Hikosan Kaen Slope Car, Slope car at Hikosan Jingū, Soeda, Japan

The Hikosan Kaen Slope Car is a rack-and-pinion inclined monorail, not a cable car, running 469 m from Hana Station to Kami Station on Mount Hiko in Soeda, Fukuoka. It climbs a 133 m height difference at about 18 degrees and 70 m per minute, taking roughly seven minutes to reach the Hikosan Jingū Hōheiden, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.

The slope car opened on 10 October 2005, running 469 m from Hana Station to Kami Station beside the Hikosan Jingū Hōheiden, a hall designated an Important Cultural Property. It replaced the climb of more than 300 stone steps along the front approach, and ridership passed 100,000 within about half a year. In February 2023 the line closed for new cars, and service resumed on 29 March 2023; the Sachi–Hana section was not reopened and was abandoned.

The 2023 cars are styled as the "Tenkū Cargo", after the palanquins once used to carry people up the mountain; the exterior echoes an Edo-period kago, with vermilion recalling the Honden of Hikosan Jingū. Inside, tatami seats without backrests let riders look in every direction, and a misu reed blind hangs above the windows, marking the sacred precinct.

The slope car runs every 20 minutes from 8:30 to 17:00, daily, covering the 469 m from Hana Station to Kami Station in about 7 minutes. It is wheelchair- and stroller-accessible. To reach Hana Station by public transport, take the Soeda town bus from Hikosan Station on the Hitahikosan Line BRT and get off at Do-no-Torii, then walk.

It is a rack-and-pinion monorail, the largest of its kind in Japan, and legally treated as an inclined elevator rather than a railway. The 2023 cars are styled after an Edo-period palanquin, with tatami seats that have built-in heaters and no backrests, so riders can turn 360 degrees.