[Travel Notes] Even if you are not a train fan, you will be fascinated by these trains - Kyushu JR Special Train (Part 1)

【VOL.2 Even if you are not a train fan, you will be fascinated by these trains

——JR Kyushu Special 】

(Part 1)

My entire trip is from April 24th to May 8th, 2019. Overall, the keywords for this trip are "Satsuma Tour", "Kyushu Train", "Aikido", "Era name alternation", "Kyushu ceramics", "Kyushu favors". I will introduce them one after another according to different themes~

A glimpse of "Isaburo-Xinpei"

At the end of our trip in Kagoshima, we have completed this "Satsuma Tour" and left some thoughts for the next tour.

On the third day of the trip, I was on the train for nearly 10 hours. By the end of the ride, I was really a loser. But every time I recall that due to limited time, I had to carefully select the special trains to take, carefully calculate the time points of each train, ride the trains with different styles, and meet all the interesting people on the road, I feel, JR Kyushu, the best ! !

Day3 ///

Yeah, it’s a sunny day today!

In order to catch the bus, I had already started my journey at around 6 o'clock that day.

Goodbye, Sakurajima, and thank you for your hospitality! I will come again!

I don’t know if anyone has seen the movie "Let’s ride the A train " starring Eita and Matsuyama Kenichi (Puda Express-A Train で行こう-), 2012 It's a movie. It was after watching this that I became aware of such a magical group as "railway fans" (鄄道ファン).

"A Train" stills

"Just because there are so many types of trains, you can't be obsessed with these iron things like a collector, right?"

It is estimated that many people who have watched "A Train" are like me back then and cannot grasp the charm of these trains at all.

The first time I felt like taking a train was in Kamakura. Like every SD fan, I took the Enoden all the way from Fujisawa to Kamakura High School. I was nervous and excited at the level crossing in front of Kamakura High School. mood, waiting for the passing green train.

Just like following an idol, I buy all kinds of peripherals every time I go there.

But at that time, I always thought that I liked Enoden because I liked SD.

The second time I found it interesting to take a train was when I went from Sapporo to TOMAMU. I listened to the rhythmic and slight "bang-dang~bang-dang~" sound made by the train when it came into contact with the track. Occasionally, there would be a whistle, and the houses, fields, and mountains were quickly passing by. Then, there was sunlight shining down from the clouds in the distance, and I felt the slight shaking of the car, which made me want to sit like this forever.

Later, I went to Kyushu and found that "loving trains" might be a gene that everyone is born with. Under the right environment or conditions, it will be stimulated. And Kyushu is exactly A hotbed for railway fans.

Each special column in Kyushu is a different character in itself, each with its own character and story. (I’ll bully the brave train man 2333)

I have only taken the "Yufuin Forest" special train before, and I was very impressed. Therefore, during this trip to Kyushu, I specially set up a task of "collecting train commemorative cards", hoping to experience more different styles of trains.

"

A total of 5 special commemorative cards were collected during this trip:

①Ibusuki Tamate Box

②Isaburo-Shinpei (いさぶろう・しんぺい)

③SL Renji (SL Renji)

④Aso Boy (あそぼーい!)

⑤Let’s take the A train and leave (A train で行こう)

"

In the picture above, the numbered colored solid lines are the 5-segment special trains I took, and the gray dotted lines are the regular JR trains I took.

* Note: "Special train" is not "express train", but "special train". "Ordinary train " is a regular JR train, and the two are not distinguished in terms of speed.

The ordinary train from Kagoshima to Yoshimatsu in the picture deserves special mention. The first half of the train basically runs along the coastline. I took this section at around 7 o'clock in the morning, the clouds were still relatively thick, and the sun cast down bunches of golden light from the clouds, falling sparklingly on the vast sea, with Sakurajima still vaguely visible in the distance. The shadow of the scene is so beautiful that it makes you forget yourself! Although the special trains in Kyushu are really great, this scene was the only one that surpassed the beautiful scenery of Enoden along the coastline and became the Top 1 in my mind.

Because it was during the morning commute, I couldn't get out of the window to take pictures, so this scene became a beautiful memory deeply imprinted in my mind. If you have the chance, you can experience it during this time.

Let’s return to the main topic of this issue and give you a good introduction to each of the “specials”.

①Special: Ibusuki Tamatete Box

Route: Round trip from Kagoshima Chuo (within Kagoshima Prefecture) to Ibusuki (within Kagoshima Prefecture)

In the last article, I mentioned that we took the "Ibusuki Tamatebox" from Kagoshima to Ibusuki to visit the Satsuma Heritage Museum. (Click here to review)

The name "Tamatehako" comes from the famous folk tale "Urashima Taro" in the Satsuma area. Taro Urashima was invited to the Ryugu Palace as a guest because he saved the turtle in the Ryugu Palace. Before leaving, the princess of the Ryugu Palace gave him a "jade box (written as a jade box in Japanese)" and warned him not to open the magical box. After returning to the real world, Urashima Taro found that things and people had changed, so he opened the jade box to find the answer, but he turned into an old man. It turns out that the jade box contains Urashima Taro's "time".

The moment the car door of the Ibusuki Tama Box is opened, a plume of white smoke will float over, just like the white smoke that floated out when Taro Urashima opened the jade box.

Most Kyushu special trains have "viewing seats" facing the window. The route from Ibusuki Tamatebako is almost entirely along the coast, and you can see Sakurajima from the car window.

This is a color photo! The clouds were still thick on the way out

Saw Sakurajima on the way back

To supplement some official introductions, the carriage is equipped with a reading corner and a low seat specially for children, which is particularly considerate. And when you take other special trains in Kyushu, you will find that this kind of thoughtfulness is standard .

②Special: Isaburo-Xinpei

Route: Yoshimatsu (in Kagoshima Prefecture) - Hitoyoshi (in Kumamoto Prefecture)

Isaburo and Shinpei are two celebrities who made great contributions to the construction of the railway in history. This line is named in honor of them.

Along the way, this special train can overlook the rolling mountains of Kirishima. The beautiful scenery has been selected as one of the three most beautiful car window views in Japan.

Come and experience the official beautiful pictures, no exaggeration

【9:04～11:49 In front of Jisong Station】

When I arrived in Yoshimatsu that day, it was around 9 a.m., and the ticket I exchanged for the "Isaburo-Shinpei" special train departed at 11:49. I spent more than two hours around Yoshimatsu Station.

* Note: Don’t go too far when staying here, because this bus only leaves twice a day. If you miss this bus, you will have to wait until after 2 p.m. to get a bus.

There is the "Travel SL Hall" in front of Yoshimatsu Station, which displays a retired SL Hitoyoshi locomotive, which is a real locomotive that has been used in history! You can climb up and feel the strong mechanical feel of the steam engine train.

When I climbed up this "retired senior", I met an uncle. He got on the train from Kirishima Onsen Station. The reason why I noticed him was because before he got on the train, I was the only passenger on the train.

The uncle is a native of Kirishima, and this time he came specifically to take the Isaburo-Shinpei Special Express.

I asked him if he often came to take the special train like this? Like some kind of ritual?

He said not at all. This was the second time he had taken it. He had taken it once a long time ago. Because the ticket was very expensive, he would not take it normally. This trip was just a short trip.

Later I discovered that most of the local people I met along the road in Telie were elderly. Simplicity and enthusiasm are their hallmarks, but perhaps few of them have ever left their homeland.

From Kagoshima to Kumamoto, the JR special train is a sightseeing train and will stop at each station for 10 to 15 minutes. Passengers can have a short time to get off the train to take photos and buy souvenirs. In this sparsely populated place, one or two old people at each station warmly welcome tourists, which makes people feel even more lonely.

In front of Yoshimatsu Station, there is also the "Yoshimatsu Railway Museum" which is not large but has many antiques on display.

Looking at the oil lamps, train records, long-retired signal lights, etc. collected in the exhibition hall, I seemed to be instantly drawn into the world of "Grave of the Fireflies". Every bit of it is very "Showa"!

This feeling of being in the Showa era is definitely not relaxing and pleasant, and there is even a depressing feeling that my heart is being grasped, but it is shocking enough.

Because I like this place so much, I’ll post a few more photos.

Map of where retired steam locomotives are kept along the railway line

After having lunch at the restaurant in front of the station, and at just the right time, I got on the Isaburo-Shinpei train bound for Hitoyoshi.

* Tips: Please don’t hesitate to enjoy the special bento. Whether it’s the set meal at the restaurant in front of the station or the bento sold on the train, they are all very delicious!

【11:49～13:08 Isaburo-Xinping Tolechu】

The waiting room of a certain station along the way, remains of machine gun fire during World War II

③SL Renji (SL Renji)

Route: Hitoyoshi (in Kumamoto Prefecture) - Kumamoto

Really handsome!

The biggest feature of SL Hitoyoshi is the steam engine train that is still in service today! "SL" is the abbreviation of "Steam Locomotive". Sitting on the train and listening to the sound of "What's more, what's more," and the whistle "Woo~" from time to time, followed by the billowing smoke, while enjoying the natural mountain and water scenery outside the window, this has become a reality in the 21st century. It's a very rare experience.

【13:08～14:38 In front of Hitoyoshi Station】

The ticket I exchanged for departs at 14:38, and it takes about an hour and a half before Hitoyoshi Station.

There is an exquisite and modern train experience center called "Mozoca Station 868" in front of Hitoyoshi Station. There is a small railway track extending from inside the museum to outside the museum to the station. Children can take a mini train and cross a mini bridge. There are also clusters of small flowers of various colors blooming beside the outdoor railway track, and there are few people. It is an experience It is definitely far superior to the small trains in domestic shopping malls.

Adults can enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea here, and there are various train peripherals available for purchase. Although the building is not high, it also has a rooftop viewing platform, which is also a small rest stop full of fun.

Looking towards Hitoyoshi Station from the observation deck

【14:38～17:14 SL people are listed】

It was quite hard to sit on this train until the last moment. After all, we left before 7 o'clock in the morning. I carried my suitcases all the way to change trains. The steam locomotive kept shaking violently. I had watched the beautiful scenery all day long. I'm also tired of aesthetics, and the smell of thick smoke from the train can be smelled even with the windows closed. It's terrible. Ifelt like I was running out of battery, and finally drifted off to sleep.

After getting off the bus at Kumamoto, I was still a little confused because I hadn’t quite woken up yet.

When I passed by the front of the train, I saw the little brother driving the train seeing off the passengers with a bright smile and high-fiving the passing children. I was instantly warmed up! So I stood aside and secretly filmed his interaction with the children, and I was discovered!

He asked me if I wanted to take a photo, and we chatted for a while.

Knowing that I had come all the way from Beijing to take a small train, he asked me to wait and jumped into the carriage again. After a while, he poked his head out again, opened his palm, and placed a piece of unburned coal in his palm! That's right, it's the coal used by SL Renji! So I got a precious souvenir.

It's really strange. This little black briquette is obviously the iron guy's "food", but the moment I got it, I was resurrected with full health!

Later, the train from Kumamoto back to Fukuoka Hakata was much faster, arriving in Fukuoka at around 6pm. Fukuoka is obviously colder than Kagoshima.

This is "really on the road" that lasted nearly 12 hours. It is by no means a relaxing sightseeing, but it is interesting!

For all the train journeys in these three days, I used the "All Kyushu JR Pass (three-day pass)". You can ride unlimited times on all JR trains in Kyushu, and you can reserve 10 designated seats in total (special trains basically have It is a reserved seat).

Friends who want to go to Kagoshima from Fukuoka must buy this ticket, you can save a lot of money! The three-day ticket for all Kyushu is 15,000 yen; if you buy the ticket alone, the section from Fukuoka Hakata to Kagoshima Chuo Station will cost 10,640 yen. Even if it is just a round trip, the three-day ticket is worth the price of the ticket. , not to mention that each special train also saves a lot of ticket money.

In the next article, I will introduce to you the remaining two special trains and other ticket types of Kyushu JR Pass.

Please look forward to the next article: You don’t have to be a train fan to be fascinated by these trains - Kyushu JR Special Edition (Part 2)

The special commemorative card is my medal!

[ To be continued]