The carlator (カーレーター) at Sumaura Sanjo Amusement Park is a belt-conveyor ride, opened in 1966, that carries two-seat gondolas up the slope from the ropeway top station. The only other one ever built, at Sankei Valley, closed in 1975.
Why it's unique
Only two carlators were ever built, and the other one closed in 1975, so this is the last in Japan.
The point is that it is a bad ride: a hard jolt at the start, then a steady rattle for the whole climb, and residents treat it with affection for exactly that.
Before you go
Expect a hard jolt at the start, then a steady rattle for the whole climb at about 25 degrees. It once ran 44 gondolas and was nicknamed "the caterpillar"; 18 remain.
Ride it up and take the ropeway down, and at the top go into the rotating observation café for the view across Osaka Bay to Awaji.
