The Hokuriku Shinkansen Navi site reports on a special service running in January and February 2019 in the Shinano region.
The northern section of the Shinano Line, from Nagano Station to Kurohime Station, will get a special tourist service called Rokumon, where passengers can enjoy sake from breweries near the line.
Running through one of Japan’s celebrated “snow country” areas famed for heavy snowfall, the service promises spectacular views as it provides a route into a region difficult to access in winter even for normal commuters.
Rokumon will run from Karuizawa Station to Kurohime Station, and serve sake from three breweries in Nagano city and Obuse with female tōji. The train will also be convenient for skiers heading north to the slopes. There service had a trial run with people from the railway industry on 24 October 2018, and President Tamaki of the Shinano Railway commented that it was a trial to develop tourism resources close to the line, and also to keep the line itself running.
The service will run on 20 January and 17 February 2019, leaving Nagano Station at 1:46 pm and returning there two and a half hours later after running to and from Kurohime Station. It will offer a with-meal ticket with dishes by Obuse Japanese restaurant Suzuhana, or a journey-only ticket with a bentō.
Links
- Original article (Japanese, Hokuriku Shinkansen Navi, 25 October 2018)
- Suzuhana (Japanese)