Sakamoto Cable Car

The Sakamoto Cable is Japan’s longest funicular railway, climbing more than two kilometres from the old temple town of Sakamoto up the flank of Mt Hiei toward Enryakuji, the great World Heritage monastery above Kyoto and Lake Biwa. The ride itself, through forest with widening lake views, is half the pilgrimage.

The climb

Elegant European styled cars depart from a charming heritage station and haul steadily up the mountainside for about eleven minutes, passing through tunnels and over viaducts as Lake Biwa spreads out below. It is a genuinely beautiful piece of railway engineering, in service since the 1920s, and the upper station opens onto walking paths toward Enryakuji’s eastern precinct. In autumn the whole climb runs through turning maples.

Sakamoto below

Spare time for the town at the base: Sakamoto served the monastery for centuries and its lanes are lined with marvellous stone walls built by the Anotsu masons, plus the shrine complex of Hiyoshi Taisha. Soba noodles are the local specialty, traditionally served to monks descending the mountain.

Getting there

From Kyoto, take the JR Kosei Line to Hieizan-Sakamoto Station or the Keihan line to Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi, then walk up through the town to the cable station. The route combines with the Kyoto side ropeway to make a full traverse of Mt Hiei, one of the region’s best day circuits.

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