Tohoku 2015, 2016 東北の旅 - Yamagata JR Station 山形駅

Yamagata JR Station 山形駅 is a train station on Yamagata Shinkansen line 山形新幹線, Ou main line 奥羽本線, Senzan line 仙山線 and Aterazawa line 左沢線.

Oshin. Yamagata Prefecture, one of the six prefecture of Tohoku region, is well known for its bountiful harvest of fruits (such as cherries, pears, grapes, peaches and apples), breathtaking natural scenery, temples (Yamadera and Hagurosan) and hot springs (such as Ginzan Onsen, Akayu Onsen and Tendo Onsen). For me, the first thing that comes to my mind when Yamagata Prefecture is mentioned is Oshin おしん, a 15 minutes morning drama serial produced by NHK and first aired in Japan in 1983. I first watched the English dubbed version of Oshin when it was broadcast on Singapore television back in 1994 (when I was still in primary school), and caught its broadcast again on Waku Waku Japan channel. Yamagata Prefecture was the hometown of Oshin, the most inspiring character of this long running drama serial and places such as Sakata 酒田市, Ginzan Onsen 銀山温泉 and Mogamigawa 最上川 were featured in the drama.

Trains serving this station include:

(1) Tsubasa つばさ commutes northwards towards Tendo 天童駅, Oishida 大石田駅 and Shinjo 新庄駅 via Yamagata Shinkansen line

(2)  Tsubasa つばさ commutes southwards towards Zao 蔵王駅, Kaminoyama Onsen かみのやま温泉駅, Akayu 赤湯駅, Yonezawa 米沢駅 and Fukushima 福島駅 via Yamagata Shinkansen. Tsubasa combines with Yamabiko やまびこ at Fukushima JR Station and continues its journey southwards towards Tokyo.  

(3) Toreiyu Tsubasa とれい ゆつばさ is a special themed high speed rail equipped with foot bath. This train makes one round trip per day and usually operates on weekends and public holidays. 

(4) Local train commutes eastwards towards Yamadera 山寺駅 via Senzan line.



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What’s nearby?

(1) Bus terminal, on the east exit of train station.
Bekochan bus べこちゃんバス is a feeder bus service, with two different routes covering three areas of the city, referred to as the east, west and downtown area. When I visited the city in May 2016, I made use of the previous version of this bus service, known as Downtown 100 yen Loop Bus 中心街100円循環バス, which only served the downtown area.
The two bus routes are as follows:
- East route (東くるりん) covers both the east and downtown area
- West route (西くるりん) covers both the west and downtown area
There is a designated bus platform located in between Platform 1 and 2. The bus fare is only 100 yen for passengers getting on and off in the same area; 200 yen for passengers travelling from one area to another.
Bus schedule: https://www.city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp/kakuka/kikaku/kikaku/sogo/pd0510085137.html

(2) Kajo Park 霞城公園, about 10 minutes walk from the east exit of train station.
Operating hours: 0500 - 2200 hrs (Apr - Oct); 0530 - 2200 hrs (Nov - Mar)
Free admission.
This is a public park where the ruins of Yamagata Castle, one of Japan Top 100 castles, can be found.
https://www.city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp/shisetsu/sub2/shisetsu_kankobunka/ecb45kajou.html

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Commemorative stamps:

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Kaminoyama Onsen JR Station かみのやま温泉駅, Kaminoyama Castle 上山城

Kaminoyama Onsen JR Station かみのやま温泉駅 is located on Yamagata Shinkansen line, in Kaminoyama city 上山市. On my first trip to Tohoku region in the autumn of 2015, I visited an orchard (Yamagata Cherry Land 山形チェリーランド) in Kaminoyama city and participated in fruits picking for the very first time in Japan. On my subsequent visit in May 2016, I came to Kaminoyama JR Station and transferred to a complimentary shuttle bus (Green Echo-go グリーンエコー号) heading for Zao Okama crater 蔵王大釜. Located at the foot of Mt Zao, Kaminoyama city is well known for its therapeutic hot spring waters which was founded more than 560 years ago. In addition to its healing effects on minor ailments, the weakly alkaline, colourless hot spring waters’ high moisturizing content hydrates the skin. This explains why Kaminoyama Onsen is also affectionately referred to as "bijin no yu 美人の湯" which translates to mean “beauty spring”, by the locals.

Kaminoyama Onsen: http://kaminoyama-spa.com/

Trains serving this station include:
(1) Tsubasa つばさ commutes northwards towards Zao 蔵王駅, Yamagata 山形駅, Tendo 天童駅, Oishida 大石田駅 and Shinjo 新庄駅 via Yamagata Shinkansen line
(2) Tsubasa つばさ commutes southwards towards Akayu 赤湯駅, Yonezawa 米沢駅 and Fukushima 福島駅 via Yamagata Shinkansen. Tsubasa combines with Yamabiko やまびこ at Fukushima JR Station and continues its journey southwards towards Tokyo.
(3) Toreiyu Tsubasa とれい ゆつばさ is a special themed high speed rail equipped with foot bath. This train makes one round trip per day and usually operates on weekends and public holidays.

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What’s nearby?

(1) Bus stop for Green / White Echo-go bus グリーンエコー号/ ワイトエコー号バス, in front of the train station. 

There are a couple of ways to come up close to Zao Okama crater 蔵王大釜. For my trip, I utilised Green Echo-go bus, a complimentary shuttle service which departs from the train station for Katta Parking Area 刈田駐車場. A chair lift operates between here and the summit station 刈田リフト山頂駅, crossing the boundary of Miyagi and Yamagata Prefecture during the ascend/descend. The chair lift journey takes approx 7 minutes and from the summit station, it takes another 5 minutes to walk to the best spot to capture a panoramic view of Okama. The Green Echo-go bus makes two round trip per day during its operational period from late April to early November; one round trip between November to mid December. In the winter months, the name of the bus is changed to White Echo-go ワイトエコー号.

Kaminoyama Onsen Ekimae かみのやま温泉駅前 > Katta Parking Area 刈田駐車場
1: 0920 > 1020 hrs
2: 1325 > 1425 hrs
Katta Parking Area 刈田駐車場 > Kaminoyama Onsen Ekimae かみのやま温泉駅前
1: 1115 > 1250 hrs
2: 1530 > 1625 hrs

http://kaminoyama-spa.com/access/



(2) Tourist information center 観光案内所, within the train station.



(3) Maegawa Ashiyu (foot bath) 前川足湯, 5 mins walk from the train station.
There are a total of five foot baths facilities in the city and Maegawa is the nearest one from the train station.

(4) Kaminoyama Castle 上山城, 10 minutes walk from the train station.
〒999-3154 山形県上山市元城内3番7号
Operating hours: 0900 - 1645 hrs
Admission fee = 410 yen
http://kaminoyama-castle.info/

The original Kaminoyama Castle was first built in 1500s and was touted as the Great Castle of Ushu 羽州の名城 (Ushu was the name of the province encompassing the modern day Yamagata and Akita Prefecture). The castle was demolished during the rule by Tokugawa Shogunate. The current keep, which serves as a local museum today, is not an exact replica of its predecessor and was constructed out of concrete. Did not manage to visit the museum as I returned to the train station, after visiting Zao Okama, at 4.30 pm, just 15 minutes before its closing time. Took my time to admire the castle from the outside and was able to capture a relatively good overview of the city from elevated grounds.

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Commemorative stamp:

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Torokko Aizu Roman-go トロッコ会津浪漫号, Ashinomaki Onsen Station 芦ノ牧温泉駅

Travelled on 22.05.2016 (Sun)

Torokko Aizu Roman-go train トロッコ会津浪漫号 is a limited express sightseeing themed train commuting between Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松駅 and Aizu Tajima 会津但馬駅 via Aizu line 会津線 and operated by Aizu Railway 会津鉄道. The train operates usually on weekends and public holidays and makes 1 to 1.5 round trip on its day of operation. 

1 round trip itinerary:
Yumeguri-go 湯めぐり号: Aizu Tajima (1157 hrs) > Aizu Wakamatsu (1328 hrs)
Hoshi-go 星号: Aizu Wakamatsu (1358 hrs) > Aizu Tajima (1531 hrs)

1.5 round trip itinerary:
Hana-go 花号: Aizu Wakamatsu (0930 hrs) > Aizu Tajima (1059 hrs)

Kaze-go 風号: Aizu Tajima (1154 hrs) > Aizu Wakamatsu (1328 hrs)

Hoshi-go 星号: Aizu Wakamatsu (1358 hrs) > Aizu Tajima (1531 hrs)

*Hoshi-go train makes an 8 mintues stop at Ashinomaki Onsen Station 芦ノ牧温泉駅.
Normal ticket fare:
- Aizu Wakamatsu <> Ashinomaki Onsen: 610 yen
- Aizu Wakamatsu <> Yunokami Onsen: 1050 yen
- Aizu Wakamatsu <> Aizu Tajima: 1690 yen
An additional fee of 320 yen is required on top of normal ticket fare for Torokko Aizu Roman-go train.
Train schedule: http://www.aizutetsudo.jp/trip/ozatoro/

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Highlights:

In memory of Basu. After visiting Tsuruga Castle 鶴ヶ城, I returned to Aizu Wakamatsu Station 会津若松駅 to catch the Torokko Aizu Roman-go train トロッコ会津浪漫号 to get to my next destination, Ochijuku 大内宿. The version of Torokko Aizu Roman-go train which I took in May 2016 was made up of two carriages, comprised of Torokko トロッコ and Ozashiki お座敷 seats. There is another version which has an additional compartment of Tenbo or viewing 展望 seats. When the two-carriage train pulled into station, I was immediately tickled by the pictures decorated on the exterior of the Torokko carriage. It is beautifully wrapped with pictures of a cute cat, who plays an important role in improving the train ridership along Aizu line. Named Bus ばす, this cat called Ashinomaki Onsen Station 芦ノ牧温泉駅 (one of the train stations along Aizu line) its home since 1999 and many people would specially drop by this train station to come up close with her, which in turn boosted the number of passengers utilising this local railway line. In 2008, Bus was bestowed the title of Honourary Stationmaster and she continued to serve the train station faithfully for another 8 years before she passed away.





Interior. Sat in the Torokko section, a trolley train with wide, open windows to ensure passengers are treated to an unobstructed view of the scenery throughout the entire journey. On the other hand, Ozashiki (translates as tatami room) section of Roman-go train will make the locals relate to home immediately, as the tatami seats and tables resembled kotatsu, in which heater can be placed beneath the table, with quilt covering the sides, and passengers can tugged their legs under the tables to keep themselves warm especially during cold weather. There is a small stall selling souvenirs, snacks and drinks set up in the Torokko section. A small post box is also placed in the train and postcards delivered through this post box are stamped with an exclusive postmark bearing the image of Bus.

Meow! The train made a brief stop at Ashinomaki Onsen Station to allow the opposite direction train to pass by. Together with most passengers, I alighted the train excitedly, hoping to see the stationmaster on duty today. Alas, I found Love らふ, the 2nd and current stationmaster who was feeling shy that day, hiding beneath the bench near the ticket gate. Love took over the position of stationmaster from Bus in 2015 and is as popular as his predecessor. There are numerous endearing photos of Bus and Love put up on display within the train station; and their fans will be delighted to find related merchandise (such as photographs, postcards, clear folders, tumblers, etc) available for sale in the train station as well. Bought a postcard depicting Bus from here and sent through the post box on board the train.

Tunnel theater. It was finally time to bade farewell to Love and continue my train cruise along the scenic Aizu line. Running alongside Aganogawa 阿賀野川 (Aga River), the train has to pass through several tunnels due to surrounding mountainous terrain. Fortunately, thanks to the creativity of a fan who was chosen through public recruitment, a surprise awaits passengers in these cold, pitch black tunnels. Images of Bus are painted onto the walls of the tunnels and these collective images are transformed into an animated movie as the train passed through these tunnels! Keep a lookout for luminous cat paws prints that would glow in the dark in the Torokko section of the train. Check out the video of Bus "chasing" the train when the train cruised through the tunnel below.




Stop and admire. One other unique experience on board Roman-go train, which makes it different from other local trains commuting along Aizu line, is that it will make brief stops at several scenic spots, such as railway bridges, along the way. The intent is to provide passengers with ample time to admire the beautiful scenery of Aganogawa and its surrounding terrain. An hour later after departing from Aizu Wakamatsu Station, the train arrived at Yunokami Onsen Station 湯野上温泉駅, where I disembarked and transferred to a bus heading for Ochijuku. Overall, I enjoyed myself thoroughly during the hour long, fun filled train ride.

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Video: Take a look at NHK's Train Cruise documentary featuring Torokko Aizu Roman-go train. 

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Aizu Wakamatsu JR Station 会津若松駅, Aizu Tetsudo Aizu Wakamatsu Station 会津鉄道会津若松駅

Aizu Wakamatsu JR Station 会津若松駅 is a train station serving Ban'etsu Nishi line 磐越西線 and  Tadami line 只見線, located in Aizu Wakamatsu city of Fukushima Prefecture. The connecting Aizu Tetsudo Aizu Wakamatsu Station 会津鉄道会津若松駅 serves Aizu line 会津線 (operated by Aizu Railway 会津鉄道).

Local train service.

Brief encounter with SL Ban'etsu Monogatari train at Aizu Wakamatsu Station.

Limited express / sightseeing trains serving this train station include:
(1) Fruitea Fukushima フルーティーアふくしま, a themed train commuting between Koriyama 郡山駅 and Kitakata 喜多方駅 via Ban'etsu Nishi line 磐越西線, stopping by Inawashiro 猪苗代駅 and Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松駅.
(2) SL Ban'etsu Monogatari SL盤越物語, a steam locomotive driven themed train commuting between Aizu Wakamatsu and Niitsu 新津駅 (in Niigata Prefecture), via Ban'etsu Nishi line 磐越西線.
In Japanese: https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/c57.html
(3) Torokko Aizu Roman Mori go トロッコ会津浪漫号, a themed train operated by Aizu Railway 会津鉄道, commuting between Aizu Wakamatsu and Aizu Tajima 会津田島駅 via Aizu line, stopping by Ashinomaki Onsen 蘆ノ牧温泉駅 and Yunokami Onsen 湯野上温泉駅.
In Japanese: http://www.aizutetsudo.jp/trip/ozatoro/

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What's nearby?

(1) Tourist information center, near the entrance of the train station.
Machinaka Shuyu Bus one day free pass can be purchased from here.



(2) Bus boarding area, in front of the train station.

Machinaka Shuyu Bus まちなか周遊バス is a city loop bus service which provide excellent accessibility to major places of interest in Aizu Wakamatsu city.
Bus fare per ride = 210 yen
One day free pass = 600 yen
- For Tsuruga Castle 鶴ヶ城, Oyaku-en 御薬園: Board Machinaka Shuyu Bus Haikara-san まちなか周遊バスハイカラ (clockwise direction) and alight at Tsuruga Castle Iriguchi 鶴ヶ城入口.
- For Aizu Samurai Residence / Bukeyashiki 会津武家屋敷, Higashiyama Onsen 東山温泉: Board Machinaka Shuyu Bus Akabe まちなか周遊バスあかべぇ (anticlockwise direction) and alight at Higashiyama Onsen Iriguchi 東山温泉入口.
Bus schedule: https://www.aizubus.com/rosen/machinaka-shuyu

Platform 2 for Kankou Rosen Bus (Aizu Wakamatsu - Ochijuku - Shirakawa) 観光路線バス (会津若松~大内宿~白河), which operates only on weekends and public holidays between April and November. There are two round trips made per day between Aizu Wakamatsu and Ochijuku and it takes approx 1 hr 10 mins per one way trip.
Bus fare (between Aizu Wakamatsu and Ochijuku) = 1,200 yen
Bus schedule: https://www.aizubus.com/sightseeing/bus/shirakawa_line

For my trip, I boarded Torokko Aizu Roman-go train at Aizu Wakamatsu and alighted at Yunokami Onsen, where I transferred to a connecting bus (Saruyu-go 猿遊号) to get to Ochijuku. Utilised Kankou Rosen Bus for the return trip. 

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Commemorative stamp:

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Fruitea Fukushima フルーティーアふくしま

Travelled 22.05.2016 (Sun)
in Japanese: https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/fruitea.html
in English: https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/joyful/fruitea.html





Overwhelming response. One more sightseeing train conquered! Fruitea Fukushima フルーティーアふくしま made its inaugural trip in April 2015 and has been a hit since its inception. This sightseeing train runs along Banetsu Nishi line 磐越西線 between Koriyama and Kitakata and was introduced to promote Fukushima Prefecture as a fruit kingdom and also tourist attraction. Similar to Yamagata Prefecture, numerous fruits such as apple, pear, peach and grapes are cultivated here; and such ease of access to this treasure box of fruits allow local pastry chefs to showcase their exemplary craftsmanship. Fruitea Fukushima takes on the theme of a mobile or travelling cafe where original sweets and confectionery infused with seasonal fruits can be enjoyed exclusively on board a scenic train ride. Of course, dessert is not complete without coffee and tea, which is available for free flow! All these enticing elements increased my interest to find out more about this cafe equipped train, and I finally got the chance to come on board this dream train on my second trip to Tohoku region which coincide with its first anniversary celebration.



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Highlights:

Fruitea Fukushima makes one round trip per day and usually operates on weekends and public holidays. When I took the train in May 2016, Fruitea Fukushima commuted between Koriyama and Aizu Wakamatsu on Ban'etsu Nishi line. Realised that the train has extended its journey to Kitakata, a city which is famous for its signature ramen, while compiling information for this posting.
Train schedule correct as of 30 Mar 2019:
- Fruitea Fukushima 1: Koriyama 郡山駅 (0952 hrs) > Inawashiro 猪苗代駅 (1040 hrs) > Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松駅 (1130 hrs) > Kitakata 喜多方駅 (1152 hrs)
- Fruitea Fukushima 2: Kitakata 喜多方駅 (1530 hrs) > Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松駅 (1555 hrs) > Inawashiro 猪苗代駅 (1632 hrs) > Koriyama 郡山駅 (1707 hrs)

Elated. As Fruitea Fukushima is considered a Green Car, its train fare is not covered by conventional rail passes (such as nationwide JR pass and JR East passes). Seat reservation has to be made through View Travel びゅう旅行, a JR owned travel agency which is usually located in much larger train stations. Arrived at Ueno JR Station at the first day of my trip and went straight to its View Plaza to inquire about seat availability. Was extremely elated to find out that single seats were still available on my desired day of travel. The travel package includes the reserved seat ticket and a sweets set. For the sweets set, it consists of two original sweets, a can of fruit juice (both sweets and fruit juices are made from fruits produced in Fukushima Prefecture), a cup of hot coffee and free flow of iced tea and coffee. Prices of the travel package differ based on the embarkation and disembarkation points selected for the journey:

• Koriyama 郡山駅 <> Inawashiro 猪苗代駅 = 4,300 yen
• Koriyama 郡山駅 <> Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松駅 = 4,800 yen
• Koriyama 郡山駅 <> Kitakata 喜多方駅 = 5,000 yen

* Prices are correct as of 30 Mar 2019.
* Do take note that for passengers travelling solo, a 200 yen top up to the travel package is required.

Passenger cabin. Fruitea Fukushima is a two carriage train wrapped in black and shades of red. I was immediately aroused by a familiar cafe ambience upon stepping into this train. The passenger carriage has a capacity of 36 people and is comprised of box seats of two, four and single seats. As I was travelling alone, the single seat, which is oriented strategically to face the window, as assigned to me. Conventional train seats were transformed into designer feel, white coloured leather arm chairs and sofa. When I saw the seating arrangement, I could imagine how nice it would be to travel with families or close friends as the box seats are so conducive for bonding over sweets and drinks. The train was full house today and all of us could not wait to commence the journey on board this travelling cafe.







Cafe. The classy cafe counter is situated in a separate train carriage. The arc shaped counter with a glossy black table top spans almost half of the carriage. There are both counter and window seats where passengers can mingle around here with their food and snacks. I helped myself to the iced coffee, tea and water from the glass drink dispensers placed at the cafe counter. Merchandise specially designed for this train are available for sale at the cafe counter; brought back home another badge pin and clear folders to add on to my existing collection of train related souvenirs.

Sweets set. The cafe is opened for business as soon as the train set off from Koriyama. The staff, donned in cafe uniform, appeared in the passenger cabin with the catering trolley and began distributing the sweets and drinks to every passenger. The glossy black table was laid with a contrasting red coloured mat, with the symbol of Fruitea printed on it, and another paper lace doily placed on top of it. Was handed over a white box containing two different types of sweets, a cup of hot coffee and a can of peach juice. In addition, a cookie with a picture of Fruitea printed on it, was given to every passenger as part of the train's first anniversary celebration. Opened the lid and the sides of the white box carefully to reveal two sweets, both came from fruits peaks フルーツピークス, a western confectionery which originated from Koriyama city. The sweets comprised of a slice of fruit short cake with a Fukushima produced cherry placed on top of it and a slice of tart filled with pineapple chunks with Fukushima produced cherries toppings. Both of them were equally delicious!

Inserted between the layers of fluffy sponge cake was mango and strawberries and delectable fresh cream was used as icing for the fruit short cake. For the fruit tart, it was filled with a custard layer and covered by chunks of sweet golden pineapple. The beautiful contrast of colours between the yellow pineapple and red cherries just makes one want to tuck into this dessert immediately.

Scenic. While enjoying my sweets and beverages, I was also captivated by the train scenery along Ban-etsu Nishi line. Blessed by good weather on the day of my travel, the majestic looking Mt Bandai could be clearly seen through the train window. As there were plots of irrigated paddy fields located at the foot of the mountain, a clear and beautiful reflection of Mt Bandai was also spotted on the still water in the fields. An hour later, I arrived at Aizu Wakamatsu and ended this enjoyable ride on board Fruitea Fukushima. In my opinion, the concept of a travelling cafe is executed successfully in Fruitea Fukushima. Knowing that the sweets menu changes from time to time depending on the confectionery which the train collaborates with and which fruits are in season makes me want to ride on this train again if I visit Fukushima Prefecture in future!

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Commemorative boarding pass: