Iwakuni Castle Ropeway Mountain Foot Station — Local services in Iwakuni

GO EARLY IN THE MORNING!! The first gondola runs at 9am, but try to get there any time before 10:30 or 11 because the tour buses start arriving. Even then, I was with 10 other people on the way up, which can feel stuffy during covid. The windows are open for air circulation, though.

Buying a ticket is easy, there are 2 ticket machines at the base of the building. You have to input money first before selecting the amount and type of ticket you want. Don't forget to twist the small black knob above the touch screen labeled おつり to get your change! There is no English option but it should be simple to understand. 1枚 = 1 ticket, 2枚 = 2 tickets and so on 大人 = adult ticket 子供 = child ticket Make sure to get the round trip ticket (should be the more expensive of the options) so you don't have to buy another one on the way down. When you board the gondola up, the station worker will hold out a small basket, DON'T put your ticket in there if you bought the round trip! The same will happen on the way down, and that's when you give them the ticket. If you bought the package deal of bridge, gondola, and castle, you can just show them the ticket.

If you don't want to go into the castle, there's an outlook just to the left of the gondola exit by the mechanical clock. Just as amazing view, just a little blocked by some trees. The trail to the castle is paved and also leads to English signs where the Well and Dry Moat are, if you want a quick...

In theory, the ropeway is a great way to get up the mountain to Iwakuni Castle. It's a short ride offering a beautiful view of the entire area including the Kintaikyo which is amazing to see from above. However, you can really only enjoy that ride if the car is not filled to maximum capacity like it was when I was riding. To be clear, by "maximum capacity" what I mean is that we were shoved in so tightly that you could not move your arms. It was similar to riding a train in Tokyo during rush hour. Frankly, I found this to be completely unacceptable and...

Over priced ropeway but they have you by the balls. The pokeballs! Waiting an hour during season for a two minute ride to get to the top for those poke stops might seem doable until you realize you are standing in the sun with no form of shelter and you engulfed in the ambiance of homeless body odor and the overwhelming...