Mount Bizan in Tokushima: Ropeway Hours, Fares and the View from the Top

Getting to Mount Bizan

Leg	How	Time or fare
Tokushima Awaodori Airport to Tokushima Station	Taxi	About thirty minutes. About five thousand yen
JR Tokushima Station to the ropeway station at the foot of the mountain	On foot	About ten minutes
Valley station to summit station	Ropeway	About six minutes. One way nine hundred yen and round trip one thousand five hundred yen for anyone from junior high school up

Ropeway Hours and Fares

From April to October, ride the ropeway at any time between nine in the morning and nine in the evening. From November to March the cars run from nine in the morning until half past five in the afternoon.

On January first the ropeway runs from six in the morning until half past five in the afternoon. Elementary school children pay five hundred yen one way and eight hundred yen for a round trip.

Plan around the Awa Odori festival, which is held every year for five days from August eleventh to fifteenth. From August twelfth to fifteenth, the festival days, the ropeway stays in service from nine in the morning until ten in the evening.

At the Top of the Mountain

Climb the stairs in front of the upper ropeway terminal to reach the observation deck. On a clear day the view from the deck reaches across the Kii Channel to the Naruto Strait, Awaji Island and Wakayama Prefecture. Panels on the deck point out landmarks below, such as Tokushima Central Park and the Yoshino River.

Mountain trails and walking paths are laid out around the observation deck. The area around the top is Bizan Park, which holds a memorial tower called the Pagoda and a rest house with a view. Mount Bizan is counted among Japan's one hundred night views.

Awa Odori Hall and Museum

Buy a daytime show ticket at Awa Odori Hall, where adult admission is one thousand three hundred yen. The night show costs adults one thousand six hundred yen.

• If you go into the Awa Odori Museum as well, admission is five hundred yen for adults and three hundred yen for elementary and junior high school students.
• If you want the museum, go in before a quarter to five in the afternoon, when entry ends.
• If you plan to do everything, a set ticket costs two thousand six hundred forty yen for anyone of high school age and up.

That set ticket covers the Awa Odori Museum, the daytime dance show and a round trip on the ropeway. The hall itself seats two hundred fifty people.

Cherry Trees and Car Parking

Come in spring, when about three hundred Somei-Yoshino cherry trees bloom beyond the car park from the upper ropeway terminal. In spring the blossom area on Mount Bizan is lit up at night. On spring evenings, viewing the blossoms under the lantern lights draws many people to the top.

If you drive, the car park at Bizan Park has one hundred twenty-four spaces at no charge. It is about twenty minutes by car from the Tokushima interchange to the Awagin Bizan Ropeway.

Ramen, a Shrine and Where to Stay

Order a medium bowl of the shiro, or white, shina soba at Kanariya, a ramen shop in Tokushima, for six hundred forty yen. The shop is open from eleven in the morning to eight in the evening.

Tokushima Bizan Tenjin Shrine stands at the foot of the mountain next to Awa Odori Hall. The shrine enshrines Sugawara no Michizane. Within its grounds stands Koimusubi Himemiya Shrine, a power spot for matchmaking in love.

The shrine's reception is open from half past nine in the morning to five in the afternoon. Travelers who want to stay overnight for the night view can look at places to stay in Tokushima.