invisible

I understand that purpose of Shinkansen it to deliver from point A to B as fast as possible. Yet, if you have the best train rides in Japan to share - please do.

Are there are any rides specifically designed for sightseeing?

AlwaysAisle

It is expensive, but Cruise Train Seven Stars in Kyushu will be on the top of the list.

Along with that JR Kyushu has many trains aimed at tourists, Yufuin no Mori is one of original and it is fun train.

Another which I enjoyed is Resort Shirakami between Akita – Aomori. This train runs Gono Line which passes through right on the shore of Sea of Japan. Also, this train go through bit rural area which is popular with local people but not overwhelm by tourists from elsewhere, which I liked a lot.

East coastal route of Tohoku, called Sanriku Line (website Japanese only), was finally completed rebuilding entire line after the earthquake. There is no express trains nor fancy tourist trains, local trains only. But I personally like this train ride which go through rural coastal area where passengers on trains are more local people than tourists. Get to taste rural Japan.

There are a lot more, especially past few years there have been various tourists trains which serve meals (dining trains) popped out places around Japan. Those trains usually slow down at scenic places.

If you like mountain, this train only run during summer season but Kurobe Gorge train is very scenic.


Yes, I am a train geek!

BuildingMyBento

Another (Japan/China) train fan here...if you're one too, you can hop on the country's shortest independent railway right at NRT. It's called the Shibayama Railway (link in Japanese). In total, there are two stations.

abmj-jr

There are so many delightful train trips around Japan that there is a TV program on NHK World called "Train Cruise," which highlights one of them in each episode. Since I will not in my lifetime have the opportunity to see them all, I enjoy seeing them vicariously. The scenery tends to be stunning and some of the trains are quirky or historic. The biggest problem I have with that show is that some of the on-air "travelers" who act as hosts are often English-speaking ex-pats whose only claim to such a job is decent fluency in Japanese so as to communicate well with fellow travelers and no on-camera skills or talents whatsoever. To native English-speakers, many of these guys come across as amiable buffoons. Best to ignore them and concentrate on the scenery.

One of these days I'd love to take the JR Sagano Line from Kyoto to Arashiyama and connect to the old Torokko Hozukyo Line along the river. That would be a train experience to remember.

As others have said, JR Kyushu seems to have more such historic, scenic trains but they can be found all over. The main train from Hakata to Nagasaki is quite scenic, as is the one from Takamatsu to Kochi through the river gorge on Shikoku. If you ever get to Hokkaido, the little local "short-cut" line from Abashiri down to Kushiro is wonderful, rattles and squeaks and all. The even more ancient local train from Matsue to Izumo-Taisha is one of my fondest memories. That one is interesting in that at one point on the line, the train has to run backwards to the next several stations. The driver walks from one end of the train to the other to use the duplicate controls and passengers all get up and push the seats around to face the other way.

In general, the best rides in terms of scenery tend to be when you get off the shinkansen and onto the limited express and express trains to outlying destinations and the little local line serving remote areas.


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ksandness

Among Shinkansen rides, the Niigata Shinkansen crosses the mountains that run down the length of the country.

I found Shikoku to be incredibly beautiful, with whitewater rivers and unspoiled rural scenery.

jbjelloid

You would need to do some research on this but I enjoyed the Odakyu Romancecar from Tokyo to the hot springs of Hakone.

mapleg

One I liked was the Resort Shirakami between Hirosaki and Akita. They have some nice seating arrangments (some are semi private compartments) and there is a live Shamisen performance on board which provides a nice atmosphere. I took the train in late October and the views were great along the coast Not sure I would do it in mid-winter though.

Here's a rail fan site review (and I recommend jprail.com for research from the fan point of view).

http://jprail.com/travel-information...shirakami.html

A second train that is nice in Kyushu is the Yufuin-No-Mori.

basscadet75

My wife and I were finally (after YEARS of trying) able to book a room on the Cassiopeia from Ueno to Sapporo for later this month. This is its last full year in existence (I believe April is when it'll last run) and it is the last scheduled train service in Japan with a dining car, so I'd recommend booking it now while you can. We finally just bought our ticket from Yahoo auctions.

There are cruise trains like Seven Stars of Kyushu and the upcoming reboot of the Twilight Express that are meant to take the place of scheduled night trains for rail fans, but these are really over the top on luxury and consequently cost quite a lot. I think when I looked into the Seven Stars, it was going to be something like $4,000 for a pretty basic room for 2 or 3 nights, and you have to book like 6 months in advance, and you can only book at certain times. It's really like the difference between the days of the ocean liner and today's cruise ships.

I don't know much about the scenery on the Cassiopeia, but I think as far as a Japanese rail experience goes, it's the last of a breed. And it's not going to last much longer.

Q Shoe Guy

My favourites are all in Kyushu:
Check the JR Kyushu website, they have many lines with seasonal special trains.
Aru Ressha (Sweets Train) Yoshihiro Narisawa does the food ! Routes change, Hita-Oita and Nagasaki-Sasebo.
A-Train(train and cruise): Kumamoto-Hondoko Port
ASO Boy: Kumamoto-Miyaji
SL Hitoyoshi: Steam Locomotive Kumamoto-Hitoyoshi
Kyushu Odan Tokkyu:Beppu-Hitoyoshi
Yufu/Yufuin No Mori: Hakata-Beppu (via Hita, Yufuin,Oita).

These routes are picturesque and a great way to see various areas of Kyushu.

SeriouslyLost

That's a fantastic line. It used to be the case that they ran tourist trains using restored carriages (lots of wood & brass!) and would stop/slow along the way for particularly nice views, and commuter trains as well. Heading south, from the Kuji end of the line, was my favourite way of doing it.

A lot of the secondary JR lines in Iwate and Aomori are nice to take as well if you want to see rural Japan - often a single carriage that takes three hours to go not very far as it stops everywhere, with the most diverse range of locals you'll ever see.

I am so happy that I'll be back in Japan next week: 2 days of work and 5 days of riding trains simply because I can.

abmj-jr

I saw an NHK documentary on the reopening of that line which had been closed since it was nearly destroyed by the tsunami. They focused on the local folks who have always depended on that little one or two car train. It was very touching and made me want to go back to Tohoku to ride it. Perhaps one day.

stut

The Takayama Line is very pretty, in a rather gentle way.

And I did rather enjoy the Hakone Tozan railway. I have a find memory of eating a bento on the station platform at Chokoku-no-Mori after visiting the sculpture park.

ksandness

I love taking obscure trains in rural Japan, because they function as real local transportation, including transporting small-town youth to regional junior and senior high schools, and elderly people on shopping trips. (No feeling of being trapped due to lack of a car.)

The young people are always surprised and delighted to find a foreigner riding what is essentially their school bus.

The scenery is often unexpectedly great, too. If you are bound for Koyasan and want to make the most of your JR Pass, you inevitably end up riding little rural lines that pass through deep, narrow valleys, although you have to ride private rail lines for the last part of the journey.

evergrn

Southern portion of Koumi line is nice. Nice mountain/pasture views.

JR Sanyo line west of Kobe (Suma) that runs along the coast with the view of the Akashi Kaikyo bridge is very nice.

RichardInSF

I found the views on this train to be really boring industrial suburbia for the most part although the train itself is quite comfortable. For views and a sense of rail history, I much preferred the small rail line from Hakone Yumoto to Gora.