Mount Inasa (Inasayama) is a small mountain located on the western side of Nagasaki City. It offers one of Japans 3 best night views, and is completely free. Mount Inasa is relatively close to downtown Nagasaki, and is easily accessible by a scenic ropeway.
Hotels Nagasaki Guided Tour JR Pass (All Kyushu)
The 333 meter high Mount Inasa is located very near Nagasaki‘s city centre, providing a perfect view over the city both at day and at night. In fact, the night view from Mount Inasa Observatory is so good, that it is listed as one of the 3 best night views in all of Japan, along with the night view from Mount Hakodate (Hokkaido) and the Maya Mountains (Kobe).
At the top of the mountain are a couple of huge television and radio antennas, along with a restaurant and a free observation platform for tourists. The observation deck provides a stunning view of not only Nagasaki City, but the entire surrounding area, including the sea and distant mountains, making it worth a visit even during the day. On clear days one can see as far as Mount Unzen.
Getting there
By Ropeway: Nagasaki Ropeway transports you up the mountain in about 5 minutes. A roundtrip ticket costs ¥1250 (2020). The gondolas depart every 15-20 minutes and operate from 9:00 to 22:00. The lower ropeway station is named “Fuchi Shrine Station“. To get to the ropeway station, you can either walk (20min from Nagasaki Station), take a taxi or use the free shuttle bus which operates between 19:00 and 22:00
? Nagasaki Ropeway Website // ? Nagasaki Ropeway Free Shuttle Bus
By bus and foot: Bus No. 5 goes from Nagasaki Station to Inasa Yama Park Bus Stop. From the bus stop it is a 15 min walk to the observation deck. Be aware that the walk is uphill, and the bus is infrequent (1-2 departures per hour). If you don’t want to walk up, you can take the Slope Car (not to be confused with the rope way). The slope car leaves from the parking lot every 15-20 minutes, and operates between 09:00 and 22:00. A roundtrip ticket costs ¥500 (2020).
By car/taxi: there is a large parking lot at Inasa Yama Park. From there, you can either walk up (15 minutes) or take the Slope Car (not to be confused with the rope way). The slope car leaves from the parking lot every 15-20 minutes, and operates between 09:00 and 22:00. A roundtrip ticket costs ¥500 (2020).
The Slope Car: the Nagasaki Slope Car is a small monorail train which runs between Inasa Yama Park Parking Lot and Inasa Yama Observatory. It is different from the rope way! A roundtrip ticket costs ¥500 (2020). It is convenient if you arrive by car or bus.
