Photo: eitarov / CC BY 2.0Open in Google Maps · Directions from your berth
Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
Mt Tsurumi is the volcano that sits behind Beppu, and the ropeway is the only easy way onto it. The operator describes a ride of about 10 minutes to a top station at about 1,300 m. For a call where the hells and a bath already feel done, it is the one thing in Beppu that changes your height above the steam.
At the top, the operator lists three observation decks whose view changes with the season, including a view of the Kuju mountains. A summit walkway runs past small shrines, with Tsurumi Sanjo Gongen Ichinomiya standing in front of the station, and there is a mountain shop. The cabin has a flat floor and no step at the platform, and a stair lift is fitted at the top station for wheelchairs.
The catch is the clock and the weather. It is a long way from the pier (about 20 minutes by car, longer by bus), the ropeway can be suspended in bad weather, and a cloudy day gives you a wet grey cabin ride and not much else. The operator's facilities page lists only a mountain shop, so eat before you go up. Skip it on a short call; it needs about four hours ashore with a taxi, more by bus.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Buy the return ticket: ¥1,800 against ¥1,200 each way. Riders aged 70 and over pay ¥1,700 return, and the operator lists no other senior discount.
- Check the day's operating status on the operator's site before you commit to a taxi. Service can be suspended for weather or maintenance, and a closed ropeway with a ¥4,000 taxi fare is a bad morning.
- Count the way down as well: the last cabin down is 17:30 (17:00 from 15 Nov), and the last weekday route 36 bus from the ropeway stop to Beppu Station is 17:45 on the March 2026 timetable. Your ship will be gone first, so use taxi or the earlier buses.
- The Yufurin sightseeing express has been suspended since 17 Oct 2026, until further notice. Route 36 from Beppu Station West exit is the bus to use, and the operator names it as the replacement.
- The top is at about 1,300 m, so bring a layer. The summit walkway has shrines and uneven ground; wear shoes you would walk in.
The cabin has a flat floor and no step at the platform, and a stair lift is fitted at the top station for wheelchairs.
Guided days from Beppu
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
More in Beppu
Questions people ask here
How do you get from the Beppu cruise port to the ropeway?
By taxi it is about 20 minutes by the ropeway operator's own figure, and roughly ¥4,000 on our calculation from the official tariff. By bus, walk to the main-road stop, ride to JR Beppu Station, then take route 36 from the West exit, stop 1, to the Beppu Ropeway stop: about 25 minutes and ¥500 on the operator's timetable and fare table. The Sunflower Terminal stop by the port has almost no daytime buses.
How much is the Beppu Ropeway?
¥1,800 adult return, ¥1,200 one way, ¥1,700 return for ages 70 and over, and ¥900 return for a child, from the operator's fare list dated 1 Feb 2023. It reports about 10 minutes each way.
Is the ropeway open in winter?
Yes, it is listed as open all year with no regular closed days. From 15 Nov it runs 9:00–17:00 with the last cabin up at 16:30, and it may stop for weather or maintenance.