Japan Transportation Guide
JR West launched a colorful new sightseeing service on the scenic Tsuyama Line in Okayama Prefecture this month. The Sakura Sakubi train which will now make regular runs between Okayama Station and Tsuyama Station is notable for its striking pink exterior.
The new Sakubi Sakura Sightseeing Train
This summer JR Central will debut a new hybrid HC85 series on trains running between Nagoya and Takayama. The HC85 uses a fuel-efficient combination of diesel and electric power and will replace the KiHa 85 series of diesel trains which have been in use since 1989. This is JR Central’s first hybrid rail-car and also the fastest hybrid train in Japan, having a top speed of 120kph.
The new HC85. HC stands for “hybrid car” and 85 signifies that it is replacing the KiHa 85 series.
JR West, Kobe City, and the Urban Renaissance Agency (UR) have released plans and initial design images for a new station building at JR Sannomiya Station in Kobe. Replacing the old Sannomiya Terminal Building which was first opened in 1981 is a major part of plans to revitalize the local area which includes new public plazas and wider public walkways.
A design image of the new JR Sannomiya Station Building
Osaka Metro has plans to introduce two striking new trains on the Chuo Line that runs east-to-west through Osaka City. The 400 series is an all-new train with a remarkably futuristic appearance that will replace the aging 20 series that currently runs on the Chuo Line and the 24 series that will be diverted to other lines.
The 400 series on the left and the 30000A series on the right
The 30000A series is a new-and-improved version of the 30000 series of trains that was first introduced in 2011. As the Chuo Line will link central Osaka with the venue for the 2025 World Expo, the new trains are being introduced to increase this line’s passenger capacity in time for that event. [Read more…]
Kintetsu Railway will launch a new sightseeing limited express train this month that will run between Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara – three cities that take equal pride in their history, culture, and cuisine. This new train is called the “Aoniyoshi”, which is an expression from classical poetry closely associated with the ancient city of Nara, and the train is decorated with colors and designs that celebrate that city’s past.
The Aoniyoshi Limited Express
Tokyu Resorts & Stays opened a new concept hotel just 5 minutes’ walk from Tokyo’s Shinjuku-Sanchome Station. Opened in collaboration with the lifestyle store Tokyu Hands, the new hotel Tokyu Stay Shinjuku Eastside is a business hotel operated with 208 guest rooms over 12 floors as well as rental conference rooms.
The entrance to Tokyu Stay Shinjuku Eastside
Tobu Railway have announced the introduction of a new series of N100 Spacia limited express trains that will run from Asakusa in Tokyo to Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. The new trains will replace the current Spacia 100 series that was first introduced in 1990. Four six-car N100 trains are due to be introduced in 2023 and the details that have been released promise a higher level of comfort for travellers to the World Heritage sites of Nikko.
The new Tobu Railway Spacia N100 train
In the summer of 2020 Yokohama City introduced a new “Bayside Blue” bus service connecting Yokohama Station with the city’s main waterfront sightseeing and shopping districts. The new vehicle is a “Hino Blue Ribbon Hybrid Articulated Bus,” Japan’s first domestically produced hybrid articulated bus and its hybrid engine system is expected to improve fuel efficiency by about 10%.
The Bayside Blue bus on the move
The Keikyu Ex Inn chain of hotels recently added train-themed playrooms for parents and kids at two hotels which overlook the train lines running between Kawasaki and Yokohama Stations.
Inside one of Keikyu Ex Inn’s train-themed playrooms
In July of this year a new skyscraper called the Tokiwabashi Tower opened near Tokyo Station. Located on the north-east side of the station, Tokiwabashi Tower is 212 meters tall, and has a total of 43 floors, with 5 floors located beneath ground level and 38 floors above. From the B1 basement level to the 3rd floor the tower is dedicated to shops and restaurants with offices occupying the upper floors, and a multi-purpose area on the 8th floor with a lounge and conference rooms.
Tokiwabashi Tower opened in July, 2021
