Autumn views on Dragondola, Japan’s longest ropeway
With abundant snowfall, Niigata is the prefecture with the most number of ski resorts in Japan—one of them being Naeba (苗場). In winter, Naeba is a skier’s paradise, but during autumn, people flock here for another reason: to witness the dazzling autumn colours from a very special cable car, Dragondola (ドラゴンドラ Doragondora).
Dragondola in autumn. (Image credit: 新潟県観光協会)
With a whopping length of 5,481m, Dragondola is Japan’s longest ropeway. A one-way ride on this gondola takes about 25 minutes, giving visitors ample time to enjoy the ride and the scenery. Dragondola has been on my to-visit list for the longest time, and earlier this year, I finally got to ride it with my colleague Sue.
Bus from Echigo-Yuzawa Station to Naeba Ski Resort. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
Dragondola is located in Yuzawa Town (湯沢町 Yuzawa-machi), and can be reached via a 45-minute bus ride from JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station (越後湯沢駅 Echigo-Yuzawa-eki). As we rode the bus, autumn colours were just beginning along the way, and we saw yellowish green foliage covering the mountains in the distance. However, it was forecasted that the colours on the way up the gondola would be near their peak, so we were really looking forward to that.
Purchasing tickets from the ticket office. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
We got off the Naeba Ski Resort Schnee Bus Stop (苗場スキー場シュネー前) and purchased our tickets from the ticket office. The ropeway costs ¥3,500 per adult for a two-way trip. If you wanted, you could actually combine one-way Dragondola and one-way Tashiro Ropeway—the two ropeways connect the two ski resorts of Naeba Ski Resort and Kagura Ski Resort.
Sue and I ended up taking Dragondola both ways as the scenery on the way up was so amazing that we wanted to relive it again on the way down! You don’t have to decide which one you want to ride right away; you can decide on the spot when you’re about to board. If you are a Seibu Prince Club member (which Sue was), you can get a ¥500 discount for the ropeway ticket.
Taking the shuttle bus to the lower gondola station and boarding the gondola. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
After getting our tickets, we took the shuttle bus to reach the lower gondola station. If you prefer to walk and enjoy the outdoors, there is also a walkway, which lets you reach the lower gondola station in about 20 minutes. It was a very cold and windy day when we visited, and we were somewhat underdressed for the low temperatures and strong winds, so we opted for the shuttle bus.
Riding the Dragondola up. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
Usually, one gondola can seat up to eight people, but since it was a rainy day, combined with social distancing measures, the two of us got one gondola to ourselves. The two rows of seats in the gondola both face the windows, one facing the direction of movement, and the other in the opposite direction. I highly recommend sitting in the direction facing the descent, as the views are extremely dramatic, especially for the sections with great elevation differences.
The gondola dipping close to the Kiyotsu River. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
On the 25-minute journey, we experienced a very fun and exciting ride, ascending and descending multiple times. It was almost like riding a rollercoaster—going up and down, ascending mountains and dipping down into valleys. I guess this is where the name Dragondola comes from, it was like going up and down the back of a dragon!
Colourful trees along the ride. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
Throughout the ride, we leisurely marvelled at the surrounding autumn colours; the vibrant yellow, orange, and red leaves were stunning! There was also a graphic inside the gondola that highlighted which sections were the scenic photo spots, so that we could anticipate and get our cameras ready.
It was a cloudy and rainy day so our photos don’t really do the views justice, but trust us when we say that the views were breathtakingly spectacular. One of the most beautiful sights to experience on Dragondola is that of looking down at the Kiyotsu River lined with golden larch trees (カラマツ karamatsu). As you look up towards the direction of the upper gondola station, you can see Mount Naeba covered in vivid colours.
Passing by Lake Futai. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
Slightly past the mid-point of the ride, one of the scenic sights we got to enjoy was that of Lake Futai (二居湖 Futai-ko), a small lake made by damming up part of the Kiyotsu River. Surrounded by colourful trees on mountain slopes, the lake’s waters shone a beautiful, otherworldly turquoise blue. It is said that the colour of the water varies between different colours depending on the weather conditions.
View of autumn colours as the gondola reached the upper station. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
Dragondola’s lower station is located at an elevation of 921m above sea level, while the upper station is 1,346m above sea level. Although many trees were still yellowish green near the lower station, as we got higher, the colours got more vivid, more yellow and orange. After alighting at the upper gondola station, there was a pleasant boardwalk trail and camping chairs to enjoy the scenery, as well as a restaurant and food stalls for bites to eat.
It was cold at the upper gondola station. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
We were very unprepared for the chilly temperatures at the summit, so the first thing we did was to grab some hot food to heat ourselves up. I got a warm chocolate and cheese crepe, while Sue got a warm cup of chowder. The food did its work, and we were able to start walking around without feeling like our limbs were about to freeze off.
Riding the Rakuraku Lift to the Tashiro Ropeway station. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
As previously mentioned, visitors riding the Dragondola can opt to take the Tashiro Ropeway down, and that was our initial plan. We started walking towards the Tashiro Ropeway, which was on a steep uphill path. Luckily, there’s a free chairlift to go up this steep path, the Rakuraku Lift (らくらくリフト Rakuraku Rifuto), so we rode that instead of walking.
After reaching the Tashiro Ropeway station, we decided we wanted to experience Dragondola’s views again, and ended up walking back to the Dragondola station. As we walked downhill, we could enjoy views of Lake Tashiro and the mountains in the distance. On some of the peaks of the taller mountains in the distance, we could see that they were already dotted with snow!
Riding the Dragondola down. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
After spending about 2 hours exploring the summit area, we took the Dragondola back down, and really enjoyed basking in the spectacular views one last time. This ropeway was a fantastic experience not just for its length, but also the stunning colours and the many ups and downs it made along the route. I definitely recommend visiting not just in autumn, but also during summer and winter as well, and I’d love to come back again someday!
Getting there
Dragondola is located at Naeba Ski Resort, and can be reached via a 45-minute bus ride (¥700/adult one-way) from JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station.
Dragondola (苗場ドラゴンドラ )
Address: 202 Mikuni, Yuzawa-machi, Minami Uonuma-gun, Niigata 949-6292
Access: From JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station, take a 45-minute bus ride (¥700) to the Naeba Ski Resort Schnee Bus Stop (苗場スキー場シュネー前). From there, take the free shuttle bus or walk 20 minutes to the lower gondola station.
Admission fee: ¥3,500/adult for a round-trip ride
Opening hours: 9:00–15:00 (last gondola down from the top is at 16:00)
Many hot spring hotels in Yuzawa offer fantastic views of the mountains from the guest rooms. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
If you can, I highly recommend staying overnight at a hot spring resort at Yuzawa Town—some of them offer fantastic views of the surrounding autumn scenery right from the guest rooms. Others offer amazing mountain views from their outdoor baths.
Check out Echigo-Yuzawa Station before riding the train back. (Image credit: JR East / Carissa Loh)
Before catching the train back, take some time to explore Echigo-Yuzawa Station. There’s free outdoor footbath (足湯 ashiyu), as well as a large souvenir and shopping area inside. Niigata is famous for its rice and sake (酒 rice wine), and inside Echigo-Yuzawa Station is Ponshukan (ぽんしゅ館) a sake-tasting room where you can taste over 100 varieties of sake. There is also a sake hot spring at the station, with waters that really do smell like sake!
JR TOKYO Wide Pass
The JR TOKYO Wide Pass and usage area. (Image credit: JR East)
If you are in Tokyo and thinking of taking a day trip to visit Dragondola, check out the JR TOKYO Wide Pass, an affordable pass offering unlimited rail travel on JR East lines (including bullet trains) in the valid area for 3 consecutive days at only ¥15,000. You can also make seat reservations for bullet trains, some limited express trains and Joyful Trains online for free, up to 1 month in advance, on the JR-EAST Train Reservation.
The JR TOKYO Wide Pass can be used for automatic ticket gates, and foreign passport holders living in Japan are also eligible to use this pass.
GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort
GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort. (Image credit: GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort)
During the winter season, you can use the JR TOKYO Wide Pass to visit GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort, the only ski resort in the world with its own shinkansen station. Right after exiting the station gantries, you will face the ticketing counters. The resort can be reached by direct shinkansen from Tokyo in just 74 minutes on the fastest services.
This season, the resort is scheduled to open from 17 December 2022 to 7 May 2023, subject to weather conditions. Other than skiing and snowboarding, you can also enjoy fun snow activities like sledding, snowmobile rides, kanjiki (traditional snow shoes) tours, and more.
For more information about winter activities at GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort, you can check out this article. JR TOKYO Wide Pass holders also get special discounts for gondola and lift tickets.
JR EAST PASS (Nagano, Niigata area)
The JR EAST PASS (Nagano, Niigata area) and usage area. (Image credit: JR East)
If you are thinking of visiting more of Niigata Prefecture in addition to Dragondola, check out the JR EAST PASS (Nagano, Niigata area), an affordable pass offering unlimited rail travel on JR East lines (including bullet trains) in the valid area for 5 consecutive days at only ¥27,000. You can also make seat reservations for bullet trains, some limited express trains and Joyful Trains online for free, up to 1 month in advance, on the JR-EAST Train Reservation.
The JR-EAST Train Reservation. (Image credit: JR East)
The JR EAST PASS (Nagano, Niigata area) can be used for automatic ticket gates, and foreign passport holders living in Japan are also eligible to use this pass.
Header image credit: photoAC
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Carissa Loh
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