It’s the end of the line for the Aso Ropeway. Constructed in 1958 and carrying some 45,000 visitors a year the 900 meters from a station at the southern entrance to another at the summit, its operator, Kyusan Tourism, decided the damage it sustained in the quakes and the danger it presents to tourists necessitate removal of both stations and its four pylons. Demolition is expected to be completed within the year.
The company is undecided on whether to replace an expensive facility so close to a volcano. On one hand, people today tend to be more physically active than in 1958; on the other, there are more elderly and visitors from other Asian countries. Perhaps it will reappear in a modern form; perhaps we’ll be restricted to hiking. Kumanichi has the details at the link. - William