Gozaisho Ropeway

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Gozaishoropewayrime iceYunoyama OnsenSuzuka range

Photo: Alpsdake / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · original

Gozaisho Ropeway rewards patience — the view most people describe isn't the one you get by rushing.

The ropeway climbs from Yunoyama Onsen to near the summit of Gozaisho at 1,212 metres, on the Suzuka range that divides Mie from Shiga. It passes over granite outcrops and under one of the tallest ropeway support towers in Japan, and from the top you look east across the Ise plain and the bay to the Chita peninsula, and west into Shiga.

The reason to come in winter is the rime ice. Freezing fog blown onto the trees and the rocks near the summit coats everything in white spines, and Gozaisho gets it reliably because of where it sits between the Sea of Japan weather and the Pacific side. Return fare is ¥2,600 for adults and ¥1,300 for children, and the base is a hot spring village so a bath afterwards is the standard ending.

Before you go

Access hours

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM April–November | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM December–March

Closed: Irregular closures | Suspended in strong wind | Scheduled maintenance closures — confirm before travelling

Entry fee

Return ¥2,600 junior high school students and above | ¥1,300 children aged 4 to elementary school | Free under 4

Best time to visit

January–February for rime ice | Late October–November for autumn colour

Time to allow

2–3 hours

Making the trip

Getting there in detail

Yunoyama Onsen, Komono, Mie District, on the Suzuka range. By bus from Yunoyama-Onsen Station on the Kintetsu Yunoyama Line, or by car with parking. Operating 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM from April to November and 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM from December to March. Return fare ¥2,600 for junior high school students and above, ¥1,300 for children aged 4 to elementary school and free under 4. Closed irregularly, suspended in strong wind, and closed for maintenance in scheduled periods — in 2026 from 2 to 9 July, 8 to 10 September and 14 to 22 December. Confirm before travelling.

Beyond the guidebook

**Wind stops it.** Suspensions for strong wind are common on this ridge. Check the operating status on the day rather than assuming. **Winter for the rime ice.** Freezing fog coats the summit trees in white spines, reliably, because of where the range sits between two weather systems. January and February. **Maintenance closures are scheduled.** Several multi-day periods each year, published in advance. They catch people out. **Bathe at the bottom.** Yunoyama Onsen is at the base station and day bathing at several inns is the normal way to end the trip. **Four in the afternoon in winter.** Last ascent much earlier than in summer, and the light goes quickly on the east face.

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