Chairlift is not only at the ski resorts. There are chairlifts in Japan where you cannot ski at all.
Matsuyama, the most populated city in Shikoku island has a historical Matsuyama castle which is located on the top of Shiroyama hill and chairlifts are equipped to carry the tourists between the castle and the bottom of the hill.
There is also aerial tramway between the castle and the bottom of the hill and the passengers can choose either the aerial tramway or the chairlift to take. Then, the fare is the same. Aerial tramway is running each 10 minutes and it takes 3 minutes, but chairlift takes 6 minutes to reach the destination. In case of bad weather, chairlifts will be suspended.