Riding Japan’s Stove Train in Heavy Snow | Tsugaru Railway Aomori

The stove train, which runs between Goshogawara Station and Tsugaru-Nakasato Station in Aomori Prefecture and opened in 1930, is the northernmost private railway in Japan. Available only from December 1st to March 31st each year, passengers can enjoy the snowy landscape visible from the train while warming up by the stove, and savor Japanese sake and dried squid.

[Chapter List]

00:00 Opening
00:25 Hirosaki Station
03:14 Arrival at Goshogawara Station
04:23 Tsugaru Goshogawara Station
04:48 Purchase tickets
06:40 Board the stove train
07:33 Grilled squid
10:58 Arrive at Tsugaru Nakasato Station
13:04 Return to Goshogawara Station
16:44 Head to Shibaraku Ryokan
19:27 Dinner
21:58 Take a bath & go to bed
23:44 Wake up
24:33 Check out & ending

#japantravel #Secretonsentravel #stovetrain

This time, I’m riding the stove train in Aomori Prefecture! Please enjoy until the end. Hello everyone! Now, I’m at Hirosaki Station in Aomori Prefecture. This time, I’m riding the stove train that operates from Goshogawara Station. First, I will take a train from Hirosaki Station to Goshogawara Station, where the stove train is located.

It’s forecasted to snow in Aomori today, so I think I can enjoy the snowy landscape from the train. First, I’ll take the train bound for Ajigasawa and head to Goshogawara Station. The fare is 510 yen/$3.4. The train departs at 10:23. It’s past rush hour, so there are hardly any people.

It’s 10 a.m., about 30 minutes before departure. The train has already arrived! The doors are button-operated. It’s cold, so make sure to close them! No one is on board yet. It seems the driver is not here yet. It’s time to depart. It takes 44 minutes to Goshogawara Station. The snow-covered tracks are beautiful.

We are about to arrive at Goshogawara Station. [Announcement] Thank you for waiting. [Announcement] We will soon arrive at Goshogawara Station. [Announcement] Due to inspection work on the operating equipment today, we will arrive 6 minutes late. We have arrived at Goshogawara Station, 6 minutes late. The stove train is ahead,

But first, I’ll go outside and buy a ticket at Tsugaru Goshogawara Station. It seems everyone here is going to ride the stove train. Goshogawara is famous for its Tachinebuta festival. During the festival held every August, you can see gigantic figures that are about 23 meters tall and weigh around 19 tons.

I’ll leave the station and head to “Tsugaru Goshogawara Station”. “Tsugaru Goshogawara Station” is right next door. Let’s go inside! I’ll wait here until departure. It’s warm here because of the large stove. I will buy a round-trip ticket from Tsugaru Goshogawara Station to the final stop, Tsugaru Nakasato Station.

I will purchase a fare of 870 yen x 2 + stove train ticket 500 yen x 2 (total 2,740 yen). The return stove train ticket (500 yen/$3.3) is not bought here but at “Tsugaru Nakasato Station”. Let’s take a look at the shop.

I’ll buy sake and dried squid. (You can buy the same items on the train as well.) I bought stove sake for 500 yen/$3.3 and dried squid for 800 yen/$5.4. It takes 41 minutes to reach the final stop, Tsugaru Nakasato Station, with stops at 10 stations along the way. 15 minutes before departure.

The gate has opened. Leaving the gate, I am back at the Goshogawara Station I walked through earlier. I’m heading to the Tsugaru Railway platform. I noticed in the waiting room that most of the people today are international visitors. The stove train has arrived.

What you see now is the rear car, which has the stove. The front car is a regular carriage and doesn’t have a stove. I’m getting on! The seats are unreserved, so I can sit wherever I like. I managed to get a seat in front of the stove. It’s warm…

The conductor came to add more coal. Coal is replenished several times during the train ride. The onboard sales service has arrived. The dried squid and sake I bought earlier are also available here. Other items like beer, tea, and apple juice are also available for purchase.

Let’s open the bag of the dried squid I purchased! You can have it grilled on the stove. The smell of grilling squid is wonderful. The grilled squid is finely cut and put back in the bag for me. Let’s try it! It’s very soft because it’s freshly grilled. Let’s also try the stove sake.

The dry sake goes really well with the squid. [Conductor] The train is moving, it will shake, so please be careful. The train has departed. The train is very warm thanks to the stove. It was very hot in front of the stove, so I moved to another seat.

The snowy landscape viewed from the warm train is wonderful. This is the second coal replenishment. The flames are burning vigorously. [Conductor] It’s been snowing since this morning, and a considerable amount of snow has accumulated. Until last week, there was little snowfall, but today it’s piled up so much that it’s hard to walk.

The conductor is checking tickets. Let’s show the ticket I purchased. Up ahead, there’s a train designed by a Japanese celebrity. It’s a carriage painted in 1997 by local children on a TV show, and then repainted 20 years later in 2017 with those same children, now grown up.

Passing through Ashino Park Station, a lot of cherry trees come into view. In spring, it becomes a tunnel of cherry blossoms, and it’s selected as one of the top 100 cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan. I will soon arrive at Tsugaru Nakasato Station. It’s been about 40 minutes, time flew by.

[The northernmost private railway in Honshu, Tsugaru Nakasato Station] I show my ticket and exit through the ticket gate. It seems there’s less snow than I thought. The regular train and the stove train have been separated. I’ll take a look around before departure. There doesn’t seem to be much around the station. It’s quiet.

By the way, today I’m planning to stay at Ryokan near Goshogawara Station. I’m thinking of having dinner around Goshogawara Station. I’ll wait in the waiting room until the train departs. The train heading back to Goshogawara Station is about an hour away.

I bought a return ticket for the stove train (500 yen/$3.3). ※You don’t need to buy it if you’re taking the regular train. I’m getting on the train. It seems there are few people on this carriage. Groups and individual passengers are in separate carriages. The inside of the train is warm.

You can hear the sound of the fire burning vigorously. I didn’t get a good look before, but the stove’s chimney looks like this. I can feel the heat from the chimney. If you’re riding the stove train, I personally recommend this seat. We are departing. Watching the coal being added never gets old.

This is Ashino Park Station, with its cherry trees. Some passengers who got off here earlier have just boarded. They are grilling dried squid again. It smells good. We are arriving at Goshogawara Station. I’m back at Goshogawara Station. Again, the regular carriage and the stove train are being separated.

I exit through this ticket gate. I’ve safely returned! Now, I’ll head to Shibaraku Ryokan where I’m staying tonight. It’s a 3-minute walk to Shibaraku Ryokan. There are no online reservations, only phone reservations. There are no meals, only lodging. Once I finish checking in on the first floor, I’ll be shown to my room.

It’s a 6-tatami mat Japanese-style room with no toilet or bath. The toilet, washbasin, and bath are located in front of the room. The door on the left is the bath. I’ll show you the room. There’s a mirror, trash can, ashtray. Tea ceremony utensils. A kerosene stove. TV. Air conditioner. Hangers.

The window is double-glazed. You can see the road I walked on earlier. It’s cold, so I’ll close the window. There are futons in the closet. The room is cold, so I’ll turn on the stove. It doesn’t turn on… The plug wasn’t connected. The current temperature in the room is 2°C. It’s turned on!

It’s warm… I’ll rest a bit before going out for dinner. I slept for about an hour. I’m going out for dinner. It’s gotten quite dark. I’ll look for a place to eat around the station. Many restaurants are closed today for their regular holiday, and it’s hard to find an open one…

I found an open izakaya, so I’ll try it out. It’s a cozy izakaya. I ordered hot sake. It warms me up. However, they only had snacks, so I’ll just drink and go to another place. I found a place where I can have a meal a short walk away.

I ordered a grilled fish set meal (1,000 yen/$6.7). I’m hungry since I’ve only had squid and sake today. It’s a simple menu with grilled fish, miso soup, rice, and pickles. The freshly grilled fish is delicious. The rice is good too. The miso soup is tasty and warms me up.

After finishing, I’ll return to the inn. It feels darker than before outside. I’ve arrived. By the way, I’m the only guest staying here tonight. The futon is prepared. There’s also a towel. The bath is ready, so I’ll go take one now. It’s very cold in the hallway…

This is a normal bath, not a hot spring. It’s an old-style bath without a shower. Oh… It’s quite hot… It’s good to have it this hot since it’s cold outside. I’m wondering how to wash… I’ll manage somehow, haha. I’m back in my room. I’m going to sleep. Good night. Good morning.

It’s currently 1°C… very cold… The window is frozen and won’t open. It’s cold… I’ll get ready a bit early and check out. The weather is nice today. It’s cold, but the air feels good. I’m back at the station. This time it was a train journey, not a hot spring. Did you enjoy it?

If you’d like to see more train journeys, please leave a comment! Let’s meet again on the next journey! Thank you!