#n2000

JR Shikoku's first tilting DMU was the 2000 series, which we will cover in the next post, but we have already seen some trains derived from the type: the JR West KiHa 187 and Chizukyû HOT 7000. This is JR Shikoku's further development: the N2000. The resemblance, particularly in the carriage side profile, is noticeable. Pushed away from the main non-electrified routes by the newer 2700s, the original 2000s and N2000s can be seen on the extension of the Yosan line, South of Matsuyama, on Uwakai express services.

Up North now! Hokkaidô is a very large and sparsely populated region of Japan, so while the Shinkansen serves the Southern city of Hakodate and is due to reach the capital Sapporo in 2030, the rest of the island doesn't necessarily need as much intensity. So there are plenty of non-electrified lines, and the way to speed up trains in that case is by building tilting DMUs. JR Hokkaidô achieved this in 1992 with the KiHa 281 HEAT - for "Hokkaidô Experimental Advanced Train".

The original KiHa 281s were recently retired, but development had continued, up to the most recent KiHa 261 seen above. This is JR Hokkaidô's flagship express, the Hokuto, serving the Hakodate-Sapporo route that will eventually be replaced by the high-speed line extension.