A giant snow corridor has been ploughed through the northern Alps in central Japan, finally enabling the route to reopen to traffic after being closed all winter.
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route links Tateyama Town in Toyama Prefecture and Omachi City in Nagano Prefecture with transportation services including buses and cable cars.
A snow-packed section that stretches about 37 kilometres was previously closed but traffic resumed on Tuesday for the first time in about four-and-half months.
Occasional blizzard conditions prompted officials to cancel a ceremony in which visitors walk the snow corridor.
