Japan Transportation Guide
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
Nankai Railway introduced a new addition to their fleet of “Medetai” sightseeing trains which run along the Kada Line in Wakayama Prefecture. There are currently three Medetai trains which are colored pink, blue, and red, and filled with playful decorations. The new train is called “Medetai Train Kashira” and is colored black.
The new Medetai Train Kashira
Earlier this year JR East provided fresh details on the Haneda Airport Access Line, a new rail link which will connect Haneda Airport directly with destinations in central Tokyo. Scheduled to open in 2029 the new line will dramatically reduce the current travel time between Haneda Airport and several key destinations in Tokyo, while removing the need for transfers.
According to the plans, the Haneda Airport Access Line will consist of 4 parts: an Access New Line that links Haneda Airport with Tokyo Freight Terminal in the district of Shinagawa; and three branches: the East Yamanote Route for Tokyo Station; the West Yamanote Route for Shinjuku Station; and the Coastal Route for Shin-Kiba Station. [Read more…]
The exterior of a new station building on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line is to be revealed later this month when the outer construction is completed and its scaffolding comes down. The new station is located between Fukui and Tsuruga and will be called Echizen-Takefu Station. It is due to open in the spring of 2024 along with the opening of the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
A design image of Echizen-Takefu Station’s exterior
JR Kyushu have revealed their latest design plans for the new “Kamome” shinkansen which will use state-of-the-art N700S series trains. The N700S series was first introduced by JR Central and JR West on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines in 2020.
JR Kyushu’s Kamome Shinkansen N700S series train
Sotetsu Hotels have opened a “Railway Concept Room” in a hotel in Kyoto which is decorated with parts taken from an old Sotetsu #7000 series train. This train ran on the Sagami Railway (also called Sotetsu) in Kanagawa Prefecture from 1975 until 2019. The idea behind the room is to raise awareness of the Sagami Railway in regions outside Kanagawa. The room was opened in Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto Shijo-Karasuma in early July and is now taking bookings.
First introduced in 1975, the #7000 series (left) has now been replaced by the 20000 series (right)
Sad news for railfans – JR East will retire the last double-decker high-speed bullet train this autumn. First introduced in 1997, the E4 series was the second double-decker series of shinkansen trains after the E1 series which was introduced in 1994 and retired in 2012. Both series were marketed under the name “Max” or “Multi-Amenity Express” and were built to transport more passengers on busy commuter routes between Tokyo and the cities of northern Japan. Formerly running on the Tohoku, Nagano, and Joetsu Shinkansen lines, the E4 now runs only on the Joetsu Shinkansen which runs between Tokyo and Niigata.
The E4 series Max
Asa Seaside Railway in Tokushima Prefecture will introduce a dual-mode vehicle (DMV) this summer which can run along both railway tracks and roads. The new DMV runs on normal rubber tires when on roads, but at interchange stops the rubber tires are lifted and special rail-track wheels descend. Although JR Hokkaido have previously tested a similar DMV, the new DMV in Tokushima will be the first of its kind to run regular commercial operations.
Asa Seaside Railway’s Dual-Mode Vehicle in railway mode
