Tourists flock to Japan's great snow walls as alpine route opens

Tourists take in the towering snow walls of Yukino Otani (great snow valley) on Tuesday, after the opening of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

With the opening of the entire length of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route that runs through Japan's Northern Alps in Toyama and Nagano prefectures, crowds of sightseers have begun visiting the Yukino Otani (great snow valley) to marvel at its towering snow walls.

The great snow valley is a well-known tourist spot situated near Murodo, an area of Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture, that sits at an elevation of 2,450 meters. The large white walls on either side of the route are formed by machines that clear the snow during winter, when the road is closed. This year, the walls have reached a maximum height of 16 meters.

"I've never seen this kind of scenery before. It really brings home the awesomeness of nature," said a female tourist from Thailand.

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