Riding in Style: Exploring Japan's Tourist Trains - Japan Railway Journal

[Music] [Music] in 2023 Japan Railway Journal featured 10 tourist trains that run throughout Japan of those 10 trains we created a ranking collecting data over a 1-month period beginning December 15 2023 from user curated lists on a special NHK World Japan web page called Japan Railway Journal your selection as well as data gathered from the videos played on official social media [Music] in this program we will be taking a look at the results but first let's look back at the 10 trains [Music] nominated Jr east's kaidi which connects Yamagata and nigata prefectures offer spectacular views of the Sea of Japan running in nigata prefecture J koshino shukra is all about Japanese sake in Fukushima prefecture ISU Railways ooro Tempo train features trolley car seats and observation [Music] seats in Toyama prefecture IO Kaz Toyama Railways the store of 13,000 ft gives passengers a taste of fresh fish on [Music] board in Nagano prefecture shinano Railways rokumon features delicious coarse meals from restaurants along the [Music] line running between Nagano and yamanashi prefectures Jr east's highrail 1375 runs through the scenic Highlands which offers views of The Starry Sky at [Music] night in yamanashi prefecture Fuji sanoku railway's fujian view Express features Majestic views of Mount Fuji as well as sweets in Hiroshima prefecture Jr West's ETO runs along the scenic coast of the stto Inland [Music] sea in ehime prefecture Jr shoku's eada monogatari is enhanced by the hospitality of the people along the line finally running between Kumamoto and kagoshima prefectures KATU orange Railways orange restaurant offers a variety of tastes from along the [Music] line yes there is now a growing interest in Japanese tourist trains all over the world so I'm looking forward to seeing the results of our ranking yes indeed looking at these 10 trains once again it seems to me to be that these trains are all designed to make the train ride itself the purpose of the trip for example the Magnificent and unique views from the train plus the taste of the local food on the train yes let's have a look at the trains that placed third and second coming in third place was shano Railways rokumon rokumon runs between karawa and Nagano stations in Nagano prefecture Running part of the way on the Jr [Music] line on board passengers enjoy a course menu created by a famous chef from a restaurant along the line the dishes are prepared in the onboard kitchen and served by the Train's [Music] attendance in addition to the western style menu there's also a Japanese style menu and an evening menu that features locally produced wine lumon has received the following [Music] comments it's a modern-day Asian version of the Orient Express I wish trains in the US were as [Music] nice rokumon runs three times a day mainly on Friday through [Music] Monday in second place was H satu orange railway's orange restaurant Orange restaurant runs between Jr shinyu Shiro station in Kumamoto prefecture and Sendai station in kagoshima prefecture based on the concept of good food and Easy Living orange restaurant offers a monthly menu that focuses on locally produced seasonal [Music] ingredients the passengers are treated to a variety of goodies like Chua fish cake a local specialty with tea and they can also get off the train and enjoy the view from the observation [Music] deck some days members of a local volunteer group come dressed in costumes and holding banners to welcome the train [Music] orange restaurant has received the following comments nice to see friendly welcome from Japanese at the train [Music] window what a treat wonderful menu I love it orange restaurant operates three trips per day on Fridays weekends and holidays breakfast lunch and dinner are served according to the time of [Music] day now both of these tourist trains are restaurant trains which means they serve their own Co meal on board of the train and what also stands out is the hospitality of the locals near the orange restaurant because they came together to greet the train and brought the dinosaur H and another thing that is common to both of these trains is that uh these trains were designed by the industrial designer Mr mtoa who is also behind many other tourist trains all across Japan and the locally produced wood is used inside these trains to give the warm and welcoming atmosphere and this is actually very characteristic of Mr moka's Design now it is time to announce our top tourist train are you ready for it yep the train that rank number one is jrok monog this monogatari is one of the most popular tourist trains in Japan with the ridership almost always reaching 90% now let's find out about the secret of the popularity of iada monogatari in our special report right iada monogatari is a tourist train that runs along the coast between matuyama and yatama stations in ahime prefecture in the shikoku region running four times a day mainly on weekends and holidays the train offers a variety of meals and Views that change depending on the time of [Music] day we asked the trains designer Mr matsuoka from Jr shikoku to tell us about the features [Music] of the wood grained floors and tables create a calming out atmosphere the spaces between the windows were designed to resemble Japanese Shi paper screens while the blinds are reminiscent of traditional bamboo blinds the lights along the car are shaped like Mandarin oranges a specialty of [Music] aim [Music] [Music] this is the Fior Suite an exclusive car available only for private Charter the deep rich tones of this stylish car emanate from the Cherrywood which is used throughout out the tables are finished with a mirrored surface to reflect the scenery outside the corridor leading past the galley to the private car has another unique feature [Music] the dishes served on board VAR depending on the time of day this this is the breakfast served on the morning [Music] train this mini French course is served for lunch and this light meal is served on the afternoon train all of the dishes were devised by chefs from famous restaurants along the line using local [Music] ingredients the table wear cups and pots are made of tobaki wear traditional Ceramics from ahime prefecture tobaki Ceramics which date back approximately 240 years are characterized by traditional hand [Music] painting toe aiare created especially for ION monogatari is used not only for the table wear but also for the wash basins from the train cars to the food to the table wear ion monogatari offers a taste of the history and culture of ehim pref [Music] picture another charm of ion monogatari is the hospitality provided by the [Music] attendants there are eight attendants on board the three car [Music] train the food which is prepared in the onboard Galley is brought to each seat the attendance also help passengers take pictures with the commemorative board on the train and at stations along the [Music] way and while the passengers are off the train enjoying their time outside the attendants on board cover their food and drinks with plastic wrap to protect them from dust and [Music] debris it's thoughtful details like these that create a lasting impression for the [Music] [Music] passengers perhaps the best part of the ionata monog is the view looking out through the Train's large Windows the passengers are able to relax as views of the Sea and the natural landscape pass them by and at Scenic points along the line the train slows down allowing passengers to fully take in the scenery [Music] [Applause] the melody playing now is monog warning sound the melody is played in and around the train whenever it arrives and departs and as it slows down at Scenic spots along the [Music] line the idea is to surround the passengers and the area around the train with the world of eada [Music] monat this is Shimona station the most popular spot along the line here the train stops for about 12 minutes so the passengers can enjoy the [Music] sunset boarding mon passengers are surprised by the warm welcome they receive from the station staff as well as the locals waiting to greet them along the line locals first started coming out to welcome the train and its passengers voluntarily around 10 years ago when the train started operation now their presence is one of the attractions [Music] of here at Goro station the locals dresses Tanuki raccoon dogs to greet the passengers they are dressed this way because wild raccoon dogs are often seen near the [Music] station this is Mr Ino he started greeing the train like this by himself 9 years ago usually he r owns a barber shop near the station but on the day Zion monogatari is in operation he leaves his work to his family and heads to the station to welcome the passengers which he does four times a day beginning 7 years ago local children began joining him dressing up as little raccoon dogs the passengers on board are delighted by their adorable appearance and this is where the mirror in the sweet's corridor comes into [Music] play now local greetings like this can be seen all along the line everyone has their own way of welcoming the train and its passengers this is U castle one of the sightseeing spots along the line rebuilt with a wooden structure in 2004 this Castle is a regular spot to see people welcoming I [Music] monog 15 minutes before the train arrives an announcement is made encouraging people to wave their banners to greet the [Music] train on this day around 20 people joined in welcoming the train as it approaches the bridge in front of the castle monog slows down the participants vigorously wave banners as the train passes by in return the passengers on board wave back toward the [Music] castle [Music] for [Music] for thank you Mr matsuoka now II really stands out for its Hospitality for the great design and also for the wonderful interaction with the locals also Mr matoka is an employee of J shikoku who used to be in charge of the architectural design like those four station buildings and he later became part of the um design work for vehicles including that for the ion monogatari and this fact gives the ion monogatari another unique feature because most of the tourist TRS in other parts of Japan are designed by the designers who are not the employee or the railway operator let's have a look at the final outcome of our ranking now what do you think H each train has its own charm and I do admire the people in charge for making it happen but but if I may say so one of the most important keys to success would be to offer good food on the train yes now we have uploaded the 10 videos of these 10 trains on our Different official social media accounts in different languages and the results we got for the Chinese language Hindi and Portuguese were different from the ranking you just saw so let's have a look among viewers of the Chinese language version the first place went to ISU railway's ooro Tempo [Music] train the oo Tempo train runs between aizu wakamatsu and aizu Tajima stations in Fukushima prefecture the two-car train has three types of seating oashi to tamy room seats observation seats and trolley train seats [Music] in the mountainous areas where there are many tunnels the passengers are entertained by tunnel theater this special attraction is for the trolley train cars which have no windows or walls to block the [Music] projection the ooto tempo train operates three three times a day mainly on weekends and holidays from April to [Music] November and for viewers of the Hindi version the most popular train was Fuji sanoku railway's fujian view express fujisan view Express runs in yamanashi prefecture between oldi station and K luch Co station the gateway to Mount [Music] Fuji touted as the closest Railway to Mount Fuji the attendance let the passengers know when the best view spot on the line is approaching in car 1 which offers a sweets plan passengers can enjoy Original Sweets made by patias from hotels along the line including chocolate mousse resembling a snow covered Mount [Music] Fuji The fujian View Express makes two round trips per day but the sweets plan is only available on weekends and [Music] holidays among viewers of the Portuguese version the number one train was Jr East [Music] kidi kaidi runs along the Sea of Japan coast between sakata station in Yamagata Prefecture and nigata station in nigata [Music] prefecture the food which is prepared in the kitchen space in car 3 is served in car 4 the dining [Music] car along the way the train slows down as it passes Scenic spots such as inlets reefs and uniquely shaped [Music] rocks kidi which offers spectacular views and food makes one round trip per day mainly on weekends and [Music] holidays as you can see the ooro tempo train ranked first that might also be because it is beloved by a lot of Taiwanese tourists who come to ride and enjoy the train I see and don't you think that the tunnel theater uh has also contributed to that maybe it has and in the case of fujian view Express uh it will be the view of Mount Fuji from the train and also in the case of kidi it would be the view of the Sea of Japan from the train so A View From the train is also the key to success I think well looking at our ranking for this time our recipe for a success seems to be great views but also tasty meals and the hospitality provided by the staff on board and the locals in the area I agree with you and we are looking forward to presenting you the best and most exciting tourist trains Japan has to offer here on Japan Railway [Music] Journal [Music] day

Channel: NHK WORLD-JAPAN

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Id: 4vkft6K-t_o

Length: 28min 5sec (1685 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 10 2024