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Japan Station Discover Japan by rail 🚉🇯🇵. Japan travel news, Shinkansen & train updates, maps and station guides, convenient transit hotels. Curated for rail fans & explorers.

Japan Station guide to transportation in Japan. Train lines, stations, convenient transit hotels, transport connections. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Sapporo, other locations coming soon.

The Blue Ribbon Award and Laurel Prize are annual honors selected by the Japan Railfan Club to recognize outstanding rai...
21/05/2026

The Blue Ribbon Award and Laurel Prize are annual honors selected by the Japan Railfan Club to recognize outstanding railway vehicles introduced in Japan during the previous year 🚃✨

The Blue Ribbon Award is given to the vehicle judged the most outstanding, based on member voting and committee review. The Laurel Prize recognizes other especially notable vehicles for design, technology, innovation, and contribution to Japanese railways.

For 2026, the winners are: 👇

🏅 Blue Ribbon Award
Keifuku Electric Railroad Mobo 1 type “KYOTRAM”

KYOTRAM is the new Randen tram for Kyoto’s Arashiyama Main Line and Kitano Line. It entered service in February 2025 and was designed around a “Timeless Design” concept that connects Kyoto’s past, present, and future.

Its Kyo-murasaki purple color, rounded tram-style front, modern side profile, woodgrain interior details, warm LED lighting, wider doorways, and refined passenger layout helped it earn the highest number of member votes.

⭐ Laurel Prize
Tobu Railway 80000 series

The new 80000 series for Tobu’s Urban Park Line was recognized for its family-friendly interior, child-friendly forward views, free spaces in every car, energy-saving full-SiC VVVF inverters, synchronous reluctance motors, onboard battery system, real-time train data use, and maintenance-monitoring technology.

⭐ Laurel Prize
Iyo Railway 7000 series

Iyo Railway’s 7000 series is the company’s first completely new suburban electric train in 67 years. The three-car train features an orange Ehime-inspired design, barrier-free equipment, bright interiors, wide longitudinal seats, large LCD information screens, energy-saving VVVF inverters, and compatibility with both 750 V and 600 V overhead line voltage.

A strong year for Japanese rolling stock design, local railway identity, accessibility, and energy-saving technology 🚋🇯🇵

Keihan will hold Uji Train Marche at Keihan Uji Station on June 13, 2026, pairing the new tea season with local specialt...
21/05/2026

Keihan will hold Uji Train Marche at Keihan Uji Station on June 13, 2026, pairing the new tea season with local specialties, Uji tea, and railway events 🍵🚃

The market will run from 11:00 to 15:00 inside a train stopped at platform 1 and on the platform. Visitors can browse products from Uji and nearby areas, with free admission and entry tickets distributed outside the ticket gates.

A one-day stamp rally will also take place around Uji City from 11:00 to 15:00. Participants can collect stamps and redeem them for a Keihan Railway original novelty item at Uji Station until 16:00.

Keihan will serve a limited quantity of cold-brew Uji tea inside the ticket gates on June 6 from 10:00 and June 13 from 11:00, ending when supplies run out.

On June 6, the temporary limited express Uji Ajisai will run directly from Yodoyabashi to Uji, departing at 9:22 and arriving at 10:19 with a hydrangea-inspired headmark.

Sapporo Station is set for a major refresh over the next few years, with JR Hokkaido planning more shops, better passeng...
21/05/2026

Sapporo Station is set for a major refresh over the next few years, with JR Hokkaido planning more shops, better passenger flow, and upgraded guidance services as part of a station-wide renovation due to finish in 2029. 🚉❄️

A major focus is expanding the station’s commercial area. Retail floor space will grow from about 1,300 square meters to about 2,000 square meters, roughly 1.5 times larger than today.

The number of shops is planned to increase from 18 to around 30, including Hokkaido souvenir and sweets shops, prepared food shops, restaurants, convenience stores, and bakeries. 🛍️🍰

Passenger flow will also be improved. The west ticket gate will be relocated to create more space between the gate and nearby columns, helping ease crowding outside the gate.

Guidance services will be grouped together, with the main ticket office, JR Information Desk for foreign visitors, and Hokkaido Sapporo Tourist Information Center placed side by side. This should make the station easier to use for both domestic travelers and overseas visitors.

Inside the ticket gates, JR Hokkaido will add a new waiting room inspired by a snow hut, with service expected to begin around autumn 2026. ☃️

🚠 Jukkoku Pass is a scenic mountain pass in Shizuoka Prefecture between Atami and Hakone, known for wide views across th...
19/05/2026

🚠 Jukkoku Pass is a scenic mountain pass in Shizuoka Prefecture between Atami and Hakone, known for wide views across the Izu Peninsula, Hakone area, Suruga Bay, and on clear days, Mount Fuji.

In summer 2027, Jukkoku Pass will replace its aging cable car with a new slope car, creating a more accessible ride between the mountain-foot Mori no Eki and the summit Panorama Terrace.

The new vehicle is being designed as a “moving observation deck,” with full-height glass around the cabin for 360-degree views during the roughly four-minute trip. 🌄

The new system will be a straddle-type slope-running monorail using a self-propelled motor-driven rack and pinion mechanism. The two-car vehicle will carry up to 80 passengers.

Accessibility is also a major part of the project. The cabin floor will remain level as the gradient changes, and the routes from the station building to the vehicle will be rebuilt to better support wheelchair users, stroller users, and passengers who previously had difficulty boarding independently.

MOL Sunflower is adding a Chiikawa twist to overnight ferry travel this summer 🚢✨From August 6 to October 31, two long-d...
18/05/2026

MOL Sunflower is adding a Chiikawa twist to overnight ferry travel this summer 🚢✨

From August 6 to October 31, two long-distance ferry routes will host a Chiikawa summer campaign linked to the new Chiikawa film opening in Japan on July 24.

The campaign will run on:

🌻 Osaka to Shibushi
Served by Sunflower Satsuma and Sunflower Kirishima

🌻 Oarai to Tomakomai
Served by Sunflower Sapporo and Sunflower Furano

Planned onboard features include Chiikawa-themed activities, original collaboration goods, and a separate social media campaign with limited items 🎁

Reservations open May 6 for the Osaka to Shibushi route and June 6 for the Oarai to Tomakomai route.

For travelers, this adds a fun pop-culture hook to overnight ferry trips between Kansai and Kyushu, and between the Tokyo area and Hokkaido.

Noto Satoyama Airport in Ishikawa Prefecture will reopen on July 7 as Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport ✈️⚡The Poké...
15/05/2026

Noto Satoyama Airport in Ishikawa Prefecture will reopen on July 7 as Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport ✈️⚡

The Pokémon-theme will run through September 2029 and is designed to support tourism recovery in the Noto Peninsula after the 2024 earthquake.

Inside the terminal, visitors can look for Pokémon decorations, including a large Pikachu and airplane balloon in the second-floor atrium, flying Pokémon displays, themed wayfinding signs, and an observation deck renamed Pikachu’s Satoyama 🌿

From mid-July, two Pokémon-wrapped Hokuriku Railroad Group buses are planned for Noto travel 🚌

One will operate on the existing limited express route linking Kanazawa Station, Noto Satoyama Airport, and Wajima. The other will be a new excursion bus connecting the airport with Pokémon tourism spots around the peninsula.

☕ Kobe’s UCC Coffee Museum reopens on July 1 after a six-year closure, returning in a renewed “coffee theme park” format...
14/05/2026

☕ Kobe’s UCC Coffee Museum reopens on July 1 after a six-year closure, returning in a renewed “coffee theme park” format at UCC Kobe Coffee Village.

The museum is just one minute on foot from Port Liner Minami Koen Station 🚉

New features include a Coffee Science and Future Experience Lab, hands-on exhibits, tasting programs, and paid workshops covering roasting, paper-drip brewing, original blend making, 3D latte art, and food pairing through UCC Coffee Academy areas.

Admission is reservation-only and fully cashless. July ticket reservations open May 15 at noon.

🎟️ Admission:
Adults: 880 yen
Elementary and junior high school students: 440 yen

The museum shop can be visited without an admission ticket.

🚉 Odakyu Electric Railway will open Shinjuku Future Gallery on June 10 as a public information hub for the Shinjuku Stat...
13/05/2026

🚉 Odakyu Electric Railway will open Shinjuku Future Gallery on June 10 as a public information hub for the Shinjuku Station West Exit Area Development Project.

Located on the 1st floor of Shinjuku Mitsuba Building in Nishi-Shinjuku, about 1 minute from Shinjuku Station’s West Exit, the gallery will show the present and future of the redevelopment area while major construction continues behind temporary enclosures.

Highlights include a 1:350 scale area model of the planned roughly 260-meter mixed-use high-rise, covering about 380,000 square meters of the surrounding district.

🥽 A free 15-minute VR site tour will use 360-degree video to show areas normally closed to visitors, including the former Odakyu Department Store Shinjuku Main Building, former Shinjuku Mylord, former Mosaic Street, and areas above the Odakyu Line platforms where construction continues while trains operate.

Visitors can also try AR completed-image viewing with XREAL 1S glasses, view redevelopment panels, experience paid VR attractions including a historical Romancecar feature and Odakyu driver simulator, and use a self-service cafe with paid drinks, seating, power, and Wi-Fi.

📍 Admission: Free�🕙 Hours: 10:00 to 20:00�Closed: Sundays and New Year holidays

The wider mixed-use commercial and office redevelopment is scheduled for completion in fiscal 2029. Construction began in March 2024, and Shinjuku Mylord closed in March 2025 before demolition work began.

More details 👇

🚆 Keihan Group has released its new medium-term plan, covering major updates for travel between Osaka, Kyoto, Uji, Mount...
12/05/2026

🚆 Keihan Group has released its new medium-term plan, covering major updates for travel between Osaka, Kyoto, Uji, Mount Hiei, and Lake Biwa.

Transport highlights:

🚄 Keihan will study a new sightseeing train and prepare plans for successor trains to the 8000 series limited express, with introduction targeted for the 2030s.

🚌 In Kyoto, Keihan plans full-scale operation of a circular sightseeing route bus from FY2027 or later, plus higher-value tour bus products.

💳 Kansai Airport limousine buses are planned to introduce credit-card payment from April 2027.

🚉 Station renewals are planned by FY2030, including Yodoyabashi Station’s platform level, Furukawabashi Station, Hashimoto Station, and Sanjo Station.

Sightseeing and area projects:

🏯 Sanjo Station is planned as a new tourism and exchange hub at the gateway to Higashiyama, with completion targeted for FY2030.

🗼 Kyoto Tower is planned for renewal, with work targeted to begin by FY2030.

⛰️ On Mount Hiei, L’Hotel de Hiei will be rebranded and reopened in spring 2027 as THE THOUSAND HIEI, Mui Okuyama. Keihan will also begin renewal work for the Mount Hiei summit area.

🌊 Around Lake Biwa, Keihan plans to help develop Otsu Port as a tourism hub, aiming toward completion around 2030 through public-private cooperation.

🚤 In Osaka, Keihan will study a water taxi business based in Nakanoshima and promote a wide-area tourism and convention ship project connecting Osaka IR with destinations such as the Seto Inland Sea, aiming for completion in FY2029.

Hotel-related updates:

🏨 Keihan operates nine hotels in Kyoto, with more than 1,600 rooms in total. The current Kyoto hotel lineup includes:

• The Thousand Kyoto�• Kyoto Century Hotel�• Kyoto Tower Hotel�• Kyoto Tower Hotel Annex�• Good Nature Hotel Kyoto�• Hotel Keihan Kyoto Grande�• Hotel Keihan Kyoto Hachijoguchi�• Hotel Keihan Kyoto Ekiminami�• Cafetel Kyoto Sanjo for Ladies

🏨 Other named hotels and hotel projects in the plan include:
• L’Hotel de Hiei, to be rebranded as THE THOUSAND HIEI, Mui Okuyama�• Biwako Hotel�• Hotel Keihan Universal Tower�• Nakijin Project in Okinawa, planned as a hotel condominium

Keihan’s bigger direction is clear: strengthen its Osaka, Kyoto, Mount Hiei, and Lake Biwa network with better rail services, new sightseeing routes, station-area redevelopment, hotel investment, and more tourism-focused facilities. 🚆🏯

🚆 JR Central has unveiled the new Series 385 train planned for the Limited Express Shinano, which links Nagoya with Naga...
12/05/2026

🚆 JR Central has unveiled the new Series 385 train planned for the Limited Express Shinano, which links Nagoya with Nagano via the Chuo Main Line and Shinonoi Line.

The design concept is “harmony with the rich nature and culture of the Shinano, Kiso, and Mino areas,” with an exterior inspired by a fresh wind blowing through the Alps. 🏔️

Inside, the Green Car uses a 1+2 seat layout with back-shell seats and electric leg rests, a first for JR Central. Ordinary cars use a 2+2 reclining-seat layout.

All seats have power outlets, and the luggage racks have been enlarged, making the train more convenient for longer-distance travel. 🔌🧳

The Series 385 also introduces JR Central’s next-generation tilting control technology. Gyro sensors detect curves more accurately, allowing the train to begin tilting right from the start of each curve.

Commercial service is planned around fiscal 2029, with the Series 385 gradually replacing the current Series 383 trains on the Limited Express Shinano.

🧳 Sagawa Express has launched advance online reservations for its “SAGAWA Hands-Free Service,” making it easier for trav...
12/05/2026

🧳 Sagawa Express has launched advance online reservations for its “SAGAWA Hands-Free Service,” making it easier for travelers in Japan to store luggage without waiting in line.

The temporary baggage storage service allows users to choose the storage location, date, time, and number of bags in advance, then pay online by credit card.

Trial operations began on April 1, 2026, at three locations:

📍 Tokyo Station Nihombashi Exit Service Center
📍 Shinjuku Station, Busta Shinjuku Service Center
📍 Tokyo Midtown Yaesu Baggage Storage and Delivery Counter

Sagawa is planning to expand this service gradually to eligible stores nationwide.

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