【Japan Geographic】Murodo, Tateyama : Witness sunrise TWICE a day at 2450m

Also famous for its ~20m tall snow canyon, at 2450m, Murodo on Mt.Tateyama　(立山・室堂) houses the “Hotel Tateyama (ホテル立山)”, Japan’s highest hotel. This is a rare place where you can witness sunrise behind majestic snow mountains, TWICE on the same day! On sunny mornings, the hotel offers the Sunrise Trolly Bus, which takes you from Murodo, via the Tateyama Tunnel to the Daikanbo (大観峰) sunrise View Deck.

The 1^st sunset at Daikanbo View Deck

Based on weather forecasts, the hotel decides every evening to run the bus or not. Simply check with the Concierge before you sleep. Once signed in, the hotel morning calls you about 20 minutes before the bus departs. In Summer this means around 3am!! It takes a little will power to wake up under an atmospheric pressure of 760hPa (Instead of the normal 1010~1030hPa), but as you will see, it is worth it! Trolley buses are regarded as trains, which also makes the Murodo Station the highest station in Japan!

10 minutes from Murodo, the Daikanbo Station is itself special, carved into a cliff hanging over a breathtaking glacial cliff, this is the best place to enjoy the best view of the Tateyama Mountains, often seen rising above the endless sea of clouds, if it happens to be a clear day, the Kurobe Dam with its Emerald-green Kurobe Lake stands out of rocky foothills, the gem of Tateyama.

The clouds on this day happens to be a little higher than usual and this is what we saw, the sun was blocked (But still beautiful) but clouds were clearly sinking, the steep summit between Murodo and Daikanbo means sunrise can be about 30 minutes apart, thanks to the tunnel you get a second shot: the bus is right there to take you back and you still have about 15 minutes to look for your prefect spot..

The 2^nd sunset at The Murodo Footpath

While it is possible to see sunrise pretty much anywhere in Murodo, At the back of the hotel is a footpath that leads to a small lake called Mikurigaike (みくりが池), about 10 minutes down this path you will see a panoramic view of the three sacred summits, Oyama（雄山）, Oo-Nanji-Yama（大汝山）and Fuji-no-Oritate（富士の折立）, the ridge where sun rises. Enjoy! While you wait, do look for Japanese Ptarmigans that are hardly seen elsewhere in the country!

Sunrise times are posted at the concierge and the lounge, sunrise buses runs at about 1/3 chance, just check and buy tickets before bed time!

Hotel data

Special thanks／Toyama Tourism Bureau、Hotel Tateyama、Tateyama Kurobe Kankou

大観峰

2018年4月30日

立山トンネルトロリーバス

2018年4月29日