Snow walk in Japan

Preeti Verma Lal

In Japan, think before you say you know all about walls. Go to the wall. Go up the wall. Hit the wall. Off the wall. Drive someone up the wall. Perhaps you know the wall phrases. But ever thought of walking through a snow corridor? A long road hemmed by gigantic snow walls. Bundle yourself up and walk through a pedestrian path flanked by snow walls; add a little laughter as you slide down the snow slope in the play area, make a gigantic snowman, and etch your name in snow. In the 56-mile-long Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, also known as the Roof of Japan, adventure acquires a new meaning.

The Alpine Route is not merely about snow and the surreal landscape, it is about the journey that includes seven different public transports with five modes — funicular, bus, trolleybus, aerial tramway and walking. The route begins with a ride on the Tateyama cable car, a funicular that runs up 1.3 km in seven minutes with an average gradient of 24 degrees. From Bijodaira, an electric bus meanders through verdant highlands and beefy mountain ranges. Hop off the bus and jump into Japan’s highest altitude trolley bus (2,450 m) that pierces through the heart of Mt Tateyama into the tunnel. The bus audio spews history about the construction history of  Kurobe Dam, the largest dam in Japan that took seven years to build and claimed 171 lives. In tandem with the typical Japanese commitment towards environment, it is no surprise that the buses run on electricity and are completely ‘green’. The journey from Daikanbo to Kurobedaira is the most spectacular. The ropeway is the only cable car in Japan without pylons on its span, turning it into a moving observatory with panoramic view of the landscape.

The biggest attraction of this mountain sightseeing route is Yukino-Otani, the man-made snow wall that is open only in summer. Gigantic machines expel snow near the Murodo Terminal to create the walls that are sometimes higher than 20 metres. The walk is barely 500 m but the thrill of moseying through a silvery snow corridor is unmatched. In the Snow Play Area, snowmen stand tall and on a stick hang plastic flat buckets to hurtle down the steep slopes. When the knees turn wobbly and the fingers freeze in the cold, head back to the wooden rest/restaurant area where the aroma of freshly steamed yam, wasabi crackers and warm sake can vanquish shivers from every sinew. Keep an eye out for the ptarmigan, a rare snow goose that has made Tateyama its home. 

When the snow melts and summer makes way for spring, the silver terrain metamorphoses into a riot of colours with wild alpine flowers turning the area into a beautifully painted canvas. On the Tateyama-Kurobe alpine route, no one leaves a speck of garbage behind. No fumes are emitted. There’s nary a harm to the environment. Adventure, here, acquires a new meaning. And a ‘green’ hue.