REPORT

As soon as I started up from Ichinokoshi, the clouds from the valley to the east of the Tateyama mountain range began to creep over the ridge line and into Murododaira. The longer the sunlight was blocked by the clouds, the cooler it became, and when I stopped, my sweat cooled and I found myself feeling cold. I observed many hikers using their hands to scramble up the steep rocky slope (pictured).
[Mt. Oyama]

Between Ichinokoshi and the summit of Mt. Oyama, red paint is used to mark the uphill route and yellow paint indicates the downhill route. On the way up I spoke with two students (pictured) from Toyama Prefecture’s Himi City, who told me, “This is our first time to climb Mt.Oyama. We were pretty exhausted just getting up to Ichinokoshi. How much further is it to the summit?” (The rocky climb to the top continued for another 20 to 30 minutes.)
[Mt. Oyama]

The characteristic light yellow petals of the toyaku rindo (whitish gentian, pictured) could be seen here and there from Ichinokoshi to the summit of Mt Oyama. This rare variety of gentian earned its Japanese name due to the fact that its roots are traditionally used as a stomach medicine. The species is listed as endangered by both Ishikawa and Niigata Prefectures.
[Mt. Oyama]

I arrived at the Oyama summit shrine area (a great place to rest, complete with a shop) at 11:20 a.m., and through the fog I could hear the voices of people praying at the shrine. I had a brief chat with some students from Kanagawa Prefecture (pictured), who were taking a commemorative photo at the summit marker, and they told me that they had returned to Toyama for their summer vacation. They mentioned that they had climbed Mt. Oyama previously as elementary school students, and added that they were going to head on to Mt. Onanji as well. (*Return to Vol. 1)
[Mt. Oyama]

　
[Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route]

＊Address … Omachi-shi, Nagano  / Tateyama-machi, Toyama
＊Business period … April 15, 2023 – November 30, 2023
＊Ogizawa Station parking lot … Passenger car JPY1,000/day  (There is also a free parking lot.)
＊Required time … About 1 hour by car from Hakuba Village to Ogizawa Station
＊Transportation expenses from Ogizawa to Murodo … Round trip adult JPY12,300, child JPY6,150
　　
　reported by Snownavi