Japan Tips

[williamn]

I'm shortly about to embark on a trip to Japan. Will be based in Tokyo and Kyoto, and am already intending to do day trips to Hiroshima, Osaka, Kobe and Nara from Kyoto. I wonder though are there any smaller, slower, more scenic lines I should consider for the ride alone?

 

[Watershed]

From recent experience, I can recommend the following lines:

• Hakone Tozan Tetsudō-sen (Hakone-Yumoto to Gora) - literally meaning 'mountain-climbing line', this goes up a valley with 3 reversals and gradients of up to 1-in-13, so it's one of the steepest non-rack railways in the world. There's a variety of older rolling stock, including a Swiss set that dates back to the opening of the line in 1919. At the top of the line there's a funicular (confusingly called a "cable car") which connects onto a cable car (confusingly called a "ropeway") which takes you to the shore of Lake Ashi, with great views of Mount Fuji on clear days.
• Oigawa Railway (Kanaya to Kawane Onsen Sasamodo) - this acts as both a heritage railway as well as public transport. Most trains are, I believe, operated by nice old single-car EMUs - but some of the 'express' workings are simultaneously steam hauled and electric propelled - a first for me! The timetable is quite variable, so worth checking in advance. The railway was split in two after storm damage a few years ago, so you have to take a local bus to connect between the two halves. You can take the Shinkansen either from Tokyo to Shizuoka, or Kyoto to Hamamatsu, to connect onto the local JR train which takes you to the interchange station of Kanaya. From there it's a 20 minute walk to Shin-Kanaya, the railway's HQ - but some of their trains run to/from Kanaya.
• San'in line (Kyoto to Ayabe and beyond) - this runs along a river valley from Kyoto towards Ayabe and is surprisingly scenic. It's served by Hashidate express services, which have 2+1 seating in Green Car (i.e. first class), and split and join at Ayabe to serve both Higashi-Maizuru and Fukuyichima/beyond. Some of the branch lines in the Ayabe and Fukuyichima areas are operated using old class 115 EMUs, which have largely already been withdrawn; we happened to come across one on a stopper from Ayabe to Fukuyichima.

There are no doubt many others that are worth doing too. There's a great site here: https://bateman.monologue.jp/en/index.html which lists the types of trains used by each railway company across Japan, ranking them by their 'endangered' status

We used a Japan Rail Pass in Green Class - despite us not making optimal use of it (e.g. we used it for local travel around Tokyo on two of our 7 days) and the substantial price increases a few years back, it ended up working out about 20% cheaper than buying tickets separately for each journey.

Even if it had worked out more expensive, I wouldn't have minded it as the flexibility it offers is highly valuable, and you can make reservations online with a seat selector. If you do this, I highly suggest only collecting each reservation just before you board the train, as it's a pain to get them changed once they're issued. On one occasion we asked the conductor on the platform whether we could board her train (since it was too close to departure to get a reservation online), and she gladly issued reservations on the spot, so that's a backup option if you have a last-minute change of plans.

You probably already know this, but the easiest way of paying for local transport around cities, as well as small purchases in the ubiquitous convenience stores and vending machines, is using an IC card such as Suica, Pasmo etc. These are effectively like an Oyster card - you load them with money and then each journey or purchase is deducted from the balance. Unfortunately, topping up the card is only possible with cash - although most stations and convenience stores have 7-Bank ATMs that don't charge a fee. Don't worry about looking up the fare in advance (it'll be affordable) or having the correct balance when you start your journey, as you can always just top up your card at the end of your journey using an 'adjustment machine' (located inside the barriers).

IC cards were very hard to get hold of when we visited, although it should now be a bit easier. You can get a Welcome Suica card at the JR exchange office which they have in the landside area at each of the major airports (Haneda/Narita etc.). You can do this when you pick up your Japan Rail Pass. The card itself is free but the balance and card expires after 30 days, and can't be refunded, so make sure you use it up before you leave!

 

[Three-Nine]

Couple quick ones - there are two main railway stations in Nara; one is a JR station and the other is a private operator. JR Rail Passes won’t work on the private operators trains between Kyoto and Nara.

There is actually a move in Japan to do away with Suica and similar cards, at least for public transport use, due to increasing maintenance costs and to move towards phone/app/contactless payments. This is probably some years off currently but a number of Japanese cities, such as Kumamoto, have already done this.

The different types of cards (Suica, Passmo etc) can seem a bit bewildering at first but they generally all work in the same manner. I’ve used a Passmo card in Tokyo for example. There are, or at least were, a couple of “special edition” ones for tourists which make a nice trinket. Though I did get a few confused looks in Tokyo where Suica is much more common than Passmo.

When last in Kyoto I visited the Arashiyama area (its part of Kyoto) which I’d somehow never been to before; this can be done using either a train or combination of train and tram. I really enjoyed visiting the area, though like many tourist sites in Japan currently get there early if you can as many popular places tend to swarm with tourists by mid-morning (and yes I realise I was part of the problem!).

And oh, you may want to visit the Kyoto Railway Museum while you’re there; if you search here you may find a review of the place written by some hack… (ahem).

 

[tram21]

Hakone Tozan Tetsudō-sen (Hakone-Yumoto to Gora) - literally meaning 'mountain-climbing line', this goes up a valley with 3 reversals and gradients of up to 1-in-13, so it's one of the steepest non-rack railways in the world. There's a variety of older rolling stock, including a Swiss set that dates back to the opening of the line in 1919. At the top of the line there's a funicular (confusingly called a "cable car") which connects onto a cable car (confusingly called a "ropeway") which takes you to the shore of Lake Ashi, with great views of Mount Fuji on clear days.

Definitely go to Hakone! It's easily accessible from Tokyo, although I'd recommend using local trains rather than the designated tourist train.

 

[Watershed]

Definitely go to Hakone! It's easily accessible from Tokyo, although I'd recommend using local trains rather than the designated tourist train.

Agreed. The 'pirate' ship is an experience in its own right. To be honest, the relatively minor cost of a reservation on the Romancecar from Shinjuku station is worth it, in my view (you can pay for the journey itself using Suica/IC). You get great front views through the driver's cab if you go for the first coach!

Of course if you have a Japan Rail Pass then it's cheaper to use a JR train where possible, e.g. the Shinkansen as far as Odawara.

 

[tram21]

You get great front views through the driver's cab if you go for the first coach!

Similarly on any local trains!

It just depends where in Tokyo you're staying as to which is best, for us where we were staying local trains were better, and personally I enjoy the experience of going on trains locals use, rather than tourist trains, but opinions vary.

---

Definitely get a Suica- if you're flying into Tokyo you can get it at the airport station ticket office.

 

[Gostav]

any smaller, slower, more scenic lines

If you want taking some "unique" lines, there are a few suggestions. Some may be too "railfan" and not consider the scenery:

Tokyo

Toden Arakawa Line - The only surviving tram line of Tokyo's once vast tram system.

Chiba Urban Monorail - The world's longest suspended monorail system.

Tokyo Monorail Haneda Airport Line - The fast monorail train and the only monorail system that has express train and passing loops.

Yukarigaoka Line - A small rail system (4.1km) operated by a local real estate developer.

Yurikamome Line - An automated guideway line, similar like London DLR, you can sit at the front and enjoy the view of Tokyo Bay.

Kyoto

Ishiyama Sakamoto Line & Keihan-Keishin Line - There are street running sections between Biwako-Hamaotsu Station (びわ湖浜大津駅) to Kamisakaemachi Station (上栄町駅) and to
Miidera Station (三井寺駅)

Arashiyama Line - A tram line through scenic suburbs.

Osaka

Hankyu Railway - Osaka-Umeda Station (大阪梅田駅) is the largest terminal in Japan, there are only triple tracks section on private railway in Japan between Osaka-Umeda Station and Juso Station (十三駅).

Keihanna Line - The only line in Japan operated by a private railway company that uses third rail electrification.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima Electric Railway - There are many classic and different types trams on the network for daily ordinary services which the oldest one built in 1927.

 

[Beebman]

One more line of interest in Tokyo is the Setagaya Line, a segregated light rail line some 5km in length operated by the Tokyu Corporation with tram-style vehicles running on 'Scotch Gauge' (4 ft 6 in or 1,372 mm) as was used by tramways generally in Tokyo. NHK World's 'Dive in Tokyo' series featured it in a recent episode:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2102044/

For confirmation, the 28-minute programme is in English but includes other items of interest along the route ("we explore a 450-year-old flea market, visit a temple brimming with cats and meet members of the community").

 

[185]

Kyoto - sure you've spotted these...
Railway Museum (2 mins / 1 stop from main station on local train, got a huge steam section with working trains)
Sagano Sightseeing Tram in Arashiyama (beautiful gorge views, near the famous bamboo forest / temple / monkey sanctuary)

All cheap.

 

[Three-Nine]

I’d forgotten the sightseeing train in Arashiyama, didn’t use it when I visited.

 

[notverydeep]

It has been a few years since I have been to Japan and this may have changed a bit in the era of smart phones and contactless payment, but when I went I found Japan to be a cash-oriented society to a much greater degree than the UK was at the same time. I also found that in the areas off of the normal tourist trail, such as the extremes of the 1067mm gauge network, ATM cash machines were not set up to be compatible with UK bank cards, even where a Visa or Mastercard sign was displayed. I also found that credit cards were not always accepted at cheaper places to eat, so my tip is to avoid having to eat at expensive places or similar issues, take a back up amount of Yen cash with you if your plan takes you off the beaten track...

If you like narrow gauge railways, you could try the delightfully odd Shuzenji Romney Railway with its Ravenglass and Eskdale built 15 inch gauge steam locos...

 

[tram21]

I found Japan to be a cash-oriented society to a much greater degree than the UK

This is still definitely true. The majority of transactions are done in cash. Iirc, you need cash to buy your Suica card at the airport station ticket office, but there are, of course, ATMs at the airport.

 

[Watershed]

This is still definitely true. The majority of transactions are done in cash. Iirc, you need cash to buy your Suica card at the airport station ticket office, but there are, of course, ATMs at the airport.

Yes, very much either cash or IC card (which indirectly means cash).

When you buy your Welcome Suica card at a JR exchange office, you can choose how much you want to load onto the card. You can then pay for this using card. This is probably the only occasion where it's possible to use a credit/debit card to top up an IC card.

 

[nick291]

I'm shortly about to embark on a trip to Japan. Will be based in Tokyo and Kyoto, and am already intending to do day trips to Hiroshima, Osaka, Kobe and Nara from Kyoto. I wonder though are there any smaller, slower, more scenic lines I should consider for the ride alone?

Eizan Electric railway is a must. Uses standard gauge too like it's parent operator Keihan. Enoshima Electric Railway in Kanagawa prefecture is also a must for it's scenic coastal views and street running section, Kamakura station is about 1 hour from Shinjuku/Tokyo stations.

Kyoto - sure you've spotted these...
Railway Museum (2 mins / 1 stop from main station on local train, got a huge steam section with working trains)
Sagano Sightseeing Tram in Arashiyama (beautiful gorge views, near the famous bamboo forest / temple / monkey sanctuary)

All cheap.

I went there on my Birthday back in January and spent the equivalent to £10. So that is also a must do.

 

[Three-Nine]

Things have changed a bit as far as using cards go; convenience store ATMs (and convenience store ATMs are everywhere) and I believe post office ATMs should take most UK cards and most major retailers seem to be fine with international debit/credit cards. Probably the more “traditional” or niche the retailer is the more likely it is that you’ll have trouble with cards.

You may have seen this if you’ve read my review of the Kyoto Railway Museum, but it’s possible to take a (very!) short steam train ride along a little bit of track from the Museum. It literally only lasts a few minutes and isn’t particularly scenic (though it goes past a nearby park and I was lucky enough to have cherry blossoms wafting along with me as a result) but on the other side of the track you get quite a contrast as it runs parallel to the Shinkansen lines going to and from Kyoto station.

I was able to get a ticket on the day while I was there but due to vastly increased numbers of tourists in the few years since its possible that may have changed.

 

[williamn]

Thanks for your tips everyone!

My first ever Shinkansen experience is not going well. Train cancelled, as is the one after. Currently stood in the rammed vestibule of one running over an hour late, though yet to move.

I guess as with the rose tinted view many Brits have of French railways our impression of Japanese railways may be similarly inaccurate!

 

[Watershed]

Thanks for your tips everyone!

My first ever Shinkansen experience is not going well. Train cancelled, as is the one after. Currently stood in the rammed vestibule of one running over an hour late, though yet to move.

I guess as with the rose tinted view many Brits have of French railways our impression of Japanese railways may be similarly immaculate!

In fairness that is very unusual!

 

[Beebman]

Thanks for your tips everyone!

My first ever Shinkansen experience is not going well. Train cancelled, as is the one after. Currently stood in the rammed vestibule of one running over an hour late, though yet to move.

I guess as with the rose tinted view many Brits have of French railways our impression of Japanese railways may be similarly inaccurate!

As @Watershed says it's very unusual but I was caught up in delays on a visit 2 years ago when travelling from Tokyo to Nagoya, however that was due to "someone damaging a platform barrier" at one of the stations on the line (I've attached a photo of an arrival screen in English showing delays of up to an hour). There was an announcement in English that you could take the first available train even without a reservation but I hung back for the one for which I had a ticket. By that time the service was recovering, the train was only about 25% full and ran just under 30 minutes late.

As for regular JR suburban services, one evening last year I was trying to get from Tokyo back to my hotel in Kawasaki. Trains were only going as far as Shinagawa and looking at my phone (and using Google Translate) I discovered that a train had hit a road vehicle on a level crossing to the south of Kawasaki. Passengers were being advised to change to the parallel Keikyu Line at Shinagawa but that part of the station was rammed with people. Therefore I returned to the JR part where two trains were waiting on either side of an island platform to head south and I waited for one of them to be given a green signal (similar to what I used to do sometimes when I commuted from Reading to Paddington and there were delays ). After about 30 minutes the one on the left was given the go-ahead and arrived at Kawasaki over 2 hours late (the second photo I've attached shows the screens there and yes that analogue clock is correct, it was just about 22:15).

 

[Prime586]

Tokyo
Chiba Urban Monorail - The world's longest suspended monorail system.

If you are in Tokyo and are gooing out to Chiba, it's also worth a trip out to visit the Chōshi Electric Railway, It's one Japan's most famous small private lines, after almost having to close down until new managment started exploring alternative ways to fund the line (it even had a feature film made about it's struggle to remain open). There are direct Shiosai limted express trains between Tokyo and Chōshi (via Chiba, if you want to stop off and do the monorail on the way)

The one thing I would say about Hakone is try and avoid going there during weekends or public holidays, as it can get very busy and you can end up in very long queues at the Hakone Tozan funicular and cable car stations to get over to Lake Ashi.

 

[nick291]

Thanks for your tips everyone!

My first ever Shinkansen experience is not going well. Train cancelled, as is the one after. Currently stood in the rammed vestibule of one running over an hour late, though yet to move.

I guess as with the rose tinted view many Brits have of French railways our impression of Japanese railways may be similarly inaccurate!

Can't say I had that happen to me on my trip, guess it's nothing different to UK trains on a daily basis(!)

 

[Three-Nine]

Train delays, contrary to popular myth and JRs own publicity do occur in Japan, and sometimes for similar odd reasons to UK ones (my favourite cause for a delay I’ve seen on a Japanese information screen was simply one word: “Bear.”!). I’ve mentioned previously I think that theres some evidence the boom in tourism in recent years has put some strain on even the Shinkansen services.

There have been a couple of incidents recently of Shinkansen trains on one route decoupling in service, and apparently such coupled services have been suspended until they find the cause of the issue, though how they’re operating those services now I’m not sure.


Williamn, apparently 19th March was a bad day for Japan Railways with multiple incidents on various lines; the Shinkansen delays may have been related to a “bamboo [1]“ that fell onto the line between Tokyo and Nagoya. You really have been quite unfortunate, I hope the rest of your travels go more smoothly!

[1] For those unfamiliar with Japanese forests, the “trees” one sees are often bamboo, which can be quite substational.

 

[Prime586]

Train delays, contrary to popular myth and JRs own publicity do occur in Japan, and sometimes for similar odd reasons to UK ones (my favourite cause for a delay I’ve seen on a Japanese information screen was simply one word: “Bear.”!). I’ve mentioned previously I think that theres some evidence the boom in tourism in recent years has put some strain on even the Shinkansen services.

There have been a couple of incidents recently of Shinkansen trains on one route decoupling in service, and apparently such coupled services have been suspended until they find the cause of the issue, though how they’re operating those services now I’m not sure.

When I was last there in early November last year, Honshu and Kyushu got hit with heavy rain from the tail end of a tropical storm which flooded the Sanyo Shinkansen, cutting off all Shinkansen services between Shin-Osaka and Hakata which then rolled over into affecting the Tokaido Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Tokyo. In the 6 hours the line was closed, 88 Sanyo services were cancelled and 229 Tokadio services were delayed.

I stayed around Tokyo that day (basically the only place it didn't rain was Hokkaido, and it was impossible to get a seat on a Shinkansen up there) and I went through Tokyo station a couple of times during the day and it was like Euston during a WCML outage x 100.

The following day (Sunday) it was sunny so I decided to go to Hakone (along with seemingly most of the population of Tokyo) by getting the Shinkansen to Odawara, and while waiting for the onward train the announcements came up that all RomanceCar services to and from Shinjuku were cancelled due to a vehicle crashing onto the line off on overbridge.

Regarding the two recent decoupling incidents, multiple working restarted last week after JR East modified the decoupling mechanisms in the cabs to add mechanical blocks to the solenoid valve that drives it to prevent decoupling even if the mechanism receives a decoupling signal. The blocks have to be physically removed before a decoupling operation.

 

[williamn]

Thanks for all the interesting info!

Does anyone know far the position is on compensation? I read somewhere that you need to be two hours late for a full refund?

 

[Tester]

Thanks for all the interesting info!

Does anyone know far the position is on compensation? I read somewhere that you need to be two hours late for a full refund?

Not even a full refund then!

AFAIK - less than two hours delay - no compensation

Above two hours - refund of express charges (i.e. above the basic fare)

Not sure which side exactly two hours falls

 

[williamn]

Not even a full refund then!

AFAIK - less than two hours delay - no compensation

Above two hours - refund of express charges (i.e. above the basic fare)

Not sure which side exactly two hours falls

Is there a different rule for cancellations?

I love that the urban myth is that if a train is 30 seconds late you get full compensation or something.

 

[Three-Nine]

Prime586, thanks for the update about the coupling issues; I’m a bit surprised that didn’t make one of the Japanese news sites I browse. williamn, hope you’re enjoying the rest of your stay!

 

[williamn]

Prime586, thanks for the update about the coupling issues; I’m a bit surprised that didn’t make one of the Japanese news sites I browse. williamn, hope you’re enjoying the rest of your stay!

I am indeed thank you! We ended up taking the train from Nagano to Nagiso, transferring onto a slow local train at Kiso Fukushima. Absolutely beautiful and full of character. Much prefer the local trains to Shinkansen which feel far too much like planes to me!

 

[Tester]

Is there a different rule for cancellations?

I love that the urban myth is that if a train is 30 seconds late you get full compensation or something.

I don't know enough to say for sure.

Logically, if cancellations result in your delayed arrival the same would apply, but best to enquire for the detail.

 

[Beebman]

Prime586, thanks for the update about the coupling issues; I’m a bit surprised that didn’t make one of the Japanese news sites I browse. williamn, hope you’re enjoying the rest of your stay!

There was a lot of coverage on Japanese TV news but nothing I saw in English - however this 10-minute report on the incident from ANN News from two weeks ago includes a transcript:

If you click on 'Show Transcript' and then select your browser's auto-translate function (e.g. in Chrome you right-click and select 'Translate to English' in the pop-up menu) you can watch the video and follow the translated transcript.

 

[cle]

The best, most interestingly Japanese part to me was a day trip from Nagoya to Magome and Tsumago. And the hike between them. Ancient forests, vibes like a Miyazaki movie - really tranquil.

And the towns themselves, with their mini-canals / irritation, beautiful houses - so perfect.

Train-wise, Nagoya parts fairly meh but then it improves out towards Nakatsugawa / Nagiso (depending on which way you go).

Highly recommended. Much preferred it to Hakone, tbh.