When exploring in the far west of Tokyo last week, I was reminded of a bar out there and the absolutely lovely 93-year-old who owned it. A memory that in turn made me think about the area’s long-abandoned ropeway, as it was an attraction the old lady had actually ridden on when she was younger.
Open and ready for passengers at the start of 1962, the 622 metre cable car ride was, in part, built to capitalise on the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Just like the 2020 Games, however, things didn’t quite work out as planned, and visitor numbers simply weren’t substantial enough. An outcome that perhaps shouldn’t have been all that surprising considering the out of the way location, the short, one-stop hop over a lake, and the meagre 0.6 metre height difference between stations. So a mere 4 years after it opened, operations were halted on December 1st 1966. Ostensibly just for the winter, it was an end of year break that lasted until 1975, when an official suspension was announced. A state the site has stayed in ever since — clearly never opening again, and yet at the same time never actually closing.
Left to slowly decay and staying pretty much untouched for decades, there’s now graffiti on the platform, plus more recently on at least one of the cable cars, so that aspect, and the slightly tenuous Olympic connection, seemed like as good a time as any to re-edit these photos from 8 years ago. A time when everything was almost as it was after that last journey over the lake more than 50 years ago.
Jenn says
These are so beautiful! Thank you! 🙂
Lee says
You are very welcome, and yeah, they really are. It’s a lovely spot.
Günter says
So great. I’m getting strong The Last of Us vibes.
Lee says
Cheers. Yes, that’s a very good call. Thankfully it was all the beauty minus all the danger.
Richard says
Nostalgia strikes! All of the trees are lovely. Thanks!
Lee says
It does! They are. It’s genuinely beautiful out there at this time of year. So much colour.
Richard says
Especially compared to Calif where we are in an extreme drought: everything seems to be brown.
I have always loved all the different shades of green in summertime in Japan. It is so refreshing.
Lee says
Yeah, the greenery in summer really is something.
It’s the opposite here — rainy season…
Richard says
Yes, but the rainy season helps foster all of the greenery.
Ros N says
these are beautiful, both cable cars (are there two?) and setting.
Lee says
It really is a wonderful spot. Beautiful and incredibly peaceful, making it a genuinely nice place to be. And yeah, there are two. One on each side of the lake.
ellen says
They look lonely but so beautiful!
Lee says
Yeah, there’s definitely that aspect about them. Quietly sitting there for over 50 years…
Scruffy says
Oh I love these. I remember them from before. The light through the tree boughs is special. You don’t find that every day, everywhere. Thanks for showing them again.
Lee says
You are very welcome, and thanks. Good to know you enjoyed seeing them again. They really are special, and yeah, the light was absolutely lovely. Without any pre-planning at all, I was lucky enough to get there at just the right time of day, and on just the right kind of day.