After getting off the Hakone Tozan Cable Car, I stopped by Sounzan station on the Hakone Ropeway after a long absence. Hakone Ropeway is a gondola lift opened in 1959. Connecting Sounzan and Togendai, its total operating length is 4.05 kilometers. The height difference between the lowest and the highest points is 303 meters. The route is currently divided into two sections, so, the passengers have to change the cabin at the intermediate Owakudani station. The operating system of Hakone Ropeway is "Funitel", which has two arms attached to two parallel overhead cables, providing more stability in high winds. Hakone Ropeway is officially recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the busiest aerial lift, since two million passengers per year are on board.
What's new with Hakone Ropeway? The company plans to replace the gondolas. The new gondolas will be TARIS built by CWA in Switzerland. TARIS is larger than that of the present gondola. It also has a wider door; thus, passengers can ride on or off safely and easily. Although it's delayed further than the first plan probably because of the COVID-19 calamity, I hope that the new gondolas will be commissioned soon.
Now is the time when we are getting deeper into autumn in the Hakone Mountains. I then visited Shissei-kaen (Botanical Garden of Wetlands) located in the northern part of Hakone. The forest and mountain around the Shissei-kaen glowed red, yellow and brown. It made a nice contrast with the blue sky.
