Travel on the joyful train of Japan

Most people tend to think about the lightning fast Shinkansen bullet train linking Tokyo and Osaka when they think of catching a train in Japan. But Japan also has 'Joyful trains' which travel on some of the country's most beautiful railways. One of the greatest is Tohoku Emotion.

The Tohoku Emotion route lets you experience about 60 kilometres of natural beauty from the comfort of a luxury train carriage. Each carriage is decorated in the motif of traditional crafts from around the Tohoku region.

The journey features incredible ocean views and panoramas of the beautiful natural landscape of Northern Japan. It takes in the vast plains of the Tanesashi Coast, as well as Kabushima Island, a famous natural breeding ground for seabirds.

The train includes a private compartment railcar and open dining railcar with a luxury meal and a spectacular view, as well as live kitchen space railcar where you can see the chefs preparing meals using local ingredients. The menu also offers different meals on each leg of the journey, so you can enjoy a meal on the outward journey and a dessert on your return.

The train runs between Hachinohe in Aomori prefecture and Kuji in Iwate prefecture. For more information visit the Hachinohe website: visithachinohe.com

For information on Tohoku Emotion click here:

HOW TO ACCESS HACHINOHE

From Tokyo : About 2 hours and 45 minutes by Shinkansen Bullet Train

From Osaka (Itami Airport) : About 1 hour and 35 minutes by flight to Misawa Airport

From Sapporo (Okadama Airport) : About 1 hour by flight to Misawa Airport