Ski areas from Japan’s past 過去の日本のスキー場を懐かしむ

Atago

Kyoto City, Kyoto

愛宕スキー場　京都府京都市

Atago was a ski area near Atago Shrine on the mountain of the same name in Kyoto. The ski area opened in 1929 and was reached by a new transportation system comprising a flat train line and a funicular cable car system. At the same time, various leisure facilities were constructed, including two amusement park areas, a hotel, and a tent village. All of these facilities, including the ski slope, closed in 1944.

Information about Atago Ski Area has been challenging to find and put together. Even the actual location of the old ski slope proved difficult to verify. (The location shown on this page is believed to be correct). Below is an overview of the old ski area and information on the old transportation system.

Opened
開設		 1929
Closed
 閉設		 1944
Top elevation
標高最高		 About 900m

Further Information

  • About Atago Ski Area:
    　
  • Atago Ski Area opened in December 1929
    　
  • The name of the ski area in kanji characters was 愛宕スキー場
    　
  • It was also written in katakana as アタゴスキー場
    　
  • The ski slope was located close to the summit of the 924m Mt Atago 愛宕山 and north-west of Atago Shrine 愛宕神社
    　
  • To get to the ski slope, skiers had to take a train and then a steep funicular cable railway to Atago Station (located on the mountain, south of the shrine)
    　
  • Beyond Atago Station, the ski slope was a fair walk up to and then beyond the shrine
    　
  • The development of the ski area appears to have been encouraged by Saijiro Nakayama (1867-1963), the principal of a local Junior High School, who was keen to popularise skiing
    　
  • It was the largest in the Kansai region at the time, and apparently, it was quite popular, with many thousands of people using it in a season
    　
  • It had a restaurant as well as rest huts
    　
  • Various ski competitions were held at the location
    　
  • In January 1939, a monument of Mr Nakayama was erected at the location
    　
  • The ski area closed in February 1944 when the train and funicular were abolished (see below)
    　
  • The monument of Mr Nakayama is no longer there, but the stone pedestal and an information board introducing 'Old Atago Ski Course Ruins' remain
    　
  • Atago feels similar to Jitsukiyama in Nagano City in some ways, but that is only from desktop research
    　
  • It is definitely a location to visit for further investigation in the future!
    　

　

  • About Atagoyama Railway:
    　
  • Atagoyama Railway 愛宕山鉄道 (known as Atagosan Railway in some places) was a joint venture company that operated a flat railway line from Arashiyama Station to Kiyotaki Station and a funicular cable line from Kiyotakigawa Station to Atago Station before World War II
    　
  • The system improved access to the famous Atago Shrine 愛宕神社 on the mountain
    　
  • The 3.39km flat line opened on 12th April 1929, with two intermediate stations, Shakado and Toriimoto
    　
  • The 2.13km funicular cable line opened on 25th July 1929
    　
  • It was the longest funicular cable system in Japan at the time and was known as 'the best cable in the Orient'
    　
  • To coincide with the opening of the funicular cable, two amusement park areas (Kiyotaki Amusement Park 清滝遊園地 and Atago Amusement Park 愛宕遊園地), mountain lodges, and a tent village were also constructed
    　
  • Atago Ski Area opened in December 1929 at a location beyond and to the north-west of Atago Shrine
    　
  • In 1929, 530,000 people used the flat line and 180,000 used the cable line
    　
  • On 20th July 1930, a small two-story hotel with mostly Western-style rooms and a 'flying tower' attraction opened at one of the amusement parks
    　
  • At one time, a further overhead ropeway to improve access to the shrine and ski area was planned between Atago Station and the Kuromon Gate of Atago Shrine, but that plan never happened
    　
  • Due to considerable investments in construction costs and the Great Depression, the financial situation deteriorated
    　
  • By the late 1930s, the financial situation had improved, but on 3rd December 1943, as the Greater East Asia War intensified, authorities ordered it to be abolished as an unnecessary and non-urgent line
    　
  • On 11th January 1944, the flat line was converted to a single track to provide materials, and on 11th February 1944, the cable line was forced to close
    　
  • Along with it, the Kiyotaki Amusement Park, Atago Amusement Park, Atogoyama Hotel and Atago Ski Area were abolished at the same time
    　
  • Kiyotaki Tunnel was converted into a road, taking on its current form
    　
  • There seems to have been some plans to revive the cable car in 1967, but they never came to fruition
    　
  • The railroad closed over 80 years ago, but various traces of the funicular line and facilities remain
    　
  • There is also various signage on the route up to the shrine and ski slope describing some of the old ruins

Google Earth

Google Maps

  • About 500m to the north west of Atago Shrine on Mt Agato

  • The nearest station is Saga Arashima Station on the Sanin Main Line

  • It is about 8km away, but a walk up the mountain is required for about half of that distance

This page was created in July 2024
Last updated on 27th February 2025
2024年7月 作成　2025年2月27日 更新