How to Visit Shinhotaka Ropeway in the Japanese Alps

Thinking about taking a trip to Shinhotaka Ropeway in the Japanese Alps? This guide shows you everything you need to know to go to Shinhotaka Ropeway in Gifu (especially in the winter).

When I was planning my winter trip to Japan, I searched through all the potential things to do that involved snow. One photo that I came across the web captured my attention, and this photo was a shot from the ropeway in the Japanese Alps.

After furthering researching and Googling, I decided that Shinhotaka Ropeway is one of the things I had to add to my Japan itinerary. Fortunately I was granted really nice weather on the day I visited, and this became a highlight of my trip (besides Togakushi Jinja).

Where is Shinhotaka Ropeway?

Shinhotaka Ropeway is a series of two cable cars located in the Hotake Mountain Range in Gifu. It is a popular day trip if you are visiting the Japanese Alps regardless of season, as there are hot spring towns and the tourist town of Takayama nearby.

There are other ropeways in Japan but rarely do they gain over 1000m of elevation or have a double decker gondola car.

Things to Know Before Visiting Shinhotaka Ropeway

• Shinhotaka Ropeway is open almost everyday. There is 1 or 2 days of closure for maintenance every year. However if the weather is bad, the ropeway will be closed. You will need to check the official website or the Takayama bus station the morning of to get the latest information.

• Operating hours varies by season:
  • 8am to 4:45pm from Aug 1 to Aug 31 and on the weekends and public holidays in October
  • 8:30am to 4:45pm from April 1st to Nov 30th
  • 9am to 4:15pm from Dec 1st to March 31st

• You should dedicate at least 2-3 hours at Shinhotaka Ropeway. Ideally you want at least 4-5 hours if you plan to eat a meal up there and take your time exploring or hiking around. Therefore, be sure to give yourself enough time to visit (aka don’t get there after 2pm, you won’t have enough time).

• During the non-winter months when the hiking trails are open, there are several trails that you can do from the top of Shinhotaka Ropeway. In the winter there is a short walking trail around the peak after you get off the ropeway.

• There is a webcam on the official website that shows you real time images from the observation deck. Do not go if you can’t see anything.

Logistics of Visiting Shinhotaka Ropeway

While I was planning my day trip to Shinhotaka Ropeway from Takayama, I was really confused on how to reserve the bus ticket and on the actual timing of the ropeway itself. After visiting, it all became super clear to me, so I will simplify everything for you to make it easy for you to plan!

Getting to Shinhotaka Ropeway

If you are planning to drive (or have a private driver), then it is easy to drive to Shinhotaka Ropeway from nearby cities like Takayama, Toyama, Nagano, and Kanazawa. Depending on where you are coming from, you are looking at a 1.5 to 3 hour drive each way.

There is a large parking lot at the base of Shinhotaka Ropeway station, so if you have your own car, you can park at the parking lot.

Most people take a day trip to Shinhotaka Ropeway from Takayama or from a few surrounding hotspring (onsen) towns. Therefore I will be mainly talking about how to take a bus to Shinhotaka Ropeway.

Taking a bus from Takayam (or Hirayu Onsen) to Shinhotaka Ropeway

Nouhi Bus company operates the route between Takayama (and Hirayu Onsen) to Shinhotaka Ropeway. The bus departs from Takayama starting at 7am daily (with the exception of a month in the winter). You can see the full timetable on the official website. It takes about an hour and half from Takayama to Shinhotaka Ropeway.

There are 3 ways to pay for the bus ticket to Shinhotaka Ropeway

• Buy the round trip bus tickets from the Nouhi Bus office in Takayama the morning of your trip (2200 Yen each way). The bus office is right next to the train station.
• Buy a 2-day unlimited bus pass (which includes Shinhotaka Ropeway tickets) for 6800 Yen from the Takayama bus office the morning of your trip. There is also a 3 day option for 7500 Yen. You can buy this online but I would not recommend doing that in case of bad weather.
• Pay cash on the bus when you get off (same price as the first option, but you just need to have cash).

You cannot buy the Nouhi bus tickets from Takayam to Shinhotaka Ropeway online because it is a commuter bus, meaning there are over 30 stops on this bus between Takayama and Shinhotaka Ropeway. Locals use this bus to go to school/ work so there is no way to reserve a bus seat. It is entirely first come first serve.

You can buy the 2 or 3 day Unlimited bus pass online, but it’s not necessary or recommended. I have never heard of this pass selling out. It’s better to go to the Takayama bus station (right next to the Takayama train station) in the morning to purchase in case the Ropeway is closed due to bad weather.

It is cheaper to buy the 2 day unlimited bus pass for 6800 Yen as it includes the cost of the ropeway. If you pay for the round trip bus and the ropeway separately, it would cost you 8200 Yen instead( 2200 + 2200 + 3800).

If you are staying at one of the hot spring towns along the bus route, you should calculate the cost to see if it’s better to pay the bus fare and ropeway ticket separately or if you want to buy the 2/3 day unlimited bus pass.

Shinhotaka Ropeway Times

Shinhotaka Ropeway is actually two separate ropeways, and you need to get off in the middle to transfer.

• Ropeway 1: Shinhotaka Onsen Station to Nabedaira Kogen Station. Takes about 4 minutes with an elevation gain of 188 meters.
• Ropeway 2: Shirakabadaira Station to Nishihotakaguchi Station. Takes about 7 minutes with an elevation gain of 848 meters. This is the section with the double decker gondola car

Ropeway 1 departs from Shinhotaka Onsen Station every 30 minutes (at 00 and 30). So when I went to visit in the winter, Ropeway 1 starts at 9am, 9:30am, 10am, etc.

Ropeway 2 departs from Shirakabadaira Station (5 minute walk after you get off from Ropeway 1). It depends at 15 and 45 (so 9:15am, 9:45am, 10:15am) etc.

This may look a little confusing but it actually works seamlessly well. As soon as you get off Ropeway 1, you will exit the station, walk a few minutes to Ropeway 2, enter the station and get on the second ropeway to go to the top.

Overall it takes about 20 minutes to go from the base all the way to the peak by Ropeway.

Even when it says Ropeway 1 departs at 9am, in reality if there are a lot of people, you will just wait in line for the second or third car to arrive. So when I visited I waited in line for about 10 minutes and didn’t get going until 9:40am.

One thing to note is that if you have the 2 day unlimited bus pass, you will get a voucher for the ropeway. You have to go to the tickets window first to exchange that voucher for an actual ticket before getting in line for the Ropeway.

Things to do at Shinhotaka Ropeway

I tried to find out what’s there to do at Shinhotaka Ropeway as there’s minimal information on there. Since I couldn’t find anything concrete, I thought it would just be a quick stop, but I was wrong! I ended up not having enough time since I wanted to return to Takayama to explore in the afternoon.

Public bath and foot bath at Shinhotaka Ropeway

After you get off the first ropeway and exit the station, there are 2 hot springs before you walk to the second Ropeway.

Immediately you will see an outdoor pool of water, which is a public foot spa. Surrounded by snow, you can sit by the rocks and dip your bare feet into the hot water. A little bit further than that is the actual public hot spring.

The public hot spring is free and anyone can use it (although I don’t know if most people did), but you can watch the 2nd ropeway go up and down. Keep in mind that you have to be naked in the public bath (separated by gender).

Nature Trail at Nabedaira Kogen Station

Between the two ropeways, there is a short 2.3 km nature trail that’s open during non-winter months. When I visited in the winter the trail was covered in the snow, but I read you can do snow-shoe there. When there is no snow on the trail, it’s a relaxing walk suitable for the whole family.

Observatory at Nishihotakaguchi station

With the elevation of 2156 meter, Nishihotakaguchi Station is known for its observation deck on the rooftop. After getting off the second ropeway, you will need to climb some stairs (or take the elevator) to the top.

The observatory is large with a panoramic view of the mountain peaks, with several photo spots and the view of the ropeways. This is the area shown on the webcam on the official website and it is always packed with tourists.

Some of the photo spots are roped off as they are reserved for those who want to pay for photos. But there are plenty of other places to take photos so don’t worry if you don’t want to pay.

Send a post card from the peak

There is a red Japanese mail box on the peak and this is the highest working mail box in Japan! If you have a postcard then be sure to send it from here.

Walking Trails On the Peak

While there are hiking trails in the summer, in the winter there is a defined walking path. Snow tends to get really deep on the mountain but a walking path is made with snow piled on the side (you should still wear snow boots though).

You can access the snow path from the 2nd floor of the Nishihotakaguchi station and this snow covered path takes no more than an hour to complete. There are several points of interests on this loop path. While you can probably access more of these points of interest in the summer, in the winter there are 2 notable ones:

• Mt. Yarigatake Deck (newly opened in 2024)
• Mt. Nishihotakadake Viewpoint

Even if you don’t make it to these two viewpoints, it’s still nice to walk around and see all the snow covered trees, make a snow angel, or just play with snow.

Grab some food, drinks or souvenirs

There are several cafes and bakeries at Shinhotaka Ropeway so you won’t ever go hungry.

On the 4th floor of Nishihotakaguchi station after getting off the second ropeway you will find the largest restaurant, the Mountain View cafe. Located at the altitude of 2156 meters, this restaurant offers traditional Japanese dishes such as Hida-beef ramen, hida-beef stew, and meat or vegetable curry.

Besides main dishes, there are also small snacks, drinks and dessert at this restaurant.

In the building of Shirakabadaira Station (where you board the second Ropeway), you will find a large bakery that sells baked goods and drinks. There is also a small food stand that has croquette and even ice cream.

Finally on the ground floor of the Shinhotaka Onsen Station (where you board the first ropeway), there is a small cafe that sells drinks, snacks and a wasasbi soft serve ice cream!

There are also souvenir shops at the Shinhotaka Onsen Station as well as the last station where you get off the cable car.

Stay at Hot Spring Ryokans Nearby

If you are planning to do a winter vacation in the alps, you almost certainly should stay at a onsen ryokan nearby! Thanks to the Nouhi bus system, you can easily reach some of the popular hot spring towns from Shinhotaka Ropeway.

When I was researching this area, I saw a few really nice onsen ryokans that I would’ve stayed at if I wasn’t traveling alone:

• Kakurean Hidaji
• Miyama Ouan

Even if you are not staying at a hot spring hotel overnight, there are also day use public onsens in these towns that you can visit. These are all accessibly by bus, and you can also take the same bus back to Takayama the next day (hence taking good use of the 2 day unlimited pass).

Tips to Visiting Shinhotaka Ropeway (especially in the winter)

Since I visited in the winter, I will mostly give you some tips for the winter. Many of them will also apply for the summer though.

• Remember your return bus time: There is only one bus per hour with the last bus leaving at 4:55 for Takayam (although I read there is a bus that leaves at 5:55pm but it only goes to Hirayu Onsen). You should calculate backwards to know when you need to leave the peak to avoid waiting an excessive amount of time

• Don’t visit too late: The visit takes longer than you expect, especially if you have to wait in line to board the ropeways. It’s better to visit early morning than later in the afternoon as I read on Chinese social media that some people almost got stranded by missing the 4:55 bus

• Wear snow boots and stay warm in the winter: You should always wear snow boots, winter coat, a hat and gloves when you go in the winter. Weather can change quickly up there and there is always snow in the winter. Even on a sunny day if you want to walk around you should have water proof and non slip shoes.

• There are coin lockers at Shinhotaka Ropeway: I saw a bunch of lockers when I visited, so if you have a luggage you can probably bring it here. Although most of the lockers I saw seem small, so I’m not sure if it would fit bigger suitcases.

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