Hakone Mount Koma Ropeway, Aerial tramway at Mount Komagatake, Japan
Hakone Mount Koma Ropeway is a 1,783 m aerial tramway with two 101-passenger cabins, named Komagatake and Ashinoko, running between Hakone-en Station on Lake Ashinoko and Komagatake Summit Station. The cabins have white upper panels, a window band with thin red and blue stripes, and a grey-green lower section; seats are few, so most passengers stand. The ride takes 7 minutes and climbs 590 m at a maximum gradient of 30°15′.
The line opened on 27 April 1963, after a licence was granted on 8 March 1962. From 1957 to 2005 the same company, Izu Hakone Railway, also ran a funicular up Komagatake from the east side; when that closed in 2005 the ropeway became the only way to the summit. Its cabins were renewed in 1986, and in February 2016 operation passed from Izu Hakone Railway to Prince Hotel, then in 2022 to Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide.
The summit is home to the Hakone Shrine's Mototsumiya, the original shrine of the Hakone deity, which stands on the crater rim of Mount Koma. The ropeway's two cabins carry the names "Komagatake" and "Ashinoko" and, since April 2016, bear illustrations of the Hakone-en mascot Enchan and the Hakone Geopark mascot Hakojiro.
The ride takes around 15 minutes and can be experienced in most weather conditions. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a jacket, as the summit is often cooler and windier than the base.
The summit station stands on the rim of Mount Komagatake's crater, a central cone of the Hakone volcano. From there, the Hakone Shrine's Mototsumiya, the original shrine building, sits just below the peak. The ropeway has been the only means of reaching the summit since the Komagatake funicular closed in 2005.
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