The most original tourist trains リゾートトレイン

Le train à vapeur SL Banetsu Monogatari, traversant la rivière Ichinotogawa

The SL Banetsu Monogatari steam train, crossing the Ichinotogawa River

Wikicommons

For the pleasure of traveling

 

Japan is a country connected by train! Did you know that Japan Railways offers tourist trains all over the archipelago, with the sole purpose of having fun traveling through beautiful landscapes? Here are some of the most original trains!

 

La côte de la mer du Japon vue depuis le train Shirakami sur la ligne Gôno

The coast of the Sea of Japan seen from the Shirakami train on the Gôno line

Jerome Laborde

Le train touristique Tohoku Emotion, sur la côte Nord-Est du Japon

The Tohoku Emotion tourist train, on the northeast coast of Japan

Wikicommons

Façade de miroirs dans le train touristique Genbi Shinkansen

Facade of mirrors in the Genbi Shinkansen tourist train

BM

Les fleurs suspendues à l'intérieur du train Genbi Shinkansen

The flowers hanging inside the Genbi Shinkansen train

BM

 

The contrast is strong between the steam locomotive of the 1940s and hyper design panoramic spaces with bright seats! A bar car, a children's area, and very comfortable seats to travel for four hours in the middle of the mountains between Niigata and Aizu-Wakamatsu on the Ban-etsu line.



Runs Saturday/Sunday and public holidays. Niigata: 9:30 am – Aizu-Wakamatsu: 1:35 pm. Return, Aizu-Wakamatsu: 3:25 pm – Niigata: 7:06 pm.

 

 

SL Ban-Etsu Monogatari

Wikimedia Commons

Panoramic car with luminous seats of the SL Ban-etsu Monogatari steam train

Photozou

 

The Shinkansen has never come to the island of Shikoku, so we catch up as best we can with this train which will especially appeal to children and adults who have remained so at heart. Miniature train models are exhibited in display cases onboard and a Pla-Rail train circuit, which is a partner in this project, is available to children. We are on a big toy train! And in addition, you travel through the beautiful wild landscapes of southern Shikoku.

Circulates every day between Uwajima and Kubokawa on the Yodo and Kuroshio Nakamura lines, several round trips, without reservation required. Unfortunately, the Tetsudo Hobby Train discontinued service in March 2018... 

 

 

 

Tetsudo Hobby Train of JR Shikoku

Wikimedia Commons

La voiture panoramique du train Aso Boy ! à Kyushu

The panoramic car of the Aso Boy train! in Kyushu

Jerome Laborde

 

That's not all, this train is full of inventiveness. Double seats are available, a large adult seat with a smaller child seat next to it. Again, we think of the children on this wonderful train. There is a ball pool for the little players, a cafe area, sofas facing the landscape, a library, served by hostesses. In short, Aso Boy is all about entertainment!



This train takes you in 2017 (the route changes every year) from the famous hot spring resort of Beppu through Oita to Aso station, at the foot of the active volcano of the same name. Ideal for tourists to discover the best of Japan!

Runs every Friday/Saturday/Sunday and public holidays. Beppu: 9:16 am – Oita: 9:35 am – Aso: 11:27 am. Aso: 11:48 am – Oita: 1:36 pm. Oita: 2:06 pm – Aso: 3:55 pm. Aso: 4:15 pm – Oita: 6:00 pm – Beppu: 6:14 pm.

 

 

Parent-child seats on the Aso Boy tourist train!

Jerome Laborde

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