In Japan, aerial lift, or "ropeway" (索道, sakudō), includes means of transport such as aerial tramway, funitel, gondola lift, funifor, as well as chairlift. All of them are legally considered as a sort of railway. Chairlift is officially called "special ropeway" (特殊索道, tokushu sakudō), while colloquially called "lift" (リフト, rifuto). Other aerial lifts are officially called "normal ropeway" (普通索道, futsū sakudō), or colloquially "ropeway" (ロープウェイ or ロープウェー, rōpuwei or rōpuwē). Technical names exist for each "normal ropeway", such as "double single-cabled automatic loop normal ropeway" (複式単線自動循環式普通索道, fukushiki tansen jidō junkan-shiki futsū sakudō) for funitel gondola lifts, but those names are hardly used outside authorities; most people don't distinguish them. Number of Japanese "normal ropeways" listed here are as follows.
Systems
Full year operational
Seasonal
Total
Gondola lifts
62
32
94
Aerial tramways
68
4
72
Funitel gondola lifts
3
0
3
Funitel aerial tramways
1
0
1
Total
134
36
170
It is also notable that the word "cable car" (ケーブルカー, kēburukā) does not refer to aerial lifts in Japan, but to cable railways, such as cable cars proper or funiculars. (However, Japan currently does not have any cable cars proper, but funiculars.)
This article only lists "normal ropeways"; in other words, aerial lifts excluding chairlifts. Names might be tentative.
Italicized name: Aerial lifts that operate seasonal, mostly in ski resorts.
T: Aerial tramways. (Those without T are gondola lifts.)
(in Japanese)Cableman, Information on Japanese aerial lifts.
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