Tanigawadake Mountain Museum

The Tanigawadake Mountain Museum sits near the Mt. Tanigawadake Ropeway Doaiguchi Station at the base of Mount Tanigawa, a 1,977-meter mountain on the border of Gunma and Niigata Prefectures. The mountain is recognized as one of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains and has earned a formidable reputation among mountaineers due to its challenging climbing routes and unpredictable weather patterns.

The museum displays old climbing equipment, photographs of local flora and fauna, and exhibits documenting Himalayan climbing expeditions. These collections offer insight into the mountain's significance in Japanese alpinism and its connection to international mountaineering history. The exhibits showcase the evolution of climbing techniques and equipment used on Mount Tanigawa's notoriously difficult rock faces, which feature routes graded according to the Japanese Ice Climbing Rating system.

Visitors to the museum can explore the natural and mountaineering heritage of the region before or after taking the nearby ropeway. An electric sightseeing bus departs from outside the museum near Tanigawadake Base Plaza, providing guided tours of the area's history and natural features. This allows travelers to gain comprehensive knowledge about Mount Tanigawa's geological formations, ecosystem, and the climbing culture that has developed around it.

A bus runs between Minakami Station and the lower station of the Tanigawadake Ropeway approximately once per hour, taking 20 minutes and costing 850 yen one way. The museum is a short walk from this ropeway station. The museum offers free admission, making it an accessible stop for anyone interested in understanding the mountain's place in Japanese climbing history.