Suggestions for 2025 Japan trip

[tridentalx]

Hi all,

 

I've booked flights for an early June 8 day trip to Japan. On my planned itinerary is to head straight from Haneda to the Kurobe Alpine route, then the Kurobe Gorge railway followed by Lake Biwa. I had then thought about a long train journey to spend a couple of days in Shikoku but I think I may be stretching the distance too far. 

 

So, any suggestions please for scenic tourist trains closer to the Kurobe / Toyama / Biwa area (or alternatively a couple of must do trips in Shikoku that make the journey there worthwhile).  General scenic trips are good too but happy to do 8 days of train journeys. Must drop into a couple of train shops too of course.

 

For info I have travelled around Tokyo, Kyoto and Kyushu so no need to spend time there.

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[katoftw]

Nagahama has a small train museum.

[RS18U]

Have you thought about Hokkaido?  In 2018 my wife and I went from Hiroshima to Hakodate via Shinkansen, then around Hokkaido on a variety of services before flying home from Chitose.  Took us 3 weeks, and we put on 3,000 kms on our rail pass.  A great trip.  The Otaru Museum https://www.city.otaru.lg.jp/categories/bunya/shisetsu/bunka_kanko/museum/ (not a great web site but gives basic info) was a great place to visit, just wish I had more time there.  There are also scattered small railway museums all around the island.

 

I find that Hokkaido is sort of a forgotten destination for train enthusiasts, and a lot of their rural lines are in jeopardy due to low passenger counts.  At least you can get to the northern most JR station at Wakkanai.  And if you plan it right (and the line is open), the eastern most station at Nemuro.

[Gunzel]

You should go on the Toyama Chiho Railway with your planned route, it's pretty good if you like old electric stuff and the grind up the hill into Tateyama is particularly good. They have trams in Toyama too if that's your thing. The Takayama main line south from Toyama to Nagoya is also very scenic. Near Nagano the view from the switchback station at Obasute is pretty amazing. At Fukui you have the Etsumihoko line to Kuzuryoko. The Kyoto Tango Railway is also pretty good.

 

I will be revisiting this area over Christmas and New Year's to cover some of the lines, like Noto Railway, the Himi and Johana lines, the Hokuriku Railway and the former JR lines now forming the IR Ishikawa, Ainokaze Toyama and Echigo Tokimeki Railways. I can report back on some of them after that.

 

In Shikoku the Dosan line, especially around Oboke is great, and has some good hikyo stations like Tsubojiri and Shingai, both requiring switchbacks to access. The Yodo line is also good and you can travel on the Shikoku Shinkansen (officially the Tetsudo Hobby Train). The Seto-Ohashi bridge to access Shikoku by train from Honshu is also spectacular. 

 

Not really a line in Hokkaido I wouldn't recommend, its a long transit for an eight day trip though. Confirmed closures are Fukagawa to Ishikari-Numata (the remnants of the Rumoi line) and Oshamambe to Otaru (when the Hokkaido Shinkansen is completed through to Sapporo). But a lot of other lines are at risk. As RS18U mentioned you can go to the northernmost station at Wakkanai, and also the easternmost (at Higashi-Nemuro for now, but closure of this station has been mooted, the line loops back west to the terminal at Nemuro). 

 

 

[kuro68000]

14 hours ago, katoftw said:

Nagahama has a small train museum.

 

There is, but their website doesn't seem to be working at the moment: https://kitabiwako.jp/tetsudou/

 

Google Maps link to it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/aPK85dChFMfRySBo9

 

See the link in my signature for a map with that one and many others.

Edited November 4 by kuro68000

[tridentalx]

17 hours ago, RS18U said:

Have you thought about Hokkaido?  In 2018 my wife and I went from Hiroshima to Hakodate via Shinkansen, then around Hokkaido on a variety of services before flying home from Chitose.  Took us 3 weeks, and we put on 3,000 kms on our rail pass.  A great trip.  The Otaru Museum https://www.city.otaru.lg.jp/categories/bunya/shisetsu/bunka_kanko/museum/ (not a great web site but gives basic info) was a great place to visit, just wish I had more time there.  There are also scattered small railway museums all around the island.

 

I find that Hokkaido is sort of a forgotten destination for train enthusiasts, and a lot of their rural lines are in jeopardy due to low passenger counts.  At least you can get to the northern most JR station at Wakkanai.  And if you plan it right (and the line is open), the eastern most station at Nemuro.

Thanks. I did think about Hokkaido as a standalone trip. Picked out a few journeys from Train Cruise. But I think that will have to wait for next time as it will be a very long transit from Toyama for just a couple of days in Hokkaido. All the suggestions recorded for next time though; thanks.

[tridentalx]

11 hours ago, Gunzel said:

You should go on the Toyama Chiho Railway with your planned route, it's pretty good if you like old electric stuff and the grind up the hill into Tateyama is particularly good. They have trams in Toyama too if that's your thing. The Takayama main line south from Toyama to Nagoya is also very scenic. Near Nagano the view from the switchback station at Obasute is pretty amazing. At Fukui you have the Etsumihoko line to Kuzuryoko. The Kyoto Tango Railway is also pretty good.

 

I will be revisiting this area over Christmas and New Year's to cover some of the lines, like Noto Railway, the Himi and Johana lines, the Hokuriku Railway and the former JR lines now forming the IR Ishikawa, Ainokaze Toyama and Echigo Tokimeki Railways. I can report back on some of them after that.

 

In Shikoku the Dosan line, especially around Oboke is great, and has some good hikyo stations like Tsubojiri and Shingai, both requiring switchbacks to access. The Yodo line is also good and you can travel on the Shikoku Shinkansen (officially the Tetsudo Hobby Train). The Seto-Ohashi bridge to access Shikoku by train from Honshu is also spectacular. 

 

Not really a line in Hokkaido I wouldn't recommend, its a long transit for an eight day trip though. Confirmed closures are Fukagawa to Ishikari-Numata (the remnants of the Rumoi line) and Oshamambe to Otaru (when the Hokkaido Shinkansen is completed through to Sapporo). But a lot of other lines are at risk. As RS18U mentioned you can go to the northernmost station at Wakkanai, and also the easternmost (at Higashi-Nemuro for now, but closure of this station has been mooted, the line loops back west to the terminal at Nemuro). 

 

 

Some fantastic suggestions, thank you. I'll look all of those up. I think Toyama Chiho is already included for the journey after the Alpine route and to Kurobe Gorge. Kyoto Tango I remember watching on Train Cruise.

 

Will look forward to seeing a report back o your trip. I can leave some days in the middle flexible for now.

 

Really appreciate the information. Thank you.