Murodo is located at the foot of Mt. Tateyama, which is the base of the Tateyama Mountain climbing. Mudodo is on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, and the bus terminal from Bijyo-Daira. The altitude of Murodo is 2,450 meters in height and it is the highest point on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.

Murodo used to be craters from the Tateyama volcano. You can see a couple of crater lakes at Murodo. As Murodo is a terminal from Bijyo-Daira, a lot of tourists visit here. In Murodo, hiking trails are well designed around volcano lakes.

The easiest hiking trail is around Mikurigaike Pond from the Murodo Terminal through the Tateyama Murodo Cabin. On the hiking trail from the Murodo Terminal to the Tateyama Murodo Cabin, you will see Mt. Oyama, which is the main peek of the Tateyama Mountains Range.

You will see Mikurigaike Pond on your left on the way to the Tateyama Murodo Cabin, as shown in the above picture. You will also see Mt. Masago on the right and Mt. Dainichi on the left, behind Mikurigaike Pond.

At the Tateyama Murodo Cabin, the view of Mt. Oyama is just in front of you.
The view is very close and powerful.

It will take approximately two hours from Murodo to the peak of Mt. Oyama, when the weather is fine. Originally, the Tateyama Murodo Cabin was built in the 14th century. In the 18th century, the Kaga Domain supported rebuilding the cabin.

A hiking trail is available from the Tateyama Murodo Cabin to the Mikurigaike-Onsen Cabin to the north of Mikurigaike Pond. The picture shown below is the view from the Tateyama Murodo Cabin looking west.

You will see Mikurigaike Pond and Mt. Oku-Dainichi. You will also see the Mikurigaike-Onsen Cabin on the other side of the pond. The hiking trail to the Mikurigaike-Onsen Cabin is on the right side of the pond.

On the hiking trail to the Mikurikaike-Onsen Cabin, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Mt. Oyama and Mt. Masago. This view is also spectacular.

On the right side, you will see Chinoike Ponds. The Chinoike Ponds also were craters.

To the north of Mikurigaike-Onsen Cabin, the "Enma-Dai" Observation Site is located. A spectacular view of Mt. Oyama and Mt. Masago are available. You will also see Cinoike Ponds in front of Mr. Oyama.

On the other side, you will see "Jigoku-Dani". This is an active volcano. You may notice the smell of sulfur coming from the volcano. Because of volcanic gases, no plants grow there. The mountain behind "Jigokudani" is Mt. Oku-Dainichi.

Mikurigaike-Onsen Cabin, located to the south of the "Enma-Dai" Observation Site, is a popular place for tourists. Many people walk from the Murodo Bus Termainal to the Mikurigaike-Onsen Cabin.

You can take a hot spring bath there. The hot spring at Mikurigaike-Onsen is located at the highest altitude in Japan. Also you can stay in a dormitory.

At Murodo, you can enjoy spectacular views.
Ptarmigans (medium size game birds in the grouse family) live at Murodo. The ptarmigans were designated as a special natural treasure in Japan in 1955. They are categorized as "Endangered Threatened" species in Japan.

As there will be a lot of snow in winter at Murodo, it is closed from late November to the middle of April.

How to get there
You can access Murodo from Toyama Station through Tateyama and Bijyodaira. For more details, please refer to the page of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.

Official English Website:
http://www.tateyama-inc.jp/english/index.html

Other Historical Sites near by:
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
Midagahara
Tateyama Caldera
Daikanbo Scenic Spot