The Shinhotaka Ropeway is an aerial tramway located in the steep mountains of northern Gifu Prefecture. The location is remote, but it’s easily reached via express bus service departing from the Meitetsu Bus Center at Nagoya Station, with just a single transfer at the Takayama Nouhi Bus Center.

The bus dropped me off right at Shinhotaka Onsen Station, where you board the No. 1 Ropeway, the first of the tramway’s two lines. After four minutes of great views of snowy mountains and forests…

...we had ascended to Nabedairakogen Station, located at an altitude of over 1,300 meters above sea level. Shirakabadaira Station, the lower terminus of the No. 2 Ropeway line, is a short distance away.

This line uses double-decker tram gondolas – the only tramway in Japan to do so. Posters and handbills in the station announced that these two-level gondolas are getting a new look in July in commemoration of the tramway’s fiftieth anniversary.

Seven minutes spent traversing more spectacular scenery, and we arrived at Nishihotakaguchi Station, the tramway’s highest point. The station lies at an altitude of 2,156 meters – just over 7,000 feet – and boy, was it cold!

My first stop was the rooftop lookout deck, which afforded breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains of the northern Japan Alps – some of Japan’s highest peaks, with a few of them standing more than 3,000 meters (over 9,800 feet) above sea level.

We were so high up, we were even above the clouds!

And how could I pass up the opportunity to have my picture taken with Nishiho-kun, the station’s mascot?

Below I could see the area’s famed “snow corridors” – pathways through wooded fields flanked by tall walls of snow. I went down for an up-close look.

After wandering through the weird otherworldly expanse of snow and ice, I was ready for lunch, so I headed to the station’s cafe, where I enjoyed curry and rice made using Hida beef – a local brand of fine wagyu beef that’s widely considered one of the best in Japan. Tasty!

Nearby was a stall selling ice cream – sweet, rich, and creamy, and accented with a dusting of bitter green tea as well as a crunchy cookie.

Then I boarded a tram back to the midpoint stations to explore the area there. The first stop was an open-air footbath of hot spring water – a welcome interlude that soon took off the chill.

Next to the footbath area was a spacious visitor center featuring exhibits devoted to the region’s nature and culture.

The visitor center even included a full large bath fed by a natural spring.

Then it was another tram ride back down to the lowermost station. There I checked out the large gift shop featuring local food and drink specialties…

...as well as tie-in products with popular anime and games.

Monster Hunter fans will want to take a look!

Then I found my lodgings for the night – Hotel Hotaka, just steps away from Shinhotakaonsen Station.

My stay plan included dinner, which was a course meal that naturally also included more Hida beef, which we cooked on little individual grills right at our seats.

After a few more food courses, including soba – another regional specialty – rice with local-style pickled vegetables, Shinshu miso soup, and a slice of berry cake, we were very full!

I’d heard about an ongoing local festival at a nearby Shuttle shrine, and luckily enough, our hotel was on the route for free shuttle-bus service to the festival and back, so off I went!

This festival was devoted to kamakura – shelters made by hollowing out big solid piles of snow.

There were also stalls selling warm beverages and local fare, including bear soup, which turned out to be light and delicately flavored.

Breakfast at the hotel the next morning was again full of specialties of the area, and even came with a helpful bilingual guide showing what everything was.

Fortified and energized, I was ready to set off on my snowshoeing adventure – which you can read all about here!