Rainbow Line Summit Park
Representative image — not a photograph of this location.
Mikata Goko is five lakes lying side by side behind the Wakasa coast, and the reason they are famous is that they are five different colours. Salinity varies between them — one is fresh, one is fully salt, the others are brackish to different degrees, connected by narrow channels — and the water reads differently in each, which becomes obvious only from height.
The height is the Rainbow Line, an eleven-kilometre toll road up Mt. Baijo, and a chairlift or cable car from the car park to a summit park at the top. From there you get all five lakes and Wakasa Bay in a 360-degree view. There are five terraces with different seating — including foot baths and hammock decks — laid out to be sat in rather than photographed and left. It costs ¥800 to park and ¥1,000 to go up.
Essential Information
Opening Hours
Road 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Summit park 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (March–November), 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (December–February)
Closed: Confirm seasonal closures before travelling
Entrance Fee
Parking ¥800 car, ¥500 motorcycle | Summit park including lift ¥1,000 junior high school age and above, ¥500 elementary school children
Best Season
Late October–December for the clearest air | Spring for cherry blossom at the summit
Visit Duration
1.5–2 hours
Getting There
Access Information
Insider Guide
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