the weather was so good, we decided to climb Oyama on the spur of the moment, so all our plans were scrapped... After that, we were so moved by the scenery that we didn't care how we would get back...)

At this point, it was just before 4:00 PM, and when we checked,the last one was at 16:30,so we managed to save our lives, gulped down the rest of our beer, and headed to the terminal early.
And we managed to catch the last bus.

Thank you! Kind gentleman!

From Murodo to Kurobe Dam

【Itinerary】
Murodo to Daikanbo (Tateyama Tunnel Electric Bus)
↓
Daikanbo to Kurobedaira (Tateyama Ropeway)
↓
Kurobedaira to Kurobe Lake (Kurobe Cable Car)
↓
Kurobe Dam to Ogizawa (Kanden Tunnel Electric Bus)


From here on, we carefully made our transfers while feeling anxious.

There is surprisingly enough time during transfers to enjoy the scenery from observation decks and the like!

And the Kurobe Dam water discharge we were looking forward to had already ended.
Staring blankly at the dam with only wet marks remaining, we took a commemorative photo just in case and headed to the bus stop.

It was confirmed that we could at least get to Ogizawa, but our relief was short-lived.
When we calculated the time, there was no Shinkansen to Tokyo! What should we do after arriving at Ogizawa!
(The last bus from Ogizawa goes to Shinano-machi, and if you run during the transfer, you can catch the last train of the Limited Express Azusa, apparently)

Carrying our anxiety again, we boarded the electric bus and arrived at Ogizawa.
(I have no memory of the inside of the tunnel because I was looking up how to get home...)
There was one taxi at the Ogizawa terminal, but... even after asking the price, we held our heads in our hands at a price that was hard for us entry-level employees to pay.

Giving up and waiting in the line for the bus to Shinano-machi, we saw the taxi driver from earlier.
“You guys are going to Nagano Station, right? How about sharing a ride?”
It turns out that people in the same situation were worried for the same reason.
Thanks to the driver's quick thinking, our interests perfectly aligned!


Of course, we split the fare, but we were blessed with unexpected luck and arrived at Nagano Station.
Alright, we still have 3 hours until the last Shinkansen!
We ate the Nagano specialty [Meijitei's Sauce Katsudon] that we heard about from the driver, and took a break at a nearby day-trip hot spring♨️

While experiencing the kindness of many people, we were able to crawl up from the depths and return to Tokyo while fully enjoying Nagano.

Finally

Moved by the emotion of arriving at Murodo, we ended up extending our trip to the summit, but that's when the downward spiral began...
I don't dislike this kind of bold lack of planning, but it's also important to plan appropriately, haha.

Tateyama shows us scenery for every season.
From the Snow Wall and fresh greenery to autumn leaves, Tateyama itself is something you never get tired of no matter how many times you go, and the route to get there was also very interesting!

However, access routes are limited, so please make sure to plan your return trip.⚠️