Jim R.
Google
You look up, you see these futuristic gondolas sliding over the harbor like some Bond villain’s commute. Slick, Instagrammable, efficient...Japan at its best. Then you look at the price: ¥1,000 one-way. For five minutes. That’s $9 for a commute you could replace with a 10-minute stroll across a bridge that’s free and arguably healthier for your cardiovascular system.
This is the problem with pricing in tourist traps: when the price crosses the line from “experience” to “extraction.” A train in Tokyo? A few bucks. The Yurikamome ride across Rainbow Bridge? Four bucks and you actually go somewhere. The Air Cabin? You go 600 meters, and the only thing lighter than the gondola is your wallet.
We skipped it...like the locals do. Why? Because paying $9 for what amounts to the “Uber Black” version of a 10-minute walk feels absurd. If they pegged it to the price of a train ticket, fine. But at this rate, it’s the LVMH of public transport—luxury branding slapped on something utilitarian.
The weather was perfect, the walk was free, and the view? Identical. The Air Cabin is less a ride and more a tax on FOMO.
Verdict: Pretty from a distance. Better for your legs, lungs, and wallet if you skip it.