Tokushima: Out with the Old, in with the New: Gondolas Replaced on Bizan Ropeway

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:53 JST, March 15, 2025

TOKUSHIMA — The gondolas on a ropeway connecting the foot and the summit of Mt. Bizan in western Tokushima City were recently replaced with brand new ones. The Bizan Ropeway will reopen with the new gondolas on March 30, having been suspended for renewal since January.

The new gondolas have larger windows so that passengers can enjoy a feeling of openness.

Tokushima is famous for its Awaodori group dancing festival. The ropeway connects Awaodori Kaikan hall, a tourist facility where visitors can see and experience Awaodori dance in its birthplace, with the summit of the mountain, where visitors can see across the city.

The four new gondolas in blue, red and yellow are fourth-generation. Each can accommodate up to 14 passengers, and two of them form one combined car.

Whereas the old gondolas were cylindrical, the new ones are rectangular. The floor space per passenger is about 60% greater than before and the windows are about 40% taller.

On the day the ropeway reopens, commemorative tickets will be issued. There will also be performances of Awaodori dance and Awa Ningyo Joruri, a traditional puppet drama, at the summit of Mt. Bizan, where food trucks will also be set up.

Tokushima Mayor Akiyoshi Endo said, “I hope residents and tourists will ride the new gondolas and thoroughly enjoy the view.”

The third-generation gondolas had been in service for 25 years and had become too aged to continue.