REPORT

The Shiga Kogen Golden Line (Shiga Kogen Resort Gondola + Bunadaira Gondola + Higashidateyama Gondola, pictured) and the Maeyama Lift began operation on 6/15 (Sat.), marking the start of the main summer season in Shiga Kogen! The Yokoteyama Skylator and Sky Lift have been open since 6/1 (Sat.), and now all 18 climbing and trekking courses are currently open. On this opening weekend of 6/15 & 6/16, round-trip tickets for the Shiga Kogen Golden Line are only ¥1,000 for adults and free for elementary school students and younger, so people were lining up even before the 9 a.m. start of operations.
[Shiga Kogen Resort Gondola]

On this sunny day I made the trip on the three gondolas up to the Higashidateyama gondola summit station, at an altitude of 2,000 meters. When I stepped out onto the first-floor terrace deck (pictured) of the Shiga Kogen Garden Terrace, which opened last year, I was greeted by a refreshing breeze, bright blue skies, and a temperature of less than 20 degrees celsius as I looked out in the direction of Mt. Iwasuge.
[Shiga Kogen Garden Terrace]

At the Higashidateyama Alpine Botanical Garden, many flowers were in bloom, including Hakusan-ichige (narcissus anemone, pictured), Renge-tsutsuji (Japanese azalea), mitsugashiwa (bogbean), iwa-icho (deer cabbage), iwakagami (fringed galax), shirane-aoi (Japanese wood poppy), tsumatori-so (Arctic starflower), and maizuruso (false lily of the valley). The recommended flower course, which can be completed in about 30 minutes, was well maintained and easy to walk.
[Higashidateyama Alpine Botanical Garden]

At the second-floor observatory (pictured) on the North Alps side of the Shiga Kogen Garden Terrace, many people were taking photos with the beautiful scenery in the background. The climax of the alpine flora around Higashidateyama is the blooming of nikkokisuge day lillies in July and August. The recommended scenic course and the Terakoya Ski Resort feature fields of nikkokisuge that paint the mountainside in yellow, which is a sight to behold.
[Shiga Kogen Garden Terrace]

　　
[Shiga Kogen Opening Information]
* Period … Yokoteyama Skylator and Sky Lift 4/24 – late October (*Open 5/20 – 5/31, scheduled), Shibu-toge 1st Romance Lift 5/20 – 5/31 and 6/29 – late October (scheduled), Shiga Kogen Golden Line 6/15 – 11/4 (scheduled), Maeyama Summer Lift 6/15 – 10/27 (Sat, Sun, holidays and reserved days), Kumanoyu 3rd Quad Lift 7/13, 14, 20, 27 and 8/3, 10, 11, 17, Takamagahara Summer Lift 8/10 – 8/18.
* Summer Lift Fees … Shiga Kogen Golden Line round trip 1-day pass / Adults JPY3,000, Child JPY1,800, Takamagahara Summer Lift round trip / Adults JPY1,200, Child JPY800, Maeyama Summer Lift one way / Adults JPY500, Child JPY300, Kumanoyu 3rd quad lift round trip / Adults 1,400 JPY, child 1,000 JPY, Yokoteyama Sky Lift and Sky Lift round trip / adult 2,000 JPY, child 1,700 JPY, Shibutoge Romance Lift round trip / adult 2,000 JPY, child 1,700 JPY.

　　
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reported by Snownavi