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.

Keikyu Akafuda Train

In May 2014, a red train ran Keikyu Daishi line. Keikyu trains have always been red, but this one was completely red. Unit no. 1501 of 1500 series was fully painted red without any white band, which was named "Akafuda Train". It was designed to celebrate once-a-decade religious event at Heiken-ji temple, commonly known as Kawasaki Daishi.

Kawasaki Daishi is one of the most important temple in the Greater Tokyo Area, established in 1128. It is said to be the origin of hatsumode, the first temple or shrine visit of each year. On average, three million people visit Kawasaki Daishi on 1-3 January every year and pray for their good fortune, health and being free from traffic accidents.

Like most temples, the principal object of worship is not usually open to the public, but it is available for everyone once every ten years. It is a statue of Kukai, one of the most important monk in the history of Japanese Buddhism.

During the visit, a talisman called akafuda is given to each visitor. The letters on a small piece of paper are said to be written initially by Kukai himself, and each charm is handcrafted by monks with blessing.

This event has been celebrated by Keikyu several times. Given the history of Keikyu that the line opened in 1899 to transport passengers to and from Kawasaki Daishi, it is not surprising that Keikyu did something special last time in 2014. The Akafuda Train ran only Daishi line during the event (excluding a few empty coaching stock movements). It was also displayed at Kurihama Factory on 25 May when it was opened to the public.

The Akafuda Train next to an ordinary 1500 series train. Keikyu staff just obscured white bands, but the fully-red train looked very different to what was supposed to be. The Train was restored to its original style on the first day of June, and the signboard under the windscreen was dedicated to Kawasaki Daishi, and it is still saved there.

Ten years have passed since then, and the event is scheduled in May 2024. Daishi line is no longer served by the 1500 series, and the oldest rolling stock for the branch line is now 600 series. A few trains will be decorated with stickers during the period, which is not as impressive as the Akafuda Train back in 2014, but still better than nothing.

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.