News Discussion

Camping Beyond the Highest Point of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Spring in Toyama brings to mind many iconic sights: vibrant tulips, firefly squid washing ashore, and the towering Snow Corridor. From the sea to the mountains, this region is full of remarkable natural attractions. This time, I set out to climb the Tateyama Mountain Range during one of its most demanding seasons — the lingering snow period.

My destination lay deeper into the mountains than Murodo, the highest point along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route at 2,450 meters. Murodo is well known among international travelers for its dramatic Snow Corridor, but I was heading beyond it.

After getting off the bus at Murodo, I bundled up in winter gear, strapped on light crampons, and set off along a snow-covered mountain trail.

Not long into the hike, I noticed a small crowd gathered ahead. It turned out they were admiring two rock ptarmigans, a bird designated as a Special Natural Monument of Japan. These elusive birds are unique to the area — Murodo is even nicknamed the "Land of the Ptarmigan." Delighted by the encounter, I quickly took a photo with my smartphone.

After gently climbing up and down the snow-covered trail for about an hour, I arrived at my destination: Raichozawa Campground. Spread out across the snowfield was a colorful array of tents, scattered like spring blossoms.

On clear days, this campsite offers spectacular close-up views of the Tateyama peaks. From mid-April, when the Alpine Route reopens, it becomes a popular spot for climbers and backcountry skiers.

I leveled a patch of snow with a shovel, pitched my tent, and built a snow wall for wind protection. Nearby, I heard cheerful voices and spotted a group flying a flag. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was the Indonesian flag. They were filming videos while enjoying their snowy camping experience.

According to Akira Shizusaki, the manager of the Raichozawa campsite office, "Some Indonesian YouTubers have been introducing the Tateyama Mountains online. In recent years, we've seen more and more visitors from Indonesia."

As evening settled in, I had an early dinner before nightfall to prepare for the cold night ahead. At a mountain campsite, the night view has its own charm — tents glowing softly under a sky full of stars.

I set up my camera on a tripod and captured long-exposure shots every 10 seconds for about half an hour. I wanted to experiment with different compositions, but as the night deepened, the tent lights gradually flickered out.

By 10 PM, most campers were asleep, and only a few tents still glowed. Taking that as my cue, I crawled into my own tent and called it a night.

1. 1. destination　（旅行などの）目的地
   Our first destination is Hinase, on the Seto Inland Sea.
2. 2. designate（記念物・保護区などを）指定する、認定する
   The area was designated as the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument in 2014.
3. 3. level　（地面・雪などを）平らにする、均す
   Developers leveled the top of the hill and built luxury houses on it.
4. 4. spot　（人・動物を）見つける、目撃する
   The Navy spotted a submarine just off the north coast of Hokkaido.
5. 5. call it a night　今夜はここまでにする、切り上げる
   We’re all tired, so let’s call it a night.

1. 1. What did the writer see on her hike from Murodo to the campsite?
2. 2. Why are there more Indonesian visitors to the area?
3. 3. What did the writer do after setting up camp?
4. 4. Have you ever been camping or backpacking? If not, would you like to try it sometime?
5. 5. Are you interested in visiting a designated dark-sky reserve?

春の富山といえばチューリップ、ホタルイカの身投げ、雪の大谷…。海から山まで魅力あふれるコンテンツが揃っているが、今回は最も過酷であろう残雪期の立山連峰の登山に行ってみた。立山黒部アルペンルート最高地点、外国人観光客にも人気の「雪の大谷」で有名な室堂（むろどう、標高2450m）の、さらに奥だ。

室堂でバスを降り、防寒着に身を包み、靴には軽アイゼンを装着して、残雪の山道を歩く。途中、人だかりができていたので見ると、国の特別天然記念物のライチョウが2羽座っていた。『ライチョウ国』とされている室堂周辺ならではの光景に驚きつつ、ひとまず手持ちのスマートフォンでシャッターを切った。

緩やかな雪道を登ったり降りたり…約1時間歩くと、雪原に花が咲いたように並ぶ色とりどりのテントが見えてきた。今回の目的地、雷鳥沢キャンプ場だ。天気がよければ立山連峰を間近に望むことができる絶景のテント場で、4月中旬に立山黒部アルペンルートが開通すると春山登山や山岳スキーを楽しむ人が訪れる。

スコップで雪をならしてテントを張り、風除けに雪壁を作ったりしていると、楽しそうな声が聞こえてきた。どこかの国の国旗を掲げている人たちがいたので、調べてみるとインドネシアの国旗だった。動画を撮影しながらキャンプを楽しんでいた。

雷鳥沢野営管理所で管理人を務める指崎彰さん（61）は「インドネシアのYouTuberが立山連峰を紹介しているらしく、ここ数年はインドネシアからのお客さんが増えています」と話していた。

夕方、日が暮れないうちに早めの夕食をとり、夜に備えた。山岳地帯のテント場の夜といえば、やはり星空の下で光るテント群だろう。

三脚にカメラを据え、10秒間露光の写真を連続で約30分間撮り続けた。構図を変えて何パターンか撮りたいところだが、夜がふけるにつれテントの明かりは徐々に消えていく。

午後10時、テント泊の人たちは寝てしまったのだろうか、明かりがついたテントはほとんどなくなった。そろそろ潮時かと自分のテントに戻った。