The Oyama Cable Car is a funicular railway operated by Oyama Cable Car Co., Ltd. in Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Officially known as the Oyama Cable Line, it connects Oyama Cable Station with Afuri Jinja Station. The line climbs Mount Oyama, located in the southeastern part of the Tanzawa Mountains.
The cable car is widely used by visitors and worshippers traveling to Oyama Afuri Shrine, situated higher up the mountain. It also provides access for hikers heading toward the Yabitsu Pass area.
The history of the Oyama Cable Line dates back to 1931, when it first opened. It was built to make visits to Oyama Afuri Shrine more convenient. The shrine had attracted worshippers from among ordinary people since the Edo period.
In 1944, during World War II, the railway was discontinued as a non-essential line under wartime restrictions. It reopened in 1965 under the management of Oyama Cable Car Co., Ltd. Among cable car lines that were discontinued and later revived, this line had one of the longest intervals between its original closure and reopening.
September 22, 1927: The railway license for the Oyama Cable Railway was issued.
August 1, 1931: The section between Oiwake, Fudoson, and Shimosha opened.
February 5, 1944: The section between Oiwake and Shimosha was discontinued as a non-essential railway line during the war.
July 11, 1965: The railway reopened under the name Oyama Cable Car.
October 1, 2008: The station names were changed. Oiwake Station became Oyama Cable Station, Fudomae Station became Oyama-dera Station, and Shimosha Station became Afuri Jinja Station.
The Oyama Cable Line is a short railway, with a total length of approximately 0.8 kilometers. Despite its short distance, it climbs a difference in elevation of 278 meters, allowing passengers to travel up the steep mountainside in a relatively short time.
Services generally operate from around 9:00 a.m. until the 4:00 p.m. hour. On weekends and public holidays, operation may continue into the 5:00 p.m. hour. Trains normally run at intervals of approximately 20 minutes. During busy periods, additional services may be provided and operating hours may be extended.
The journey from Oyama Cable Station to Afuri Jinja Station takes approximately six minutes.
Until 2015, the railway operated two cable cars named Tanzawa and Oyama. These vehicles had been in service for approximately 50 years, but their operation ended on May 17, 2015, due to aging and deterioration.
The new vehicles began operating on October 1, 2015. Their design was created by Kenmei Okabe Architecture Network, the firm also responsible for the design of the Odakyu Romancecar VSE and MSE trains and the Allegra trains of the Hakone Tozan Railway.
The main body color is Brilliant Green. The first car features gold accents, while the second car has silver accents.
Oyama Cable Station is the starting point of the line and stands at an elevation of 400 meters. Until September 30, 2008, it was known as Oiwake Station.
A connection to a proposed Oyama mountain railway linking the station with the foot of the mountain was once planned. However, the application for the railway license was withdrawn in 1961, and the project was not realized.
Oyama-dera Station is the nearest station to Oyama-dera Temple and is located at an elevation of 512 meters. It has two island-style tracks served by two opposing platforms, and is situated at the point where the cable cars pass one another.
It is unique among the funicular railways still operating in Japan in having this type of station arrangement at the passing point. Until September 30, 2008, the station was known as Fudomae Station.
Afuri Jinja Station is the terminal station of the Oyama Cable Line and the nearest station to the lower shrine building of Oyama Afuri Shrine. It stands at an elevation of 678 meters and has a single ground-level platform serving one track.
There was once a plan to extend the railway from this station to the summit of Mount Oyama, but the railway license for the extension was revoked in 1937. Until September 30, 2008, the station was known as Shimosha Station.
To reach the cable car, take a Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu bus from Isehara Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line. Board a bus bound for Oyama Cable and get off at the final stop, Oyama Cable.
From the bus stop, Oyama Cable Station is approximately a 15-minute walk, covering a distance of about 600 meters.
The walking route between the bus terminal and the cable car station is known as Koma Sando. This approach is itself a popular sightseeing area, lined with souvenir shops and traditional teahouses. Visitors can browse local specialties and enjoy refreshments while making their way toward the cable car.
The Oyama Cable Car is more than a convenient means of transportation. It is an important part of the area’s long history of mountain worship and tourism, carrying visitors toward the historic shrine and mountain trails of Oyama.