One of a handful of hotels on Mount Tateyama on the Toyama side of the Alpine Route. It was a choice of this or Hotel Tateyama when I was making our hotel bookings almost 5 months before my trip. We had initially intended to stay at Hotel Tateyama as a matter of convenience, but I am glad that we had to go with Midagahara instead.
If your starting point is Toyama, make sure you get the schedule for all your connecting modes of transport. Because you will need to make sure you don't miss the last vehicle (whichever it is) that takes you to the hotel. Especially if you are intending to stop at each station along the way to take in the sights.
The Tateyama Highland bus from Bijodaira has several stops along the way, one of which is the Midagahara stop. Make sure to hit the bell button when the stop is announced, though the bus almost always stops there because of the wetlands boardwalk.
We arrived slightly before the check-in time, however as it was 'low season' the room was ready and waiting for us. The hotel staff were very helpful with the check in and made sure to check with us on our dietary restrictions. The central attraction of Midagahara are the wetlands with their 2 walking paths and the caldera and the walking path that leads up to it. Unfortunately on the day that we arrived the rain clouds had rolled in so we couldn't see any further than 100 m ahead of us.
The caldera path is across from the hotel, which if you aren't too sure where the path starts, you can ask staff who are stationed at the hut which functions as the bus station of sorts. To get down to the wetland path turn right as you exit the hotel and follow the path down and around the hotel.
The hotel has a free wetlands tour on a daily basis, it is however only conducted in Japanese, which on a clear day would not be much of an issue because you can choose to wander the 2 paths by yourselves, however as mentioned the rain clouds had rolled in so we could barely see anything.
The hotel has 2 dining restaurants. A Japanese restaurant on the main floor and a French restaurant on the 2nd floor. However it seems that the French restaurant is by reservation only. Every evening a documentary is shown in the reception area talking about the wetlands and the area followed by stargazing if the weather permits.
The hotel also has a onsen/sento which on a clear day faces the wetlands and is probably very relaxing and contemplative if I could see the wetlands.
The weather did clear up the next day and the view from my room, which faced the wetlands was stunning to say the least, please note that the rooms do not come with air-conditioning and the hotel does inform you that if you find the room a little stuffy, do open the windows to allow air to circulate, which we did, this also meant that you could hear all the birds chirping in the morning.
The hotel also arranges your onward transport when checking in so as to guarantee that you have a seat on the scheduled bus that goes between Bijodaira and Murodo Station. As a guest of the hotel, if you are going onward to Murodo, there is no need to walk to the main road where the bus stop/hut is, the bus will turn into the driveway to pick you up.
While I agree with some that the hotel is expensive, you don't exactly have a choice unless you intend to whirlwind yourself over the alpine route in a day. I personally felt that the stopover was warranted and allowed for a much needed break which allowed us to take a more relaxed journey.
Be warned though, if you are only stopping at Midagahara so as to wander the boardwalk, do book your onward bus journey with the staff at the bus stop. The last bus is around 5 pm so you do not want to miss it, especially if you do not have a booking to stay at Midagahara.
