#joyful train

In reference to Gôtoku-ji, a maneki-neko tram runs the Setagaya line in Western Tokyo.

tokyo tohoku trip - day 1.

tohoku area is the northern part of the main peninsular in japan, and it’s not super famous as a tourist destination, however, there’s a lot to offer in the whole area and my friend has suggested that we explore a few towns and cities together during this trip.

so after a short sleep, i’m at tokyo station with my friend to redeem my 5 days jr east pass for tohoku area, which will allow me to use the tohoku shinkansen, jr local trains, jr buses and joyful trains, and many more, which you can find all the info on their official website.

if you are travelling a lot in 5 days within the tohoku area, it’s a really worthy pass to purchase, as a foreigner. tohoku shinkansen is a reservation seats only shinkansen, so it’s necessary to actually make reservations for all your trips, it’s best to plan your route beforehand and then go to the ticket counter and tell the staff which trains you would like to get onto.

for my case, it was really last minute and it was weekend, so the train that i wanted was full and good thing my friend was there to communicate with the staff about my plan and they finally suggested that i get a standing ticket for my first shinkansen in order for me to meet the schedule.

and the whole reason why there’s such schedule limitation is because i wanted to get on the pokemon with you joyful train, which only runs once a day every saturday and sunday. more about the pokemon train later...

this is my first experience to have a standing ticket for shinkansen, as all the previous times, i did get normal seats which is very comfortable. i also bought sandwiches for breakfast since i did not eat in the morning. standing tickets has train number on it, so you can only stay within that train. there’s some space in front and at the back of the train, which is quite nice and you can look out the window for the scenery. good thing that this ride is above ground, so it was quite nice to enjoy the scenery. i was okay for this standing ride, as there’s a lot of chance to sit later of the day.

i arrived at ichonoseki station around and make my way to the local train after storing my luggage at the station locker, as i plan to take the pokemon train at kesennuma station on the return trip. the local train ride gave a completely different feeling compared to shinkansen, as the speed difference is very obvious. the scenery along the countryside train tracks are amazing with beautiful sunshine. it was a really really slow and relaxing ride.

at kesennuma station, i got a short break and visited the convenient store to get water and snack, the local people are very nice and friendly, they thought i was japanese until i told them i wasn’t. and i’m actually happy that my japanese language is good enough for me to communicate with simple sentences.

the station also has quite a few pokemon related photospot, which is just so cute. even the station sign is pokemon themed. after a short wait, it’s finally time for the long awaited train ride. the staff is super friendly and helped me to take photos at every opportunity, which i’m super grateful about. there were families with young kids on board, some adult pokemon fans like me as well, but the train is not full or packed, so it was really comfortable.

the train has 2 sections, one section is the playroom and the other section is the seating area. everywhere you look on the train, it’s super cute and pikachu everywhere. i was so so happy and the inner kid in me wish to just stay on the train forever. the playroom has so much plushies to play and take photos with and it’s fully carpeted so you can sit anywhere and just enjoy the kawaii atmosphere and setup, they truly made sure every detail of the train is amazing. we also got a badge souvenir after answering a short survey (in japanese), and at certain train stops, the staff will lead us into the station for few minutes to get a pokemon train station stamp on the postcard that every customer received. it’s truly fun to experience everything during the entire ride. absolutely worth the time and money to try and get on the train at least once, especially if you are a pokemon/pikachu fan.

the train does stop at a few stations along the way and there’s some outdoor decorations setup at those station as photo spots. even without them, the countryside scenery is actually beautiful, especially as the sun was about to set, every photo is just so picturesque. and this whole fun filled experience is covered by the jr east pass!

got some onigiri after the ride arrived at ichinoseki station, since i did skip lunch that day. while i did not move a lot, i do need some energy to keep my body warm as the sun set was early and the weather gets cold very quickly. i continued with my journey up north to aomori by shinkansen which is the city i will be staying the night at.

from ichinoseki station, i took a shinkansen to morioka and made a brief stop to wait for the next shinkansen to aomori as there’s no direct connection, since ichinoseki is a smaller town/station. at morioka, i got to visit a bakery cafe below the station and enjoyed a beautiful and delicious strawberry tart, i do miss and love japanese desserts, just so pretty and so yummy with the fresh and good quality ingredients.

initially, i was planning to make a stop at hachinohe for dinner, but the restaurant i intended to go was fully reserved, hence i decided to just go to aomori straight and find something else for dinner there. the shinkansen is noticeably less crowded by now as most people has arrived at their destination by now.

shin aomori station is a relatively new looking station, and i do still need to take one more local train to arrive at the aomori station and walk to my hotel. it was here that i saw real snow for the first time! i was super excited about it and can’t wait to see more once i arrived. the walk to my hotel was not too far, but roads are covered in snow, it was quite beautiful to see so much white everywhere, even though the sky is dark by now. checking in to my hotel was easy, and the room is quite nice and spacious for one person.

then i went to nearby streets to hunt for food, and ended up at this kushiyaki placed called hyakushiki ひゃくしき 青森新町店, i believe this place is quite new though. the menu is completely in japanese, so i did spend quite a long time to just read everything. i ordered quite a few kushiyaki, chicken karaage and dashi tamagoyaki. the food is so so so good, ingredients are very fresh and the batter is so light and crispy too, a good find definitely.

after filling up my stomach, i called it a day and went back to my hotel for a hot bath to relax and went to bed for a good night sleep, as there’s more exciting activities to look forward the next day, which my friend will be joining me on the trip.

First, some news. The 500 series Shinkansen (best train ever!) is currently being withdrawn, and there have been photos of one set being scrapped. This is going to continue into 2026, and with that, the retirement of the Hello Kitty set has been announced for next Spring (likely at the change of timetable on 1 March). If you want to see it or ride it, time is running out!

I had planned to talk about other Joyful Trains today, so the news fits in somewhat. There appears to be no end in sight for these however.

I might be doing this post a bit early, though I can always do a follow-up in a month or so *wink-wink*nudge-nudge*, but while we're on the subject of Shikoku, here's JR Shikoku's biggest Joyful Train programme: the Anpanman collab. There are at least seven vehicles in circulation, and since 2000, over a million passengers (1万 is 10,000) have been carried in these colourful specials, as indicated by the flag seen at Takamatsu station. I've only seen one, but it's a wow-ee:

The Joyful Shinkansen made its debut between Ôsaka and Hakata in 2015, and marked two anniversaries: 40 years of the complete opening of the San'yô Shinkansen, and 20 years of the mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. And it's safe to say the mash-up of a 500 Series rocketship and a giant robot was bound to work!