HACHINOHE, Aomori Prefecture--A symbol of recovery and a gourmet's delight, a special restaurant train that travels along the northern Tohoku coastal area that was devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami remains a hot ticket even a year after startup.
HACHINOHE, Aomori Prefecture--A symbol of recovery and a gourmet's delight, a special restaurant train that travels along the northern Tohoku coastal area that was devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami remains a hot ticket even a year after startup.
These gourmet trains, which allow passengers to feast on local foods while enjoying the changing scenery, are popular across Japan, with seats on the Tohoku Emotion train one of the most difficult to book.
The three-car luxury train, comprising a dining car, cabin car and kitchen car, has a capacity of 48 passengers but tickets are gobbled up as soon as they go on sale. The Tohoku Emotion, operated by East Japan Railway Co. (JR East), is completely booked through March next year.
“The train offers an opportunity to enjoy the finest food course using fresh ingredients from Tohoku while viewing the region's beautiful coastal scenery,” said Tokumi Fukushima, 58, stationmaster of Hachinohe Station. “We are genuinely pleased by the current popularity of the train, which far exceeds our expectations.”
The “running restaurant” started operation in October 2013 as part of JR East’s project to promote the Hachinohe Line, a disadvantaged regional line that runs along coastal Aomori and Iwate prefectures. The effort is also aimed at helping the area recover from the devastating quake and tsunami in March 2011 through promoting local tourism.
The train operates primarily on weekends, making one round-trip run between Hachinohe and Kuji stations each day. Travel agencies also charter the train on weekdays for package tours. The price for a round trip is 10,600 yen, including the cost of the meal.
In addition to its gorgeous interior, what distinguishes the Tohoku Emotion from other gourmet trains is the menu and concierge service provided in its dining car.
The menu is supervised by chefs of Michelin Guide-starred restaurants and uses the finest ingredients produced in northern Tohoku, including beef from Iwate’s famous short-horn cattle, mackerel from Hachinohe and milk from Kuzumaki, Iwate Prefecture.
All six concierge staff members in the dining car were trained at a hotel. The manager, Yuji Seki, said they aspire to provide maximum comfort and service that will not betray the expectations of customers who have long waited to climb aboard the Tohoku Emotion.
“The whole purpose of the train is to provide high-end restaurant services, and we have staffed ourselves with many specialists who have worked outside the railway industry to achieve this goal,” said Takayuki Arai, director of JR East’s transportation management group. “We are confident that we can fully satisfy our customers.”
Ryosuke Nakano, a 35-year-old resident of Chiba Prefecture who recently boarded the Tohoku Emotion, also said that he appreciates the opportunity to see how the region has recovered from the 2011 disaster.
In fact, local residents see the train as one of the symbols of recovery. To express their gratitude to the Tohoku Emotion and its passengers, local residents in Hirono, Iwate Prefecture, turn out to stand along the tracks, wave welcome flags and banners and cheer the train whenever it arrives in their town.
As the approaching train slows, it has become an established practice for passengers to stand to acknowledge the warm greeting from local residents.