Yuki no Otani (Snow Corridor)

Giant walls of snow that appear only in spring near Murodo on Tateyama, 2,450m up. They top 10m, and from mid-April to late June you can walk between them.

Walls of snow in the spring Northern Alps

Yuki no Otani (Snow Corridor) is a stretch of road near Murodo on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route in Toyama Prefecture. The Alpine Route is a mountain sightseeing route that links Tateyama Station in Toyama with Ogizawa Station in Nagano by way of six different kinds of transport, including a cable car, a ropeway and buses. It closes over the winter.

Before the route reopens in spring, the road lies buried under deep snow, and from around mid-March it is cleared, with crews using GPS to check exactly where the road is. What is left on either side are sheer walls of snow. Yuki no Otani sits on the leeward side of a mountain ridge, so the snow piles up in drifts and the walls here grow far higher than in the surrounding area. The height changes from year to year; when the route opened in 2026 it was about 12m.

The Yuki no Otani Walk, between the snow walls

Normally only buses use this road, but for a set period each spring you can walk right up to the snow walls. In 2026 the Yuki no Otani Walk ran from 15 April to 25 June, in a walking zone you can reach on foot from Murodo Terminal.

During the same period there are other spring-only events too, such as paths across the snowfields around Murodo and an area where you can play in the snow.

When should you go?

You can see the snow walls from mid-April, when the whole Alpine Route opens, until early summer, and April to May is the peak sightseeing season. The Alpine Route itself runs until around 30 November each year and closes for the winter.

The 2026 Yuki no Otani Walk has already finished (as of September 2026). Dates for the next season will be announced on the Alpine Route's official website.

Getting there

From the Toyama side, take the Toyama Chiho Railway from Dentetsu-Toyama Station, about a two-minute walk from JR Toyama Station, to Tateyama Station, which takes about 65 minutes. From there, change to the cable car and then a bus up to Murodo. Private cars cannot go beyond Tateyama Station, so if you drive, park at the car park there.

You can also enter from Ogizawa Station on the Nagano side and travel to Murodo via Kurobe Dam. Check fares and timetables on the official website.

Tips

• Before you set out, check the weather and snow conditions on the live camera at Murodo on the Alpine Route's official website.
• The Alpine Route involves lots of changes between vehicles, and a round trip from Tateyama Station to Kurobe Dam takes around six to seven hours including sightseeing. Plan with plenty of time to spare.
• Murodo is high up, at 2,450m, and the temperature is nothing like down on the plains. Follow the official website's advice on what to wear for the season.

Sources

• 雪の大谷を楽しむ | 立山黒部アルペンルート (opens in a new tab)
• アクセス | 立山黒部アルペンルート (opens in a new tab)
• 【2026年版】立山黒部アルペンルート完全ガイド | とやま観光ナビ (opens in a new tab)
• 絶景“雪の大谷”2026年は高さ12m【立山黒部アルペンルート】| KNB nan-nan (opens in a new tab)
• 立山黒部アルペンルート - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.