Snow Corridor (Yuki-no-Otani)

The Snow Corridor, known locally as Yuki-no-Otani, is a spectacular seasonal phenomenon located along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. This route traverses the Northern Japan Alps and reaches elevations of 2,450 meters at Murodo, where the snow corridor is situated. The Alpine Route itself was completed in 1971 after years of construction through challenging mountain terrain, creating a vital connection between Toyama and Nagano prefectures.

The corridor forms naturally each winter as snow accumulates to extraordinary depths on the mountainside. When road crews begin clearing the Tateyama Kogen Highway in spring, they carve through snowbanks that often tower 15 to 20 meters high, creating towering white walls on both sides of the road. The snow depth varies annually depending on winter precipitation, with some years seeing walls exceed 20 meters. This natural accumulation results from heavy snowfall driven by moisture-laden winds from the Sea of Japan colliding with the mountain range.

Visitors can walk along a 500-meter section of the cleared road between mid-April and late June, experiencing the dramatic scale of the snow walls firsthand. The opening period typically begins around April 15th and extends into June as the snow gradually melts. Early season visits in April and May offer the most impressive wall heights, while June visits reveal more of the surrounding alpine landscape. The site provides a unique opportunity to touch and photograph the compacted snow walls, and on clear days, visitors can observe the contrast between the white corridor and the blue sky above.

Access requires taking the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, which operates using various transportation modes including cable cars, highland buses, and ropeways. Most visitors begin from either Tateyama Station on the Toyama side or Ogizawa Station on the Nagano side. The journey from Tateyama Station to Murodo involves taking the Tateyama Cable Car to Bijodaira, then transferring to a highland bus. The entire Alpine Route is a premium transportation experience, with through-tickets available for purchase. No private vehicles can access the corridor directly.

Admission to walk through the snow corridor itself is included in the Alpine Route transportation ticket, though the route ticket represents a significant expense, typically costing between 10,000 and 15,000 yen depending on the starting point and travel distance.