Welcome to Japan Railway Journal.

Today's program is about tourism utilizing railway lines in Iwate Prefecture.

Ryo, I've heard that Iwate Prefecture has well-developed railway network.

What do you think?

To explain that, let's take a look at this map showing the railway network of Iwate Prefecture.

In the center, are the Tohoku Shinkansen and the parallel conventional Tohoku main line which runs north and south,

and forming the backbone of the network.

From there, there are number of lines branching out to the east and to the west.

In total, there are 11 railway lines.

Wow, but with that many railway lines,

it could be overwhelming for tourists to decide which one to take, right?

Certainly, each line has its own charm.

So certainly, it's very difficult to choose.

But if I were to choose from them, I would say JR Yamada line, JR Kamaishi line,

both of which links between the center and the eastern coastline, and the Sanriku Railway,

which runs north and south along the Pacific Ocean coastline.

First, let's take a look at the charms of these three rural lines

and the new tourist train that debuted last year.

Iwate Prefecture is located in the northern part of Japan's Tohoku region.

The JR Yamada Line runs from the central city of Morioka to Miyako.

This 102km rural line plays an important role in connecting inland and coastal areas.

Running through the mountains,

the line climbs to the highest elevation point of any railway line in the Tohoku region.

Wild animals can often be seen from the train

as passengers look out on the unspoiled wilderness.

The Yamada Line has a series of tunnels and railway bridges, providing a variety of changing views.

Of all the lines in Iwate Prefecture's railway network,

Sanriku Railway offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.

Sanriku Railway, which covers the 163 kilometers between Sakari Station and Kuji Station,

is the longest third-sector railway in Japan.

It travels along the diverse coastline, offering passengers a variety of sea views.

Sadly, Sanriku Railway was severely damaged by the tsunami

that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011,

which temporarily disabled operations on all lines.

However, only five days after the disaster,

the company was able to resume service on part of the line and,

just three years later, the entire line resumed full service.

At the time, the sight of Sanriku Railway running

became a symbol of recovery for those affected by the disaster.

Another line that connects the inland and coastal areas of Iwate Prefecture is the JR Kamaishi Line.

This 90-kilometer-long rural line runs from Hanamaki Station, near Iwate Hanamaki Airport, to Kamaishi Station.

The original light rail line that would later become the Kamaishi Line,

is said to be the inspiration for the book "Milky Way Railroad" written by Miyazawa Kenji,

one of Japan's most famous poets and writers of children's stories.

Tono, a popular sightseeing spot along the line,

is touted as the "home of Japanese folk tales,"

most famously the legend of the kappa, the Japanese water demon.

Here, the old Japanese townscape has been preserved.

Last year, JR East began operating a new tourist train, Hinabi.

This train was planned and developed by employees of JR East's Morioka branch.

From the beginning, we set out to design a train that would appeal to foreign visitors.

We wanted to entice them to relax and enjoy the scenery.

The design of the train's exterior depicts a mountain in the center with waves, rivers,

and flowers on either side representing the rich nature of the northern Tohoku region.

Hinabi's most distinctive feature is the seating layout.

Differing from the base model, the spacious environment focuses on showcasing the scenery.

The Green Car or premium car,

has individual seats as well as 2 and 4-people box seats for groups traveling together.

The car, which has ample space, can accommodate up to 25 passengers.

With wider spacing between the reclining seats, car 2, which is a regular car,

is more spacious than most regular trains.

Behind the cab is an observation area.

The view from Hinabi is nothing short of magnificent.

Railways are wonderful tourism resources because they also make use of the landscape.

We hope our railway attracts visitors from all over the world.

In addition to operating within Iwate Prefecture on the Kamaishi and Yamada Lines,

Hinabi also runs in the neighboring Aomori Prefecture.

This reminded me of going to Tono on a school trip.

And I loved how each of these lines had its own highlights, like,

Yamada line which runs through the remote mountainous areas,

and the Sanriku Railway which recovered from the earthquake.

And especially the tourist train 'Hinabi'

looked really fun with delightful scenery viewing experience.

I think this train will contribute to increasing in visitors to the region.

And with many tourist attractions very conveniently situated along the railway line,

it seems that a popular tourist activity for people visiting the region is now just joining the trains.

Next, let's take a look at how Iwate Prefecture commits to attracting inbound tourists.

Surpassing 100,000 visitors in 2015,

the number of foreign tourists visiting Iwate Prefecture has continued to increase with each passing year.

In 2019, the number exceeded 464,000.

Although that number dropped to around 10,000 in 2021 due to the pandemic,

it soon recovered, reaching 327,000 last year.

Counting the number of foreign tourists who visited last year by country and region,

Taiwan accounted for more than 60% of the total.

One reason for this was the return of direct flights between Taiwan

and Iwate Hanamaki Airport in May last year,

when the airport resumed international flights for the first time in three years.

Because of this, Iwate Prefecture's Office of Tourism and Promotion has been promoting railway tourism,

with a particular focus on Taiwan, where the number of independent travelers is on the rise.

In May this year, they arranged a promotional railway tour,

starting with a trip on Hinabi on the JR Kamaishi Line,

before moving to the Sanriku Railway and traveling along the coast.

From what we've observed, inbound tourism has mostly recovered in inland areas.

Now, we are aiming to extend that to the prefecture's northern and coastal areas.

The Office of Tourism and Promotion invited social media influencers from Taiwan to take the tour.

The aim was to showcase and promote the charms of Iwate through railway journeys.

Thinking beyond traditional promotion methods, we involved influencers from social media.

In Taiwan especially, bloggers and social media personalities are very popular

so we decided to invite a few of them to take a tour.

Three influencers were invited on the tour.

Banbi is a travel blogger who has traveled throughout the West and Asia, including Japan.

Lee is a blogger who has been to Japan many times.

He is also a railfan.

Tsai is in charge of Iwate Prefecture's official social media account in Taiwan.

This time, she is also helping to interpret for the other two.

All three have been to Iwate Prefecture before,

but this is the first time they will travel the coast route by train.

Traveling by train is great because you can enjoy the scenery outside as well as the interior design.

On the first day, they begin their journey at Hanamaki Station.

The tourist train Hinabi arrives.

Lee, a train fan, is excited to take pictures of the train.

On the platform, a traditional folk dance from Hanamaki known as 'Shishi Odori,'

is performed for the passengers of Hinabi.

I've been on many tourist trains but it's my first time to experience this kind of welcome.

The beating drums made our departure even more exciting.

Meanwhile, Lee is busy taking pictures inside the train.

Of all the tourist trains I've been on, this one has the most affordable Green Car.

I think it's very reasonable.

At stations along the way,

local residents gather to welcome Hinabi's passengers.

The people holding flags and waving is a heartwarming sight.

They all seem enchanted by the scenery.

The lush, green scenery accentuated by hydrangeas is lovely this time of year.

The train arrives at today's main stop, Tono Station.

Exiting the station, they are confronted by bronze statues of kappa - Japanese water demons.

According to legend, there have been many sightings of kappa in Tono.

Lee: They're a bit scary.

For lunch, they visit a restaurant that specializes in craft beer.

Tono is also famous for its hops,

and boasts the country's highest production of the crop.

The restaurant, which is next door to a brewery, serves its customers freshly brewed beer.

Lee: The colors are so different.

Refreshing.

After lunch, they visit the Tonogo Hachimangu Shrine, which dates back over 800 years.

Tsai: The trees are majestic.

They arrive in time to see children practicing yabusame.

Yabusame is a form of mounted archery.

A children's demonstration is held here at this shrine every May.

While walking around the grounds, the three discover a shrine for a cat.

The Cat Shrine is a small shrine dedicated to a much loved cat

that lived at the shrine until about 10 years ago.

I love the blend of new and old cultures. I'd definitely come back again.

Afterwards, the participants take a local train from Tono to Kamaishi,

where they will stay, marking the end of the first day.

On the second day, they get on Sanriku Railway at Kamaishi Station.

In addition to the view,

this leg of the tour aims to show how the area has recovered since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Once again, Lee takes photos of everything inside the train.

One of the biggest things to catch their attention is the 14.5-meter-high seawall and floodgate

built on the coast in response to the earthquake and tsunami that followed.

As a tourist, I enjoyed exploring and indulging in the local delights,

but learning about the earthquake and its aftermath was also a valuable experience.

I'm impressed by the people's resilience and how quickly they recovered.

The train arrives at today's destination, Miyako Station.

Here, they enjoy the area's rich natural landscape.

The first place they visit is a facility that's making use of a railway line that was discontinued in 2014.

Riding the rail bikes like bicycles, they traverse the abandoned railway tracks.

The invigorating round trip through the lush green countryside is approximately 6 kilometers.

Next, they head to the seaside.

Jodogahama Beach is one of the region's most renowned scenic spots.

Its sharp, jagged rocks, make up a variety of expressions depending on the angle from which they are viewed.

Banbi: The gulls are so big.

After a short, 15 minute hike...

They arrive at a beach lined with peculiar rocks sculpted by the waves.

Traveling by train, the influencers from Taiwan saw a side of Iwate Prefecture they hadn't seen before.

It was my first time traveling around here by train. Unlike driving, you can really enjoy the scenery.

The beautiful views made me feel refreshed and even more relaxed onboard.

The scenery is wonderful. We don't often get the chance to see views like this in Taiwan.

On shinkansen or commuter trains, there's no time to enjoy the scenery

but here, I could relax and take in the view without a care in the world.

Returning to Taiwan,

the three soon begun posting blogs and updates on social media about their trip to Iwate.

They posted a lot of interesting things about their trip to their social media accounts.

We hope the people in Taiwan will see these posts and be inspired to come see Iwate for themselves.

This tour seems to be a great experience for the participants from Taiwan.

I think inviting influencers of Taiwan's travel industry

to spread information about Iwate Prefecture is a great idea.

One of the main challenges that is common to many different tourist destinations within Japan is that they are attractive,

but that attractiveness is not known to many people from outside of Japan.

And therefore, raising awareness is important, and for that reason,

this is something that's worth trying and something that can be followed

by many different tourist destinations within Japan.

I really hope that these charming rural lines of Iwate Prefecture

will become more widely known overseas.

In order to achieve that, continued effort and improvements would be necessary.

If that's achieved, then Iwate Prefecture and JR East would be successful

in attracting more people from abroad to the region.

Next up is Tourist Trains in Style.

Today, we introduce a tourist train running between Iwate Prefecture and neighboring Aomori Prefecture.

TOHOKU EMOTION is a tourist train that runs between Kuji Station in Iwate Prefecture

and Hachinohe Station in Aomori Prefecture.

On this restaurant train, two courses are available:

a lunch course, and an afternoon tea and sweets course.

Passengers can enjoy food while looking out on the Sanriku coastline.

With its white base and warm lines,

the vehicle resembles an old, western-style brick restaurant.

The train consists of three cars.

Car 1 has seven private compartments.

The wall fabrics were inspired by sashikoori, a traditional Japanese craft.

Car 2 is the kitchen car.

The geometric pattern across the back of the kitchen was based on koginzashi,

a traditional craft from Aomori Prefecture.

In Car 3 there is a spacious dining area.

The color of the lights along the car was inspired by amber from Iwate Prefecture.

All of the decorative touches throughout TOHOKU EMOTION

were inspired by traditional crafts from the Tohoku region.

Today, we are taking the train from Kuji Station in Iwate Prefecture

bound for Hachinohe Station in Aomori Prefecture.

Shortly after departing at 2:18 P.M., an assortment of sweets is served.

The assortment includes a tart made with local strawberries, a green tea Mont Blanc, and apple sorbet.

After the welcome sweets, it's time for the sweets buffet.

Today, the sweets buffet features six different desserts,

all made by a patissier from a famous local hotel.

The appetizers are also served buffet style.

The appetizers, which include nuts and salami,

provide a counterpoint to the sweet desserts.

As the train approaches scenic spots, it slows down,

allowing the passengers to take in the view while enjoying their meal at a leisurely pace.

Arriving at Hachinohe Station at 4:01 P.M.,

the 1 hour and 40-minute 'restaurant train' experience has come to an end.

TOHOKU EMOTION operates one round trip per day mainly on Fridays, Weekends, and holidays.