SENDAI - A ceremony was held Saturday to mark the opening of a monorail in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, hit hard by the devastating 2011 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that triggered the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The monorail on Kesennuma Oshima, the biggest inhabited island in Japan's northeastern Tohoku region, connects the middle of 235-meter-high Mt. Kameyama with its summit, where an observation terrace, walking paths and a cafe have been developed.
Commercial operations will begin Sunday. The mountain once had a chairlift, but it was destroyed by a fire caused by the disaster. Unlike the lift, which could not operate in bad weather, the monorail can run year-round.
Kesennuma Mayor Shigeru Sugawara said he hopes to use the new attraction to promote tourism, adding, "We have made something good and want to show the city's appeal."
Visitors on a trial ride enjoyed views of oyster farms in the sea below and the city center, with the one-way ride taking six to seven minutes. A 10-year-old student, who was invited to the event, said, "I want to come here with my family, too."
The monorail will operate daily in principle, except during the year-end and New Year holidays. Round-trip tickets cost 1,200 yen ($7.4) for junior high school students and older, and 600 yen for elementary school pupils. Preschool children ride free.
