Beppu Rakutenchi Cable Line

The line is unusual among Japanese railways in both its purpose and its ownership. Although it is legally classified as public transit rather than as a fairground attraction, riders normally have to buy admission to the amusement park in order to use it; only residents of Otobaru, the hillside settlement at the top, are allowed to ride without paying the park fee. For much of its recent history it has been operated by Okamoto MFG, a maker of amusement-park rides — an unusual operator for a common-carrier railway in Japan.

The project began in the late 1920s. A railway licence was granted to Kimura Kyūtarō on 16 March 1927, and on 21 September 1929 the line opened between Unsenji and Otobaru as the Beppu Yūenchi ropeway-style cable line, run by Kimura. A company to operate it was formally established in April 1930, and on 7 September 1930 it was renamed the Beppu Yūen Cable Railway.

Like many minor Japanese lines, it was a casualty of the Pacific War. In 1944 it was suspended as a "non-urgent line" (fuyō-fukyū-sen), and its rails were torn up and surrendered for their iron, with even the metal of the cars stripped away for the war effort. The line stood idle until 16 June 1950, when service resumed under a new operator, the Beppu Cable Railway.

A series of ownership changes followed in the decades after the war. On 20 December 1954 the line was transferred to Beppu Kokusai Kankō (Beppu International Tourism), and it remained an adjunct of the hillside amusement park through the second half of the twentieth century. On 1 November 2003 the funicular passed, together with the park, to the amusement-ride maker Okamoto MFG; it was suspended on 25 November 2003 for refurbishment and reopened on 21 March 2004 when the renovated park reopened.

The line's most serious crisis came in 2008. In August the owners agreed to transfer the Beppu Wonder Rakutenchi business, including the cable line, to the Kyūshū Kankō Home group, but that plan was abandoned in November after the talks fell through. The park, and with it the funicular, then closed on 1 December 2008. The shutdown proved temporary: amid public appeals to save the long-established attraction, Rakutenchi reopened on 18 July 2009 and the cable line resumed service at the same time.

The line has continued to operate as the gateway to the amusement park since. On 1 June 2018 a new company, Rakutenchi Co., Ltd., was split off from Okamoto MFG, and the business was transferred to the Nishi Sekiyu (Nishi Oil) group, under which the funicular still carries visitors up Mount Tateishi today.

• 192716 March: a railway licence is granted to Kimura Kyūtarō for the funicular.
• 192921 September: the line opens between Unsenji and Otobaru as the Beppu Yūenchi cable line, operated by Kimura Kyūtarō.
• 1930April: a company is established to operate the line; on 7 September it is renamed the Beppu Yūen Cable Railway.
• 1944The line is suspended as a 'non-urgent line'; its rails are removed and surrendered for their iron, and even the metal of the cars is stripped for the war effort.
• 195016 June: service resumes under a new operator, the Beppu Cable Railway.
• 195420 December: the line is transferred to Beppu Kokusai Kankō (Beppu International Tourism).
• 20031 November: the funicular passes, with the amusement park, to Okamoto MFG; on 25 November it is suspended for refurbishment.
• 200421 March: the line resumes service as the renovated park reopens.
• 200818 August: the owners agree to transfer the Beppu Wonder Rakutenchi business, including the cable line, to the Kyūshū Kankō Home group; the plan is scrapped on 5 November after talks fall through. The park and funicular then close on 1 December.
• 200918 July: Rakutenchi reopens and the cable line resumes service at the same time.
• 20181 June: Rakutenchi Co., Ltd. is split off from Okamoto MFG and the business is transferred to the Nishi Sekiyu (Nishi Oil) group.