Japan Train Enthusiasts Tour

[mich1409]

Thank you Kumo-san, I will definitely try to include the depot as that is what everyone is saying!

[mich1409]

Thank you Nick, I'm absolutely all about going the non-stereo typical approach, so I'm totally with you. Hiring a car is something that I haven't thought of, though its a great idea. I'll have a chat with my supplier about that. Great suggestions, thanks again! Once I've got the rough itinerary, I'll post it in a new topic to see what you guys think.

[tsubasa119]

I couldn't agree more with all the comments that everyone has made.

Definately options that average people without contacts couldn't do (Depots etc) would be a big drawcard.

 

Regards,

Allastair

[westfalen]

Thank you Nick, I'm absolutely all about going the non-stereo typical approach, so I'm totally with you. Hiring a car is something that I haven't thought of, though its a great idea. I'll have a chat with my supplier about that. Great suggestions, thanks again! Once I've got the rough itinerary, I'll post it in a new topic to see what you guys think.

In 1990, on a tour run by the guys who now run Trainaway Tours, we hired the party tram in the video below (starts around 5:00) in Hakodate. We stumbled upon it by accident while a small group of us were snooping around the tram sheds. When we asked what it was we were told we could hire it for 16,000 yen, luckily I had just cashed some travelers cheques at the hotel, so while they rounded up a driver we bought supplies at a nearby supermarket and phoned the rest of the group at the hotel and told them to meet us at the tram stop down the street but didn't tell them what we were doing, they got quite a surprise when we turned up in our tram with the music playing. We cruised around Hakodate's tram system until 10:30 when the driver said he had to get back to the depot before the power was switched off for the night, he even parked outside a 7-11 and liquor store at the end of one of the routes for a while so we could restock our party supplies.

 

I don't know if Hakodate still has the 'tram for hire' or if other cities do but it would be certainly worth asking.

 

[westfalen]

Having the railpass to give freedom to tourgoers is a good idea, I will keep that in mind thanks again!

On the 1998 Trainaway Tour I announced my plan to wander off on my own one day on what was scheduled to be a free day in Tokyo and ended up with a dozen people coming with me on a Shinkansen to Niigata to ride what was left of the Niigata Kotsu and back to Tokyo via the Tadami Line and Aizu-Wakamatsu.

[Kabutoni]

In 1990, on a tour run by the guys who now run Trainaway Tours, we hired the party tram in the video below (starts around 5:00) in Hakodate. We stumbled upon it by accident while a small group of us were snooping around the tram sheds. When we asked what it was we were told we could hire it for 16,000 yen, luckily I had just cashed some travelers cheques at the hotel, so while they rounded up a driver we bought supplies at a nearby supermarket and phoned the rest of the group at the hotel and told them to meet us at the tram stop down the street but didn't tell them what we were doing, they got quite a surprise when we turned up in our tram with the music playing. We cruised around Hakodate's tram system until 10:30 when the driver said he had to get back to the depot before the power was switched off for the night, he even parked outside a 7-11 and liquor store at the end of one of the routes for a while so we could restock our party supplies.

 

That's extremely cool and pretty cheap as well! I'm sure there are more of these trains/trams running around in Japan.

 

What I want to do on an Enthusiasts Tour is a about the same. If it's with a group, I'd like to hire a 'Beer Train', like you see on the Ichibata RR, or without a group, just ride that train like a boss and make new friends.

[mich1409]

Thank you Allastair-san! Thats absolutely something I'd be looking into.

[mich1409]

Thanks again westfalen-san! That idea is such a great idea, will certainly ask ppl in Japan if I can do that as either welcoming or farewell surprise. It would be an awesome experience for people to make friends and 16,000JPY is nothing!

[mich1409]

Thanks Toni Babelony-san! Haha Beer Train, love the name!

[Guest ___]

what about railway in kyushu?

 

Others on this forum likely have been there more than me.  However, IMO it's better for the more modern rolling stock as well as for the unique JR Kyushu designs and paint schemes- JR Kyushu(unlike JR west) seems less keen on keeping older JNR era stock running or in their original paint schemes.  It does have a couple of very interesting switchback stations, one which I will visit later this month (the Okoba Loop/switchback) along with a ride on the new Shinkansen line to Kagoshima.  Moji Station is a very interesting terminal station which also has a small railway museum.  The nearby Kanmon Tunnel and AC/DC current change point is ferroquinologically significant.

 

I'll throw my hat in to the ring when it comes to Kyushu. Their operations seem to be more like the US then Japan's. Get outside of the Fukuoka or Nagasaki and things become a lot more lax. I remember the last trip to Miyazaki, my friend was concerned that I may have a long wait along the main line for trains as they run "infrequent" Well, infrequent means every fifteen minutes. Kogoshima adds some interesting railway travels as well to one itinerary.

[mich1409]

Thank you Monorail Cat-san! Haha, yes, Japanese version of infrequency equates to anything you have to wait more than 5 min. Good to know JR Kyushu is not that much of an interest as I thought it would be. Thanks again!

[westfalen]

15 minutes between trains is positively rush hour. On my trip in November I'm planing to ride the JR Sankō Line in Western Honshu, the only departures from Miyoshi of the five daily that will get you all the way to Gōtsu are 0547, 0957 and 1700 and of those only the 0547 is a through train, the 0957 I'm planning on taking involves a 1hr43m wait at Iwami-Kawamoto, a town Wikipedia say has a population of 4,513 so Tokyo it ain't. One section in the middle of the route has a ten hour gap between trains in one direction.

 

I'll be heading for Miyazaki too, to do the Nichinan Line. As you might have guessed, I like getting off the beaten track.

[Kabutoni]

15 minutes is quite frequent. I remember one time in Shinjo, Tôhoku, where I had to wait 1,5 hours for a connection to Omagari. Enough time to explore Shinjo in all it's boringness. I was on a round tour from Jinmachi (Ôu-line), Shinjo, Omagari, Kitakami, Sendai, Yamagata to Jinmachi. Took about a day, since I didn't plan properly ahead (plus it was in the time just before the massive rise of the internets).

[cteno4]

Michi san,

 

this sounds really interesting! i would love to do a 7-10 day intensive train tour in japan. My preference would be to travel on and see a good variety of trains, stations, regions and maybe a rail museum. im interesting in seeing a good variety rather than trying to totally do one region, line, etc and get very minute detail. if i really wanted to do something detailed i could plan that myself and i think you may find it a very small market that would want a particular detailed trip, perhaps something to do in the future once you have built up a client base.

 

some photography is fine, but i am in it more for the experience than waiting for a lot of perfect photos (which can take time). Would like the cost to be reasonable by staying in clean, but more inexpensive hotels or inns. i would not feel the need to stay in nicer hotels as this part of a trip would only use the hotel for sleeping, rest of the time out on trains. Same goes for food, simple, fun local food is great on a trip like this and very fast and economical compared to nice restaurants. I would probably tack on a week of my own travel/touring on one end of a rail tour like this.

 

the suggestion of seeing if some local train enthusiasts come along to interact for a day here or there would be wonderful!

 

if the tour were to begin or end in tokyo you might think of an optional day tour of train hobby shops in tokyo. its always a challenge to find them hidden away all over the place! perhaps some of a local train club might want to come along or we meet up with some of them for dinner that night at a hobby shop or restaurant with a train layout!

 

looking forward to what you start planning!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Guest ___]

Same here, Michi-sama. Assuming the economy gets better. I had a 14 day itinerary planned for this year that got canned due to the exchange rate coupled with capital investment costs related to new camera gear acquisitions for work.

[westfalen]

if the tour were to begin or end in tokyo you might think of an optional day tour of train hobby shops in tokyo. its always a challenge to find them hidden away all over the place! perhaps some of a local train club might want to come along or we meet up with some of them for dinner that night at a hobby shop or restaurant with a train layout!

Trainaway Tours usually plan a day or two around Tokyo at the start of the tour to allow first timers to acclimatise to Japan and a day or two free at the end to allow members of the group to do any last minute shopping or whatever.

[mich1409]

Hi Westfalen-san, Oh yes absolutely. Whenever I travel in Kyushu, I really plan my trip as winging it is not the thing to do over there. Would love to hear what you thought of Miyazaki!

[mich1409]

Toni Babelony-san, you poor thing! Killing 1.5 hours in a place like that would be a nightmare, totally sympathize you there.

[mich1409]

Thank you Jeff! Thats really insightful. Interacting with the local train enthusiasts is a popular idea here so I might see if this is possible. Though, language could be a bit of an obstacle! Absolutely keeping the accomm & food cost down is something I will be aiming but I am trying to look for a hotel with a view of trains or stations too for photo opportunity of different angle. Train hobby shop is a great idea, perhaps this can be an optional thing on a free day. Thanks again!

[mich1409]

Monorail Cat-san, Absolutely, exchange rate has been a killer. Really does make everything seem that much more expensive! I am planning to include as much as possible in the tour to avoid too much local expenses.

[mich1409]

Thanks again westfalen-san! Having the first and last day free is absolute must, definitely. Thank you for your continuous flow of ideas.

[clem24]

And don't forget to top it all off with a train-only shopping day extravaganza where additional discounts are negotiated beforehand with all shop owners along with a servant to carry our loot back to the hotel...

[mich1409]

Thank you Clem24-san, yes, shopping day will definitely be included but exclusive discount is a great idea, thanks again!

[Martijn Meerts]

So, for when is the first annual "Mich presents: JNS Forum Japan Train Travel Extravaganza" planned? :)

 

 

I do wonder how many forum members would sign up if the trip were well planned and people had enough time to plan holidays and save up the necessary funds...

[clem24]

Oh, and wives are banned.