In Japan, vehicles that run on rails are often called "trains," but there are also many diesel railcars that run on diesel fuel, mainly on local train lines in rural areas.
The Tohoku Main Line, known as the main artery of Tohoku, once operated special express trains called the "Echo Morioka" and "Echo Aomori" in the late Showa period. These trains are probably quite little known.
New roadside stations are opening one after another all over Japan, and in Iwate Prefecture, three new stations have opened in the last five years. They provide a place for drivers to rest while also contributing to the local community.
DaiwaConsilio
New roadside stations are springing up all over Japan, and Miyagi Prefecture has also seen three new roadside stations open in the five years since 2020. All of these are in areas that were damaged by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
DaiwaConsilio
Currently, there are many electric trains running on Japanese railways, but because electric trains basically require continuous external power supply, they cannot run on lines without power facilities.
In addition to passenger trains, the JR Tohoku Main Line, Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, and Aoimori Railway Line, which run through the Tohoku region, also operate numerous freight trains. And at the head of these freight trains...
Until about 40 years ago (2025), there was an express train that ran from Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture to Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture, taking over 12 hours. The train was called the "Shirayuki" express.
Even if you don't live in the Tohoku region, many people know that apples are a specialty of Aomori Prefecture. The amount of apples harvested in Aomori Prefecture in 2023 was a whopping 374.40 million...
Regarding the Owani Line, a railway line operated by the Aomori Prefecture private railway company, Konan Railway, the company intends to suspend train operations at the end of fiscal year 2027.
It's fair to say that electric trains are the mainstay of Japan's railways today. Furthermore, on routes where electricity for running electric trains is unavailable (non-electrified routes), diesel railcars, which run on diesel fuel, are used...
