"Train Station Certificate"

A train station certificate, which is called 乗車駅証明書 (josha eki shoumei sho) in Japanese, has been increasingly common on JR network not just in rural areas but also in the Greater Tokyo Area. What and why is it?

Generally speaking, all passengers have to purchase a fare ticket in advance, but the train station certificate is one of a few alternative options. As the name suggests, the certificate proves which station a passenger started his or her journey, and it is issued free of charge. The passenger has to pay the fare at a station by the end of the journey, mostly by cash. It is also possible to pay the fare onboard when ticket inspection is carried out by a conductor, but it is rare in these days.

This orange box, which is often next to a ticket machine, issues the certificate. This system is similar to a "permit to travel" in Britain that allows passengers to travel when they have not purchased a ticket, but at least five pence are required to have one. On the other hand, the orange machine above does not charge passengers even a single yen.

The train station certificate system was initially introduced to unstaffed stations with few passengers. JR East has also been using the machine at stations in Tokyo and other major cities since the late-2010s to manage their work with fewer staff, including Sakuragicho, a station next to Yokohama and has more than 130,000 tap-in and out every day. Such stations are served by ordinary ticket machines, ticket barriers and staff for most of the day, but unstaffed in the early morning and late at night. In that case, the orange machine is activated.

Perhaps the most radical case is Tsurumi line. All stations (except Tsurumi) have been all unstaffed since 1971 and all ticket machines thereof were removed in 2022. Hence, those who do not have a Suica or PASMO card or those who do but with credit of less than 150 yen (the minimum fare) have to use the certificate.

Japanese railway companies use another system similar to the train station certificate: a numbered ticket, which is called 整理券 (seiri ken) in Japanese. There is always a machine on a train next to a door, and passengers have to take the numbered ticket when boarding. It is effectively not different to the certificate.

JR East has been encouraging passengers to use Suica/PASMO, but the IC cards have been restricted since last June due to the global chip shortage. Hence, some people have no choice but to rely on the train station certificate though many of those in Tokyo are not familiar with the system. Most foreign travellers would not use it as they have either Japan Rail Pass or Welcome Suica, but it might still be worth checking the machine just in case.

381 series, the final week

381 series, the last operational electric train in the country that Japanese National Railways developed for intercity services, retires on Saturday 15 June. The 381 series was introduced in 1973-82, and now used only for Limited Express Yakumo running between Okayama and Izumoshi in western Japan. The beige-and-red one, the iconic livery that dates back to 1958, has been highly popular among travellers and enthusiasts.

Probably not so many people remember that the 381 series was common in Osaka until around 10 years ago. This article looks back the days when the tilting trains were running in Kansai region.

Limited Express Kuroshio (Kyoto - Shingu via Shin-Osaka and Tennoji) had been provided by the 381 series for nearly 40 years when Kisei Main Line was electrified in 1978. There were 126 carriages in total at its peak in 1986-2011. JR West painted some units white with yellow and red bands in 1989, and almost of all units including those remained red and beige had been repainted blue and white by 2000. This light blue livery clearly showed that the train would run by the Paficic Ocean.

JR West introduced a few Green Car (first class coaches) which were converted from other intermediate carriages in 1989-90. Units with such a carriage were called Super Kuroshio. Some of the 381 series trains in the area were replaced with 287 series in 2012 and many of them were reallocated to other services as described further below. The rest of them retired on 30 October 2015, and nine carriages were transferred to Yakumo.

Those painted beige and red were used for Limited Express Konotori (Shin-Osaka - Kinosakionsen via Fukuchiyama Line), Hashidate (Kyoto - Amanohashidate) and Kinosaki (Kyoto - Kinosakionsen via San'in Main Line). The series entered into regular services of the aforementioned intercity trains in June 2012, replacing 183 series. The 381 series here were reallocated from Kuroshio services, and there were 40 carriages in total.

At first, tilting function of the 381 series was disabled as poles, signals and tracks of the lines served were not compatible with tilting trains. However, not a few passengers complained about uncomfortable vibration so that JR West enabled the function again but with smaller tilting angle.

The 381 series arrived at Osaka station. It was surreal to see an old-fashioned train standing at platform that was recently renovated. As many railway enthusiasts predicted, the 381 series did not last long. They were also withdrawn on 30 October 2015, just three years after reallocation. Two carriages were reallocated again to Yakumo.

Since then, Yakumo has been the last service run by the 381 series, and that is why railway enthusiasts across the country have gathered to the area. As mentioned above, the 381 series will be withdrawn from all regular services within less than a week, but a few units will remain during the high season. In fact, JR West revealed in its official timetable that some services during Obon (mid-August) would be the old trains. Hopefully, the JNR-era trains will run during the new year holidays 2024-25 as well, which might be the last opportunity to see them on mainline.

Yokosuka line, the disused branch line and its ruins

Yokosuka line is a suburban railway in Kanagawa Prefecture, which is 24 km (15 miles) long. It technically connects Ofuna and Kurihama stations, but most trains are extended to Tokyo (including Shonan-Shinjuku line services). The line was once one of the most important railway in Japan as there was Yokosuka Naval District. Today, Yokosuka is known for having the headquarter of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

As Yokosuka line had been important for military purposes for more than 100 years, there were a few military installations until recently. Once of them remains near Taura station. Taura is approximately 64 km (40 miles) south of Tokyo and it is now a small station with just around 2,000 daily users. There are only three trains per hour on each direction at the daytime, with only one to and from Yokohama or Tokyo.

An industrial railway branched off until 2006. The railway was owned by Sagami Transportation & Warehouse Co., Ltd. and it was extensively constructed at Nagaura port. There are three tunnels on the western edge of the platform: the disused railway on the left, down main line (towards Yokosuka and Kurihama) in the middle and up main line (towards Zushi, Yokohama and Tokyo) on the right.

The industrial railway was constructed by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1889, five years earlier than Taura station itself. The railway was strictly controlled by the Navy so that there is little information about its history, but it is said that not only military supplies but also goods including Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation (now JT) products were also transported from here to Tokyo.

The railway was requisitioned by the U.S. Navy after the Second World War. Nagaura port was used by Americans as a major port hub in the region. One of the most important facility here is Azuma Storage Area, which is still controlled by the United States even today. Freight trains carrying jet fuel had been despatched frequently to Naval Air Facility Atsugi. The freight trains were managed by Japanese National Railways until 1984 and by JR Freight from 1987 to 1998. The industrial railway was officially closed in 2006.

There were disused bridges, level crossings and even English signboards until around 2010, but most of them have been removed by JR East and the local authorities, but tracks still remain on the pavement today. There are two disused diamond crossings, which are extremely rare in Japan.

The disused tracks disappear near the petrol storage of the Self Defence Forces. The tracks went further and it looked like a tram track in the tunnel (in other words, cars and trains ran together) in the past, but there was no trace of them today.

This is a rough sketch of the disused railway. A blue line shows Yokosuka line tracks that are operational today. Yellow lines show how extensive the industrial railway was, and the red line shows the tracks accessible without permission (i.e. on the public road).

Unlike in Europe, disused railways in Japan are often removed shortly after they were permanently closed. However, the one here in Taura still remains though nearly 20 years have passed since its closure. The ruins of the railway are likely to remain for a while as this area is mostly abandoned, but those who are interested in them should consider visiting the area before it is too late, as the ruins may suddenly disappear one day.

A long ticket that ticket barriers cannot accept

This is a ticket I recently purchased at a JR station. It is a simple standard single fare ticket from Kozukue to Okayama, but looks disproportionately long…not just the distance but also the size of the ticket.

They are three tickets that JR companies issue at stations. The first one is for a short journey, the most common one. The second and the third ones are so-called MARS tickets, which are issued for a longer trip as well as for limited express services including Shinkansen high-speed trains. MARS stands for Magnetic electronic Automatic seat Reservation System (previously Multi Access Reservation System), a train reservation system used by JR group and relevant travel agencies.

Generally speaking, a MARS ticket is 85 mm (3.35 inches) long just like a credit card, but the larger one is 120 mm (4.72 inches) long. In my case, the route was so complicated and long that it was issued as the 120-mm one. In fact, staff added two more routes by handwriting as the computer dropped a few letters.

My journey was from Kozukue station in Yokohama city to Okayama station, but its route was complicated. I went to Tachikawa and got out of a ticket barrier for a few hours, and went back to Yokohama. Three days later, I resumed my trip towards west, went out of a ticket barrier at Okayama station to grab some food and headed to Tsuyama where my grandmother lives. Then, I visited Niimi for sightseeing and finished the journey at Okayama.

According to JR regulations, any route can be chosen unless a holder passes the same station twice. This rule looks simple but it actually is not in major cities like Tokyo. For example, part of Keihin-Tohoku and Yokosuka lines are treated as the same as Tokaido Main line. There are also complicated rules on Shonan-Shinjuku line that often result in route duplication (technically void route). On the other hand, a passenger going from Kawasaki (Tokaido line) or Shin-Kawasaki (Yokosuka line) to Kikuna or further north on Yokohama line can enjoy an exemption despite technically being between Higashi-Kanagawa and Yokohama twice.

The table above has been simplified to make it easy to understand (though still complicated). Fare calculation is generally based on actual distance, but JR group has another complicated rules. First, high-speed railways have been regarded as the same as "Main Line" railways that lie parallel to. For example, Tokaido Shinkansen uses the same distance as Tokaido Main line despite bullet trains actually run a shorter route. Second, a different fare scheme has been applied to some rural railways (namely Tsuyama and Kishin lines here). Hence, each train journeys have been converted to longer figures than actual distances.

Even so, this annoyingly long ticket is cheaper than splitting the whole journey. Had I bought tickets separately, it would have been a few thousand yen more expensive than that.

A symbol on the bottom-right of the ticket shows that automatic ticket barriers cannot be used so that I had to ask a station staff for getting in and out every time.

The 120 mm ticket is rare, but there are a few other cases. Some special discount tickets such as Seishun 18 Ticket are as such. Room tickets of sleeper trains (namely Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto) are also long. Furthermore, very few tickets that cover both JR and private railway lines are 120 mm, but they are extremely rare in these days.

Trains and Buses - Coexistence or Replacement?

JR East and Northen Iwate Transportation have launched an experimental one-year scheme with regard to trains and buses between Morioka and Miyako in the northeast region of Japan. JR passengers who have a valid train ticket that covers JR Yamada line can also get on a coach (except for a few stations). However, those who have a coach ticket cannot choose trains as this scheme is unilateral. It may be beneficial for not only local residents but also long-distance travellers, but it could potentially lead to a permanent closure of Yamada line.

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture with more than 280,000 people, and it is about 530 km (330 miles) north of Tokyo. It has not generally been regarded as a popular tourist destination by Japanese people, but The New York Times placed it in the second in its "52 Places to Go in 2023" list after London.

Miyako is a city roughly 68 km (42 miles) east of Morioka with a population of around 46,000 people. Miyako has been well known for fishing industry for centuries (such as salmons, cods and sea urchins) as well as manufacturing industry especially pumps, centrifuges and fertiliser.

There has been a high demand for transportation between these two cities. There are mountains in between so that both rail and road transportation have suffered from steep gradients. JR Yamada line opened in 1934, but most local residents have preferred coach service since 1978 when National Route 106 (a road parallel to Yamada line) opened. The coach route is called "106 Express Bus", and Northen Iwate Transportation provides the service more frequently than JR East though costs slightly more. A single fare between Morioka and Miyako by coach is 2,200 yen while by train costs 1,980 yen.

Morioka → Miyako

JR Yamada line	Bus 106
	5:45 → 8:00
6:32 → 9:01	7:40 → 9:55
	9:40 → 11:20
	10:40 → 12:20
11:09 → 13:30	11:40 → 13:20
	12:45 → 15:00
13:12 → 15:31	13:45 → 15:25
	14:45 → 16:25
	15:45 → 17:25
	16:45 → 19:00
17:46 → 20:21	17:45 → 19:25
	19:00 → 21:15

Yamada line has not been useful in spite of efforts by JR East. The company has been using KiHa 100 series since 2007, which is far more comfortable and energy-saving than obsolete KiHa 52 and KiHa 58 trains, and journey time has been shortened since then. The company also rearranged the schedules to make train connection with Tohoku Shinkansen to and from Tokyo better. Rails were replaced with newer ones that allow faster speed and signalling systems have been upgraded. More trains than before were provided in the 2010s to attract more local residents but it was unsuccessful. Today, only a few passengers to and from other cities like Tokyo and Sendai use the train.

Therefore, JR has decided to look for cooperation with the bus company rather than trying to win a race against it. As bus operators across the country have struggled with staff shortages, it may be beneficial for the bus company as well. This experiment is one of a few positive trials that public transport companies in Japan have recently started.

The only concern is that there are too small number of rail services. The experimental scheme is likely to result in far more long-distance passengers shifting to coach. As ridership of Yamada line declines further, JR East may consider closing the line in the future. If the scheme becomes permanent, it would be hard to justify keeping the railway open.

The scheme is available from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, but could be extended for a while if both companies wish to do so.

The New Yakumo

Today, a brand new 273 series train entered into limited express Yakumo services that connect Okayama and Izumoshi in western Japan. This article focuses on the new and old trains and briefly looks back its history with timetables.

Origin of its name

Day-time limited express trains of Japanese National Railways and JR Group are usually named after birds or names of places. For example, Shirasagi (Nagoya – Tsuruga) means egret and Azusa (Shinjuku – Matsumoto) was named after Azusa River. Yakumo is neither of them. Its origin is an ancient Japanese phrase "yakumo tatsu" (八雲立つ) that has been used in poems, first appeared in the oldest literary work in the country called Kojiki that dates back to 712 AD.

"Yakumo tatsu" literally means countless clouds coming up the sky, and this phrase is mostly followed by the word "Izumo" in ancient poems such as waka. Those who are interested in it should also check makura kotoba (lit. pillow words).

The new Yakumo

Limited Express Yakumo has been connecting Okayama and Izumoshi via San-yo Main, Hakubi and San'in Main Lines since 1982, and it is 220 km (137 miles) long. There are 15 services a day on each direction (i.e. hourly), though some of them do not run on certain days. The fastest service takes 2 hours and 57 minutes.

The 273 series was developed specifically for Yakumo. Hakubi Line is known for having tight curves with steep gradients as well as heavy snow in winter. These severe conditions did not allow ordinary trains running fast safely and comfortably so that JR West decided to introduce the brand new trains rather than reallocating redundant train units from other places. According to the company, computer-controlled tilting features of the 273 series make train far more comfortable than old rolling stock.

Six out of 15 Yakumo services are provided by the new trains so far, and the other nine will also be the 273 series by 15 June this year. Each service is formed of four coaches, but some of them could be formed of eight during holidays.

Old Yakumo

381 series has been in service since electrification of Hakubi and San'in Main Line in 1982. Today, it is often called the last electric train that Japanese National Railways introduced. Though it is highly popular among railway enthusiasts in these days, it had been infamous for uncomfortable rolling as local TV station reported so just three months after the introduction.

There are a few reasons why the 381 series is so uncomfortable. One of them is that because its tilting feature is not computer-controlled but dependent on centrifugal force. The train tilts a few seconds after entering a curve and restores to the original position a few seconds after leaving the curve.

JR West converted a few intermediate carriages to so-called "Panorama Green Car", first class which passengers can enjoy views while on a train, but it was not clear whether it could distract them from motion sickness.

All remaining 381 series carriages were dramatically refurbished in 2007-11. JR West calls them "yuttari Yakumo", which means "relaxing Yakumo". However, even with new seats and clean toilets did not improve the bumpy ride and rolling. Hence, railway enthusiasts made parodies of the brand: "guttari Yakumo" (lit. "exhausting Yakumo") or even "guttari hakumo" (lit. "exhausting & vomiting").

The last regular service provided by the 381 series will be Yakumo 1 (Okayama 7:05 → Izumoshi 10:18) on Saturday 15 June 2024. However, the company notes that a few 381 series units might be used during holidays and when there is a lack of available train. It is expected that the old train remains for a while, possibly until early-2025.

Comparing timetables

It might be interesting to compare old timetables. Here are fastest Yakumo services in 2024, 1982, 1973 and 1968.

Alphabets for coach layouts mean as follows:
G for Green Car (first class) with seat reservation,
D for a dining car,
N for standard class WITHOUT seat reservation, and
R for standard class WITH seat reservation.

2024 (Click to browse)▼

As mentioned above, there are 15 services a day on each direction, and six of them are now provided by the 273 series. JR West plans to introduce more on 26 April, 7 May, 15 and 16 June. The following train is currently the 381 series, but it will be replaced with the new train from Friday 26 April.

Yakumo 29 (7029M)

Okayama	21:20
Kurashiki	21:31
Bitchu-Takahashi	21:55
Niimi	22:23
Hoki-Daisen	23:25
Yonago	23:30
Yasugi	23:38
Matsue	23:53
Shinji	0:06
Izumoshi	0:17
(duration: 2h 57m)

(From 26 April)

Coach no.	1	2	3	4
←	G & R	R	R	R

1982 (Click to browse)▼

When the 381 series was introduced, each train had more coaches than today but there were only eight services a day on each direction.

Yakumo 12 (1042M)

Izumoshi	14:57
Matsue	15:26
Yonago	15:54
Niimi	17:02
Bitchu-Takahashi	17:33
Kurashiki	17:57
Okayama	18:09
(duration: 3h 12m)

Coach no.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	N	N	N	G	R	R	R	R	R	→

1973 (Click to browse)▼

By 1972 (when San-yo Shinkansen as far as Okayama opened), Yakumo looked mostly the same as today though it was provided by KiHa 181 series diesel train. There were four services on each direction, and one of them was extended to Hamada on San'in Main Line. However, the fastest service did not go as far as that.

Yakumo 4 (2032D)

Izumoshi	14:50
Tamatsukurionsen	15:13
Matsue	15:21
Yonago	15:49
Niimi	17:08
Kurashiki	18:09
Okayama	18:22
(duration: 3h 32m)

Coach no.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	N	N	G	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	→

1968 (Click to browse)▼

There was another limited express Yakumo before 1972. In 1965, JNR introduced a long-distance train with the same name using KiHa 80 series diesel train, connecting Shin-Osaka and Hamada via Fukuchiyama Line. The entire journey was 502.8 km (312 miles) long and took more than eight hours. There was only one train on each direction. Many businessmen chose this service as Tokaido Shinkansen and this Yakumo allowed a one-day travel towards northern Chugoku region.

There was no Green Car and "standard class" coaches at that time. JNR had adopted a different scheme that simply consisted of first and second class seating. The table further below shows the coach layout in accordance with terms used today.

Yakumo (1003D)

Shin-Osaka	12:00
Osaka	12:08
Takarazuka	12:34
Fukuchiyama	14:09
Kinosaki*	15:16
Hamasaka	15:56
Tottori	16:29
Agei*	17:13
Yonago	17:59
Matsue	18:27
Izumoshi	18:58
Iwami-Ōda*	19:28
Iwami-Gōtsu*	20:04
Hamada	20:22
(duration: 8h 22m)

Some stations have been renamed as follows:
Kinosaki → Kinosakionsen (2005)
Agei → Kurayoshi (1972)
Iwami-Ōda → Ōdashi (1971)
Iwami-Gōtsu → Gōtsu (1970)

Coach no.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
←	R	G	D	R	R	R	R

Tsurumi Line: shabbiness and modernness

Tsurumi line is a commuter rail in Yokohama and Kawasaki cities, roughly 20 km (13 miles) south of Tokyo. The line is just 9.7 km (6 miles) long including two short branch lines, and the lines lie in an industrial district with factories and plants. Not only passenger trains but also freight trains run.

Despite being in large cities with a population of 3.7 million and 1.5 million people respectively, Tsurumi line looks like a railway in a rural town. It is fully electrified (except a few sidings for freight trains), but passenger trains are formed of just three coaches. Trains run every five minutes in the morning but every 20 minutes during off-peak times between Tsurumi and Hama-Kasawaki. There are significantly fewer services on branch lines: every 80 minutes on Umi-Shibaura branch line and just three trains a day on Okawa branch line (weekend). All stations but Tsurumi have been unstaffed since 1971, and some stations are so shabby that look abandoned.

The line had been served by secondhand trains reallocated from other lines for decades, but a brand new E131 series was introduced in December 2023. It is the first "genuine" new train since the line was nationalised in 1943.

Since 16th March 2024, all Tsurumi line services have been driver-only. Thus, there will be no conductor onboard. The new train will make the service even more efficient, environmentally friendly and less costly than before.

Bullet train crisis as JR East's negligence worsens

This morning, a bullet train overshot a platform by 500 metres. Tohoku, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen were closed for more than three hours, causing severe disruptions on the rest of the network. No injuries have been reported so far, but this incident could have resulted in a fatal crash killing tens or even hundreds of people.

It is suggested that it was not a driver's fault but the company's negligence, but an official investigation is still at an early stage. This article summarises the case and past accusations published by a trade union, which might be beneficial to understanding that the Japanese railway is not always perfect and might no longer be as safe as before.

According to NHK, Yamagata Shinkansen service Tsubasa 121 from Tokyo to Shinjo failed to slow down when approaching Koriyama station at around 7:30 am and overshot the platform by approximately 500 metres. The driver found that the train was out of control just before entering the station and made an emergency announcement that the train could not stop. Passengers felt significant shocks amid fears. Fortunately, nobody was injured. They could alight from the train 80 minutes after the overshooting. JR East insists that chunks of snow between wheels and rail or inside the braking system significantly reduced friction and thus air brakes did not work.

It could have been a major disaster. The train passed points faster than speed limits, which could potentially lead to a derailment. Moreover, it could have been hit by another train, either a subsequent service or an opposite one. In fact, a train on the other track was due to arrive at Koriyama a minute later (Yamabiko 206 for Tokyo).

Tohoku region has been well known for a heavy snowfall. Hence, all bullet trains have been equipped with enhanced braking systems and heaters. JR East argues that even with these equipment and devices cannot prevent all abnormalities.

However, this incident could have been avoided easily if JR East had learned from the past. It was revealed last year that E3 series, the rolling stock for Tsubasa with each unit consisted of seven carriages, did not have enough braking power in winter. On 18 December 2022, a similar incident occured precisely at the same location due to snow. At around 10:05 pm, Tsubasa 159 overshot the platform by 160 metres. JR East Transport Service Workers Union urged the company to review its safety procedures in the following month, and the company conceded that all Yamagata Shinkansen trains would face the same problem in winter and promised to do something. Therefore, the company decided to add an empty 10-car E2 series (with more powerful brakes) train to Tsubasa even though only seven out of 17 carriages in total were for passenger use. JR East and the trade union considered that it would have enough power to slow down and stop the train.

Nevertheless, JR East apparently did not take such a measure this winter despite knowing that Tsubasa without a 10-car train would cause the same incident, and it actually happened. Hence, Nature does not justify anything in this case.

As reported in January, JR East has slipped into self-complacency and failed to address safety issues. That is why, it has caused major incidents repeatedly, many of which could have been a fatal accident. Employers and employees of JR East must have been thinking that the series of incidents does not matter as nobody died yet, but they were just lucky. It is reminded that "Disasters don't just happen. They're a chain of critical events".

Railways that are on the verge of permanent closure

As this blog described before, the Japanese Government and railway companies have been discussing about the fate of rural railways that run sparsely populated areas. Most of such railways were constructed before the Second World War, mainly for freight trains transporting coal or wood. They were designed for light freight trains running at slow speed so that they became outdated after the War. Hence, the central and local governments constructed well-maintained roads that connect towns and villages far shorter than those railways. As a result, they have not been used by local residents for nearly or even more than half a century.

On Tuesday 13 February 2024, I visited two railways in western Japan that are placed on top of the "endangered railways" list: Geibi and Kisuki lines. They are two least used railways that JR West has been operating. Here is what I thought about them with a few photos.

Geibi line

Geibi line is a 160 km (100 miles) long railway that connects Bitchu-Kojiro station in Okayama Prefecture and Hiroshima station. The line from Hiroshima to Shimo-Fukawa has been heavily used by commuters and students, while that between Bingo-Ochiai and Tojo is miserable as there are less than 20 passengers a day. According to statistics, it costs approximately 25,000 yen to earn a revenue of 100 yen there.

The line starts from Bitchu-Kojiro, but all services are extended to Niimi station, which is close to the city centre. Niimi is an interchange station with two more lines available: Hakubi line towards Okayama or Yonago (de facto main line) and Kishin line towards Tsuyama (another rural railway). There are six Geibi line services but three of them terminate at Tojo, so there are only three trains a day between Tojo and Bingo-Ochiai.

The service 443D to Bingo-Ochiai departed Niimi at 1 pm with just five passengers in total: three railway enthusiasts including me, a high-school girl and an elderly woman. The latter two alighted from the train within 20 minutes, and another elderly man came in to the train and left at Tojo. The train ran in the middle of nowhere with no other local resident onboard.

Rural railways in western Japan are sluggish as JR West has imposed extremely slow speed limits on curves, tunnels and bridges. They were due to minimise the maintenance cost, and the 25 km/h (15.5 mph) restrictions are lowered to 15 km/h (9 mph) when raining or snowing. However, even if there had been no such limits, trains would not have been fast enough to win a race against cars.

The train entered into Hiroshima Prefecture just before arriving at Tojo station, which is one of few major stations but only has eight users per day. I must say that I could not find anything particularly interesting there, but there was one thing that attracted me 20 minutes later at Uchina station. It seemed that a volunteer sometimes decorated the station with lovely flowers on the pole. It was said to be "heavily" used by local residents back in the 1980s…though merely around 10 people a day then.

The train arrived at Bingo-Ochiai, probably the least busiest interchange station in Japan. All Geibi line services in this area start from or terminate at here so that all passengers have to change trains. Kisuki line also branches off. It was once a bustling station as steam trains had to be refilled. According to a pamphlet, there were restaurants and even a ski resort near the station. It sharply declined when all steam trains were replaced with diesel ones in 1971, and there are only a handful buildings in the area today.

Kisuki line

Kisuki line is 82 km (51 miles) long and connects Bingo-Ochiai and Shinji. Actual distance between these stations is less than 48 km (30 miles), but the railway is longer than that as it locates in and between mountains. In spite of lengthy route and low speed, the line was served by a few express services that connected Hiroshima and Matsue until 1990, but they were completely superseded by buses on a motorway. There were only four passengers including me when the service 1462D left Bingo-Ochiai, and all of them must be railway enthusiasts. Probably it was the busiest among just three services on that day.

As soon as the train left Bingo-Ochiai, phone signals went out. The train ran slowly so that it took more than 10 minutes between stations. There was "Okuizumo Orochi Loop" between Miinohara and Izumo-Sakane. The National Route 314 has such a spiral loop to climb a mountain, while Kisuki line goes further east to do so. Cars were running at 60 km/h (obviously exceeding the speed limit) while the train ran at 25 km/h.

Kisuki line is often closed in winter. Not only Hokkaido and Tohoku region but also part of Chugoku region is prone to heavy snow. Fortunately, there was little snow as it was warmer than usual, but warm temperature in winter sometimes causes another problem: avalanche.

Kisuki line has a zig zag near Izumo-Sakane station. The train reversed twice before arriving at the station so that it took 17 minutes from Miinohara. As mentioned above, smartphones are mostly "no service" in the area so that anyone visiting the line should download a map in advance.

Approaching Izumo-Sakane. There is a spring next to a station building and it is called "water of longevity" (延命水, enmei sui). There is a myth that a racoon dog that lived for more than 100 years loved this water. It has been certified by the authorities and anyone can drink it, but I could not do so as the train stopped only for three minutes.

The train reached to the civilisation. Kisuki is the largest intermediate station on the line that locates near the city centre of Unnan. There are vending machines and a supermarket in front of the station. There are 11 services a day towards Shinji, so it now sounds like a normal rural railway. There were around 15 passengers in total as the train went towards Shinji, where the train terminated.

The three-hour journey on Kisuki line finally came to an end. All passengers including me looked for San'in line service to Yonago, which departed shortly after the Kisuki line train's arrival. Even with extremely small number of service, it was not difficult to make a trip as train connections were good.

Personal views

I enjoyed the trip, but I also found neither lines could survive. There were only a handful of passengers on both trains, all of which were railway enthusiasts. There was literally no local resident near Bingo-Ochiai station, and it clearly shows that the railways have already fulfilled its role decades ago.

Many people blame ageing society and depopulation for the permanent closure of rural railways, but it is not always correct. Even with lots of young people, the railway would not have been used as those railways are far longer than roads. The railways were constructed when civil engineering was not developed enough, while roads were constructed with the latest technology. These railways are simply obsolete and susceptible to natural disaster, and I must concede that nothing can justify these railways. Safety, reliability, speed, comfortability and eco-friendliness…road transportation prevails the railways in all terms.

Some activists may argue that trains are always greener than cars, but it is simply wrong. Maintaining those railways require far more budget, resources and energy than keeping roads nearby available. Buses and taxi services will certainly be far more beneficial than trains for people living in this area. As elderly people have been struggling to drive a car, local governments should concentrate on alternative transports and delivery services as soon as possible rather than sticking to railways that no one uses.

Itinerary

The table below shows how did the journey go on. I stayed at a hotel in Yonago so that my entire trip was like a large circle. I had another business in Neu, so ignore the first two lines.

Yonago	( 6:08)	→	Neu	( 6:33)
Neu	(11:53)	→	Niimi	(12:35)
Niimi	(13:02)	→	Bingo-Ochiai	(14:28)
Bingo-Ochiai	(14:43)	→	Shinji	(17:38)
Shinji	(17:44)	→	Yonago	(18:41)

Those who plan to do a similar trip should carefully check timetables as some services do not run on certain days due to planned engineering work. It is also highly recommended to buy sufficient amount of water and food before getting on a train (there are two convenience stores near Niimi station). There is no need to worry about a toilet as the rolling stock on these lines has one.