Odakyu to Start 3D Audio Gondola Service in Hakone

Hakone, Kanagawa Pref., April 7 (Jiji Press)–Odakyu Hakone Co. will begin to operate a new gondola equipped with a 3D audio system on its ropeway in the popular tourist and spa resort town of Hakone in eastern Japan on Monday next week, offering passengers an immersive experience that combines scenery and sound. The gondola, named “Otobaco” and unveiled to the media Monday, is equipped with a Dolby Atmos system, an audio technology that creates a theater-like surround sound experience. Otobako is the first gondola to have the system in the world, according to the Odakyu Electric Railway Co. unit handling transportation and tourism businesses in the town in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. With eight speakers and two woofers installed inside, the gondola envelops passengers in rich sound designed to complement the surrounding scenery, while audio content varies depending on weather conditions. On sunny days, a piano concerto is played inside the cabin, while rainy or cloudy conditions feature digital compositions intended to evoke the landscape of Hakone, according to the company. The special gondola will be operated for a one-way ride from the Hakone Ropeway’s Sounzan Station to Owakudani Station, with each trip taking about 10 minutes and accommodating only a single group of up to 16 people. In addition to a regular ropeway fee, a special fee of 2,500 yen per group is required. “We will create new tourism values by offering deeply immersive experiences that can only be enjoyed in Hakone,” Takayuki Aikawa, head of Odakyu Hakone’s ropeway business, said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]