Ride a ropeway up 1,212-meter Mt. Gozaisho, known for its unusual rock formations, to reach Nagoya’s closest ski resort and a host of other fun mountaintop activities. To get to the summit of Mt. Gozaisho from the hot springs at Yunoyama Onsen below it, you must take the Gozaisho Ropeway. The gondolas offer amazing views of the cities of Yokkaichi and Ise Bay as well as the Suzuka Mountain Range.

Gozaisho Ropeway, which takes 12 minutes for a one way ride, has one of the biggest scales in the world. After your ropeway ascent, you’ll be at the summit and a quaint ski resort. The area that stretches beneath the ropeway, known as Summit Park, has a lot to offer visitors. It includes paved walkways for easy hiking, Gozaisho Nature School with exhibits on the local flora and fauna, and three observatories from which to take in the view.

Some interesting rock formations can be found on the side of Mt. Gozaisho and are viewable from the gondola. One of the most intriguing is a square stone precariously balanced on two supporting pillars. The Japanese believe this formation resembles Jizo, the Buddhist guardian deity of children.

In spring, this place turns to a mesmerizing ambience with blooming Azaleas spreading all over the land. Summer brings a different beauty with its cold environ where the red dragonflies come to escape the heat. Autumn makes the earth enflamed with red leaves and paint the mountains with dark and light red, yellow and brown colours between mid-October and late November.