Bijodaira

Bijodaira, whose name means beautiful woman plateau, is a magnificent primeval forest that forms the green gateway to the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, the celebrated mountain-crossing sightseeing corridor through the Northern Japan Alps. Perched at 977 metres on the western slopes of the Tateyama massif, it is reached by cable car from the valley floor and is one of the loveliest and most restful stops on the whole route, a place where you can walk among some of the oldest and largest trees in the region beneath a canopy of towering conifers.

The forest is dominated by Tateyama sugi, a hardy variety of Japanese cedar adapted to the heavy snows and harsh conditions of these mountains. Some of these giants are believed to be well over a thousand years old, their massive, gnarled trunks and spreading crowns a testament to centuries of survival, and they grow among beech, hemlock and other old-growth trees that give the forest its rich, layered character. Near the cable-car station stands a particularly revered specimen, a great sacred cedar traditionally associated with the plateau's name and its long history as part of the sacred Tateyama pilgrimage landscape.

A network of flat, well-maintained walking trails and boardwalks loops through the woods from the station, making the forest easy and pleasant to explore for visitors of all ages and abilities. The paths lead past the largest trees, through groves of fresh green in early summer and glowing colour in autumn, and to viewpoints and an observation platform above the station. Interpretive signs and a nature centre explain the ecology of the forest and the wildlife that lives here, from small mammals to a rich variety of birds, and in the cool, filtered light beneath the canopy the atmosphere is serene and refreshing, a welcome contrast to the higher, starker alpine zones further up the route.

Bijodaira marks the transition between the everyday world of the valley and the high mountains above. From here the Alpine Route continues by highland bus up through the increasingly dramatic scenery of Midagahara and on to Murodo, the high point of the crossing, so a stop at Bijodaira is easily built into a full traverse of the route. Many visitors, though, make a point of pausing here specifically to walk the forest trails, which are among the most accessible pieces of genuine ancient woodland in the Japan Alps.

Access is via the Alpine Route from the Toyama side. Take the Toyama Chiho Railway Tateyama Line to Tateyama Station, then ride the steep Tateyama Cable Car up to Bijodaira Station. The route operates seasonally, roughly from mid-April to the end of November, closing under deep snow in winter. Whether as a peaceful woodland interlude on a grand mountain journey or as a destination in its own right for lovers of ancient trees, Bijodaira offers a gentle, green and deeply atmospheric encounter with the forests that cloak the lower slopes of sacred Tateyama.