We only took this ride to keep a promise to two elementary school girls, but it turned out to be well worth the ticket price.

Our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun recently went on a family trip to the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, and by “family trip” we don’t mean just P.K., his wife, and their daughter. Also part of the group were P.K.’s dad, his younger sister, and her family, including P.K.’s niece.

With the two girls being elementary school-age, a lot of the itinerary was focused on things that would be fun for them to do, which P.K., being a kid at heart himself, had no problem with. Well, almost no problem. As their sightseeing schedule for the first day was winding down and they were driving to their hotel, the girls spotted a mountain cable car, or “ropeway,” as they’re called in Japanese, and excitedly said they wanted to ride it the next day. P.K. said sure, but found himself regretting his promise a few hours later after he did some actual checking on the place.

The ropeway, it turned out, is part of Izu Panorama Park, in the city of Izunokuni. To P.K.’s shock, round-trip tickets for the ropeway cost a whopping 3,500 yen (US$23.35) for adults and 1,600 yen for elementary-school age kids. Those prices are two or three times what many non-famous regional ropeways charge (tickets for children aged 3 to 5 are 800 yen and kids 2 or under ride for free, but those discounts weren’t going to do P.K. any good).

P.K. was now faced with a difficult decision. Did he go back on his word and abort the outing, or did he shell out for what he suspected could be an overpriced tourist trap?

In the end, guided by the faint light of optimism that couldn’t be extinguished without giving it a try, and also the wisdom that the silent ire of two disappointed kids could make for a very awkward drive home, P.K. bravely opened his wallet wide and purchased the ropeway tickets.

As they got underway, P.K. started to feel a little more confident that he’d made the right choice. The cable car route runs from the foot of Mt. Katsuragiyama up to its peak, at an altitude of 452 meters (1,482.9 feet). The ascent takes seven minutes, and it definitely was cool seeing the city below them visually shrink as they got higher into the sky.

But things started to get really good once they got to the top of the mountain. P.K. had expected a modest plaza to hang out in for a few minutes before hopping back on the cable car for the ride down. Instead, he discovered that there’s actually a lot to do at the top of Mt. Katsuragiyama, starting with enjoying the amazing view from the Aqua Ring.

This panoramic viewing deck forms a circle, giving you a 360-degree panoramic view. While what you’ll see in any direction is beautiful, the best angle of all is the one that lets you take in both the snow-capped peak of Mt. Fuji and the waters of Suruga Bay.

While a big part of the appeal of cable cars is being able to get to the top of a mountain quickly and easily, this upper section of Izu Panorama Park also has a forest walking path and kids’ obstacle course playground for those with extra energy from not having to climb all the way up here yourself, as well as a shrine and two different cafes.

But P.K.’s favorite spot of all just might be the open-air foot bath, which is free to use and lets you soak your toes while gazing at Mt. Fuji.

So while P.K. had initially felt iffy about the expensive ropeway tickets, in the end they turned out to be totally worth the price, considering all there is to do at Izu Panorama Park, and he figures you could easily spend three or four hours here. There are even ways to trim a couple hundred yen off the ticket prices, as some hotels offer discounted tickets for guests and the park itself sometimes has reduced prices on weekdays or for advanced purchases, which can be made through the Izu Panorama Park website here.

Park information
Izu Panorama Park / 伊豆パノラマパーク
Address: Shizuoka-ken, Izunokuni-shi, Nagaoka 260-1
静岡県伊豆の国市長岡２６０−１
Website

Aqua Ring, forest walk, shrine images: Izu Panorama Park
All other photos ©SoraNews24
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