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Nikko NP, Tochigi
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Japan’s 1956 climbing boom, sparked by the first Manaslu ascent, inspired Tōya Railway president Masao Yano to dream of a lift up windy Chausu—a bold plan in a place known for fierce gusts.
The first 1962 cabins, “Kakko” (Cuckoo) and “Rindo” (Gentian), carried 36 people. A later rebuild brought back “Kakko” as a 111-person gondola—more than triple the original capacity.
An Environment Ministry ranger points out that Nasu-dake is a name for the mountain range, not one summit. The ropeway serves Chausu (1,915m); Sanbonyari, at 1,917m, is 2m higher.
The top station sits at 1,690m, not at Chausu’s 1,915m summit. The final rocky kilometer gains 225m and takes about 40 minutes on foot.
Chausu’s stark, nearly plant-free upper slopes have a volcanic cause: gas escaping around the summit, including hydrogen sulfide, helps suppress vegetation. Forest gives way to bare rock at about 1,400m.
Chausu’s 1408–1410 eruption was a sequence, not one sudden blast: records describe ash, mudflows and lava. The Naka River turned yellow, and more than 180 people and many cattle died.
At the separate Sesshō-seki valley below Chausu, folklore says a nine-tailed fox became the “Killing Stone.” Nearby volcanic gases offer a real danger: they can kill small animals drawn to warm ground.
The ropeway can start a journey to Santogoya Onsen, whose acidic spring was discovered in 1142. This remote mountain bath is still reachable only on foot, about 2 hours’ hike from the station.
In 1962, the first gondolas were hung on the cable on September 10. Backup-engine tests began 5 days later, motor tests followed on September 20, and the ropeway opened on October 19.
Every May 8, a ceremony at the summit’s Nasudake Shrine marks the start of climbing season and prays for hikers’ safety—a living tradition on the peak served by the ropeway.
Before the ropeway opened in 1962, local innkeepers’ group Okunasu-kai sent out a publicity caravan to promote it. Opening-day safety rites made the launch a community effort, not just an engineering feat.
