niponica is a web magazine that introduces modern Japan to people all over the world.
2017 No.20
Railway Journey across Japan
Dream Railway Journey
Photos: Nakai Seiya, Mashima Railway Pictures Co., Ltd.
Reminiscent
Shimonada Station on the Yosan Line, Ehime Prefecture, is a place to alight from at least once in your life.
The moment you set foot on the platform, the vast, tranquil Seto Inland Sea greets you.
Sunsets are especially mesmerizing, and the station draws many who long to see a view reminiscent of home or the past.
Gateway
Tokyo Station, with a magnificent structure featuring red brick, is Japan’s main rail gateway.
Some 3,500 trains, including Shinkansen and
conventional lines, depart this station carrying more than 500,000 passengers on any given day.
Smile
The Joyful Train features tatami (traditional rush mat) flooring and a “running banquet,” complete with great smiles and grand window-seat views of the passing landscape.
Crew members of Hisatsu Orange Railway, running on the west coast of Kyushu, announce the dining train Orange Restaurant’s imminent departure by joyously ringing a handbell.
lightning Speed
Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed services through the northeast region include the Hayabusa and Komachi bullet trains. Their cars are often linked as one train from Tokyo to Morioka, where they separate for different destinations. The Hayabusa goes on to Hokkaido’s Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station while the Komachi runs to Akita. It is Japan’s fastest Shinkansen, clocking a top speed of 320 km/hr.