Top 20 scenic view from train in Japan

(Japanese is here)

　For the first time in this blog, I will send the top 20 scenic view from train in Japan. Although I titled "in Japan", the selection was made from JR lines. When I was planning my first trip to Europe, I was wondering where to go in the vastness of Europe, and I found an article in Thomas Cook's European timetable titled "Chief editor's recommend of scenic routes". I made a trip to visit the routes listed in the article, and it turned out to be a very scenic and successful trip. Based on this experience, I thought it would be helpful for those who are planning to travel by train in Japan for the first time.


Okhotsk Coast from Semmo Line @ Kitahama 2017.8.2

　In the first place, the scale of scenic beauty varies from person to person, depending on the train you take, the time of day, and the season. For example, the best view from train I've ever seen is the moment when the dawn light shines from across the Sea of Okhotsk, which is covered with drift ice, on the Kohin-south Line (discontinued in 1985) in winter. For this reason, this ranking is not absolute, and each person has his or her own opinion. I'm not a professional travel writer, so I can't visit the these places frequently, and I haven't visited Yatake for more than 15 years.


Kohin-south Line in winter @ Sakaeoka 1984.3

　In order to have objectivity, I took into account not only the beauty of the scenery, but also the length of the scenic section (the longer the section, the higher the score) and the frequency of trains (the fewer the trains, the higher the score). I tried to find photos of all the sections, but it was difficult. Photos taken from running trains were too blurry, or the weather was too bad to be used for scenic view photos. I selected one photo from each category.


Top 20 scenic view from train selected by the site manager

　I intended to disperse the categories and locations, but my taste also came into play, and Hokkaido has increased. On the other hand, the number of Shikoku and Kyushu has decreased relatively, beccause Shikoku and Kyushu are difficult to visit.


Places with top 20 scenic view from train selected by the site manager

　The begining for the selection was the view from Obasute, which is said to be one of the three great views from train in Japan, along with Yatake on the Hisatsu Line and Karikachi Pass on the Nemuro Line. It is not clear whether the three great views are the three majestic views or the three wonderfull views. So I thought about choosing a beautiful view from train, though it wasn't majestic. It's a long time since I've been to Yatake. And I've been to Karikachi Pass three times in the past three years, but all of them were at night, in the rain, and on a substitute bus. Not only these places, but also the Niwasaka of the Ou Line and the Kita-Sendai of the Senzan Line, which descend from the mountains to the plains, have beautiful night views.


Looking down Zenkoji-daira from Obasute on the Shinonoi Line @ Obasute 2020.1.3

　The above are good view from the mountains, but we can also enjoy scenery of the mountains themselves. The Southern Alps seen from the Chuo (East) Line in today's top picture is a typical scenery. Mt. Ibuki on the Tokaido Line is attached below, I have always liked the mountain. That has a presence in the landscape and the scenery of the surrounding fields. I realized when I was writing this article that it was a mistake not to include Mt. Fuji from the Shinkansen and Tokaido Line. Japan is a mountainous country, so there is no end to the scenery of the mountains.


Mt. Ibuki seen from Sekigahara on the Tokaido Line @ Omi-Nagaoka 2018.8.4

　After the mountains, the opposite is the river. Rivers are the mother of railroads, and there are many lines that follow rivers and tunnel over watershed passes. I have selected four of them. I'm not sure about Kushiro Marsh, the road along the river has been opened for a long time. It is also a Japanese custom that carp banners(Koinobori) are hung across both banks at the time of the Tango no Sekku in May.


The Iida Line runs along the Tenryu River. This bridge is famous as non-crossing bridge @ Shironishi 2018.7.30

　The last of the category is the sea. Japan is an island country surrounded by the sea, and there are many places with beautiful seascapes. I chose six of them. In many places, national roads and railroads run side by side in narrow mountainous areas, and houses stand side by side, so there are few places where we can see the ocean for a long time. I also like Umishibaura on the Tsurumi Line, but since it is over in an instant, it was not selected because of few the time point.


Sasagawa Nagare on the Uetsu Line. There is also a scenery guide from train conductor @ Imagawa 2019.7.15

　This article is shorter than usual, but the time taken is one of the longest. As I mentioned at the beginning, I hope it will help those who want to enjoy the view from train in Japan. I hope that the Corona disaster will be over soon, and we will be able to enjoy riding trains without worrying anything else. (Translated by automatic translation site,2021.1.24)


Mt. Fuji from the Shinkansen that have not been selected top 20 @ Shin-Fuji 2020.10.31