r/japanrail

Finally got the chance to go to Utsunomiya so I decided to overeat Gyoza and Ride the entirety of the Utsunomiya Light Line! I honestly found the LRT quite nice although a bit slow at the dedicated sections. Was pretty busy too! glad to see that Japan's newest Tram has been doing well and can't wait to the JR <-> Tobu extension when that opens in a couple more years or so 😅

Rode this sleek looking 23000 series from Osaka to Toba, love the colors and what a comfortable journey! I really enjoyed the Kintetsu experience.

There were no fatalities, but it clearly constitutes attempted murder.

https://x.com/i/status/2088223331166372254

Back in March, I had a chance to ride the Sunrise Express for a vacation to Shimane to go see what the least visited prefecture by foreign tourists had to offer. (It's beautiful, I highly recommend Matsue, Izumo, their various onsens, and Tsuwano!)

I noticed that I had the opportunity to take an interesting set of trains: The Geibi Line (Niimi -> Bingo-Ochiai) and the Kisuki Line (Bingo-Ochiai->Shinji). These lines are somewhat notorious for their extremely low operating ratios (収支率). For FY2021-2023, the Tojo->Bingo-Ochiai section of the Geibi Line had a ratio of 0.8% (i.e. every 100 yen of revenue required 12500 yen of expenditures), while the Izumo-Yokota->Bingo-Ochiai section of the Kisuki Line was 2.9%.

Riding the trains is not the easiest, given that the Izumo-Yokota->Bingo-Ochiai section runs just 3 trains in each direction each day. Furthermore, during the winter, it seems they have taken to hibernating the Izumo-Yokota->Bingo-Ochiai section of the Kisuki Line and running bus service instead. There is a nice train from Niimi at 1 PM that arrives at Bingo-Ochiai at 2:26 PM and allows for a 2:44 PM departure (along with a similarly-timed connection in reverse), which I would recommend so you don't get trapped at Bingo-Ochiai.

Speaking of the train riders... It definitely was almost entirely rail enthusiasts lol. Bingo-Ochiai was quite lively when I arrived, you wouldn't think that it was the connection for two of the least used lines in Japan.

Anyway, I didn't take many pictures of the Geibi Line because I didn't find it too notable (still pretty of course). The Kisuki Line has a few treats though:

• The view of the Okuizumo Orochi Loop from the train
• The Izumo-Sakane Three-Tiered Switchback (出雲坂根三段スイッチバック), one of the few three-tiered switchbacks in Japan
• Izumo-Sakane station is famous for having water that will supposedly make you live longer if you drink it. I won't comment on that, but it's worth noting that if you actually want to see it, the replacement bus can actually be more convenient. This is because the bus is faster than the train and will stop to match the train schedule, giving you some time to step off the bus and look around. There is no such allowance if you're riding the train locally.
• Many stations are decorated with the region's signature shimenawa. E.g. the pictures I saw of Izumo-Yokota looked very pretty.

I was lucky to have ridden just when the line was taken out of hibernation, so I got to see some beautiful snowscapes, but I'm sure it's just as vivid with the greenery. Oku-Izumo is a nice place and the Oni no Shitaburui gorge is worth a visit (not too far via bicycle which can be rented from either the tourist center or the cycling terminal near Izumo-Minari). As well as the nearby dinosaur museum that is also a hotel! It's walkable from Izumo-Yashiro (though the hotel staff were certainly surprised to hear that I had done so). Kamedake Onsen is also a moderate bike ride away and Kamedake Station is an interesting combination of a soba shop and a train station.

Anyway, just another personal account of an interesting train line in Japan. Naturally JR is in talks discussing the future of the area's rail lines and it seems they've already started trialing bus service along the Geibi Line, so if you're interested I'd say go visit sooner than later.

Spent this past week traveling around Hokkaido on the Hokkaido & East Japan Pass, essentially a week-long Seishun 18 but for JRE+JRH only.

Today, I took the Ozora from Shintoku to Shin-Yubari on the Sekisho Line – the only section of any line in the country to have absolutely zero scheduled local train services. As a result, there's an exception that allows you to use the ticket (which is normally valid only on local trains) to ride limited express trains in any available seat without paying the express fare, but only if you're riding the limited express for that exact section, not starting from or continuing outside of it.

Only three local trains depart from Shin-Yubari daily, but it worked out well with my schedule, and I had a "short" transfer of about 1.5 hours to wander around the town (and see some Melon Kuma stuff, of course). Yubari is also notable for the most severe depopulation in Japan, and was home to a former branch line which closed in 2019 after 127 years.

I posted some photos of the Shin-Yubari station area here, for those interested!

Still kinda sad I never got to ride the Hakodate main line back when the kiha 40s were still running through it TwT

The Mine Line was a JR West line connecting Asa station (in the Sanyo Main Line and Shinkansen) and Nagatoshi. Some trains also did run through to Senzaki (on a short spur of the San'in Main Line).

Relatively short, and covering very sparsely populated areas, one 1-car wanban KiHa 120 DMUs, with a lovely colorful livery, were used.

Unfortunately, the line was damaged and fully taken out of service in 2023, and officially abandoned just over a year ago, August 2025.

Photos taken in a trip done 2017, when the line was still operational, and placed in rough chronological order they were taken.

I did not take many photos using my camera, so included are also some screenshots of a lower-resolution video I took of the ride.

Yes, that is a frozen reindeer sausage vending machine!!!

I recently finished up my 3rd visit to the Sanriku Coast. I've had the opportunity two years in a row now to go to the town of Rikuzentakata to visit some friends for the town's Tanabata festival, and each time afterwards I've taken the opportunity to ride the Sanriku Railway (i.e. the Santetsu) all the way from Sakari (Ofunato) to Kuji, making lots of intermediate stops.

Truthfully, I have not ridden that many train lines in Japan (although I did enjoy my time riding the Geibi and Kisuki Lines out in Okayama/Shimane a while ago), so I can't say how it really stacks up against everything else Japan has to offer. All I can say is that personally I love the Santetsu with all my heart. I always look to seeing the cool decorations, grabbing a bento or a drink (most cars have transverse seating with tables, though some older cars lack the tables), and just relaxing and watching the scenery pass by. Granted, a lot of the trip is spent in tunnels or away from the coast, but there are a few really great scenic spots where the train will stop and let everyone take pictures.

I feel like barely anyone ever talks about going to coastal Iwate/Miyagi and I think that's just such a shame. In addition to the beautiful sights, there's a lot of history regarding 3/11, and the mere fact that the train is still running in the face of disasters and coastal depopulation is really moving. Of course it is easier to travel a place like this with a car, but for those of you who like the beach, coastal views, seafood, or just wandering in the countryside and enjoying not being in a concrete jungle, I can't recommend it enough.

Apologies for my amateur photography, I am neither a pro photographer nor an actual railhead. Or rather I would probably classify myself as a 乗り鉄 more than anything.

The 721 series F-5102+F-5202 trainset—which I had spent so much time photographing—has now been almost entirely scrapped. I captured images of both its final run and its journey to the factory for dismantling. I still vividly remember the sunny day when a group of about thirty railway photographers coordinated our positions to see it off as it was towed away by a DE10 locomotive.

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A pigeon somehow boarded the Shinkansen and caused enough chaos that the train had to make an emergency stop. 🕊️🚄

Bro skipped the ticket gate, got a free ride, then delayed the Shinkansen.

JR's toughest passenger of 2026.

Came across this rare train operated by Tokyu up in JR Hokkaido territory, running the 4-day 〜HOKKAIDO CRUISE TRAIN〜 route which will end operations in a couple months. It usually runs down in the Izu Peninsula.

I had never heard of it before, but saw posters at Oshamambe yesterday inviting people to come to the platform and see it off. I looked up the itinerary online and it turned out it was stopped at Asahikawa overnight, where I happened to be staying, and so I went to watch it depart this morning!

Info from Wikipedia:

- Passenger cars: Izu Kyuko 2100 series (blue)

- Locomotive: JNR DE15 1542 + 1545 (yellow)

- Power car: Tokyu MaNi 50 2186 (white)

https://www.the-royalexpress.jp/plan/#hokkaido

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/THE\_ROYAL\_EXPRESS