JR Kyushu’s Ibusuki no Tamatebako – Enjoying Kagoshima’s themed train! | Kagoshima, Japan

JR Kyushu’s Ibusuki no Tamatebako – Enjoying Kagoshima’s themed train! | Kagoshima, Japan

In Japan, I would say Kyushu is a 
treasure chest for holiday themed trains. Every corner of the island is an 
experience. From the A train in Kumamoto, to the two stars in Nagasaki to the Yufuin no 
mori in Oita, you don’t have to go far to make your next memories. I made my way to Kagoshima 
where up for today is the wonderful Ibutama. Good morning and welcome to another video. 
We’re back in Kyushu, a lovely area Japan, and it’s time to experience another one 
of JR Kyushu’s themed trains. We’re in Kagoshima in the south and up for today is the 
Ibusuki-no-tamatebako. On days the train runs, there’s three round trips and we book a ticket 
for train number three which is the second outbound trip departing at 11:56. Over the years 
we’ve experienced many of these JR group themed trains and each are done extremely well and I’m 
sure today is going to be no different. So come along as we go from A to B and let’s experience 
the train along with the sights and food to match. We begin on an overcast but fair day at Kagoshima 
Chuo station, not to be confused with Kagoshima station, which is a smaller stop a little north 
from here. This is the main station in the prefecture capital and also the southern terminus 
of Japan Rails Shinkansen network. And although in theory you could travel by Shinkansen from here 
to Hokkaido, it would still take a long time and perhaps a future video idea. Outside the station, 
you can connect with the street car, which by the way has grass lining the entire network. And thus, 
Kagoshima has Japan’s only street car lawn mower. Huh, the more you know. One thing that stood out 
during my time here are the wonderful bakeries. And this one in the station was a highlight of 
this trip. Anything with chocolate and I’m sold. EE: I spelt the train’s name wrong in the boarding pass..oops! We enter the gates for the local train and 
we see that our train is leaving from track 3. Track side is fairly utilitarian and not 
terribly large, so there is no need to jump in overly early. Should you arrive with some time, 
you can try and find the shinkansen poking out from the tracks above. As the train arrives, 
I should take a moment to highlight that the rule is to stand behind the yellow line, not 
on or in front. Besides being a safety issue, it also blocks my view. Not cool. Let’s 
all enjoy the train, but do so safely. Here’s our wonderful two car Ibusuki-no-tamatebako 
or Ibutama pulling into the station after completing its first round trip of 
the day. Once the train arrives, the cleaning staff will board first to prepare 
for the next trip. One aspect of the train, by the way, is the steam which is emitted from 
the doors at the station. In the meantime, I took footage of the train’s exterior. Its design 
is composed of two colours, black on one side and an off-white cream colour on the other. The 
door opens about 10 minutes before departure. And you can see the assembly above the door which 
emits the steam we saw earlier. We quickly take our seat in the second car and then we make 
our timely departure. And as we get underway, I’ll take this moment to welcome you viewers to 
the channel. And I invite you to subscribe for continued travel and aviation related content 
where you can check out the Two Stars 4047, another wonderful train by JR Kyushu out over in 
Nagasaki. Definitely check it out. The Ibutama is one of the shorter resort trains in Kyushu with a 
travel time of just 52 minutes. We’ll travel south following the coast and unlike many other trains, 
there are no intermediate stops along the way. EE: Sometimes the train has 3 cars.
Did you see the middle car when leaving? With less than an hour to go, there’s no time to 
lose and it’s time for lunch. I pre-purchased the bento for this trip and was provided with it soon 
after departing. Let’s see what we have inside. Looks great, doesn’t it? Wow. Everything is laid 
out nicely. The bentos prepared with regional ingredients and showcases some of the tastes of 
the prefecture. We have a variety of onigiris, smoked kapachi, amberjack, I think it’s 
called, omelets, breaded pork, and so on. I put each item’s name on the screen so you can 
see what I’m digging into. As you can imagine, everything tasted fantastic and was fresh. 
The eel onigiru is the one that stood out to me and the bread of pork. Well, how can you 
go wrong with that? The colours were bright and exciting. Lovely. To go the meal, I got a 
Kagoshima highball. Now, normally a highball in Japan is a whiskey soda cocktail, but here in 
Kagoshima, it’s made with shochu, which I guess is not a taste for everyone. Maybe a little lemon 
would help soften the edges, but it was a pretty strong drink. Nonetheless, this was a wonderful 
bento. Even the box was so nicely constructed, I kind of felt bad for just throwing it away 
afterwards. After lunch, it’s time to turn our attention outside and to relax, enjoy some of 
the sights, and try to finish that highball. The ibutama is a two car DMU or diesel multiple 
unit with a wonderful spacious wooden interior. Car 2 is partially composed of these counter style 
seating and the only thing that is overlooked on this trip is the ocean. These were my seats of 
choice, but unfortunately they were sold out when I booked my tickets. Perhaps the second best seats 
are these sofa style seat 19 and 20 A and B, which also face the ocean in a comfy constructed nook in 
the middle of the car. There’s also 14 coach style paired seats, which is what we enjoy today, and 
they’re nice, cushioned, and comfortable with a blue and green designed fabric. Seat back, you’ll 
find a couple code hooks and a small pocket. The seats provide a slight recline and 
the table is stored in the center armrest. There are no power outlets on board, so a 
power bank isn’t a bad idea. The end of the car provides an area for all passengers to 
enjoy, including this little Chesterfield, and there’s a few seats for even 
the youngest of train enthusiasts. Throughout the car, you’ll 
find some overhead storage, and the interior is nicely decorated with 
aquatic illustrations and soft lighting. Moving to the front of the car is car 1 
on the outbound trips, and it has a darker profile where all seats are in two two seating 
configuration. The seats are designed slightly different from car 2, but they were equally as 
comfortable. This car was also fairly empty, which I was surprised. I like the ambiance 
more of this car and it would be my suggested car if you find yourself booking a 
trip. To complement the earthy tones, the interior is also decorated with more 
wonderful artwork as well. In the centre is where you’ll find the seating which anyone can 
enjoy like the previous car and it also faces the ocean. And like all JR Kyushu trains, you’ll find 
a stamp station for a little memento of your trip. How does it look? Car 1 is also where you’ll 
find the one washroom. It was a lot bigger than I would expect for a train like this, and it 
was clean and contains everything you may need. Beside it is the galley, which holds the bentos 
and where the attendants work, so I didn’t film it. The train does offer onboard sales such as the 
highball earlier, but there’s also some sweets, sandwiches, and other drinks. Back in car 2, let’s 
talk how you can enjoy this train yourself. And this really comes down to well, if you live in 
Japan or not. If you live in Japan like myself, you’ll want to head over to the JR Kyshu website 
and then buy a ticket like any other train. It will require that you make an account, but 
it’s easy enough. If you’re visiting Japan, it would depend on whether you have a rail pass or 
not, and the train can also be purchased through Klook. Since all seats on this train are reserved, 
there may be an added fee for the seat. In any event, the website appears easy to use, and I 
had no problem procuring a ticket. The Bento, which I enjoyed earlier, is purchased 
separately and can be purchased up to 3 days before your departure date. The website 
makes it easy. Just follow the prompts. And less than an hour later, we reached 
the small town of Ibusuki. By the way, tamatebako translates into like a treasure 
chest. So, the train’s name translates to Ibusuki’s treasure chest. Regardless of the 
name, this is another fantastic product and it’s something easy to do in the afternoon or 
in the morning. With three round trips per day, you have a bit of leeway in how you construct 
your trip. Everything is done very well from the delicious and beautifully presented bento to the 
train’s interior and the staff of course deserves props for their hard work. At 12:48 we arrive. 
The cost of this trip came out to 5,150 yen which includes 1,500 yen for the bento and 700 yen for 
the highball. Once outside, we can see the other side of the train and it’s designed as nicely as 
the other side. Thanks for watching. Let me know your thoughts on the Ibusuki-no-tamatebako 
and I’ll catch you in the next video. Still there, eh? Yep. So am I. And I got something 
a little special for you. After jumping back in the station and catching a local train and headed 
south, fast forward about 20 minutes, we arrive at Nishioyama station, the most southern station 
in Japan. Wow. I visited now the most southern and the most northern, so I got two more to go. 
This area is very remote. Trains are far and few between, but the area is wonderful on a nice day. 
And we actually walked all the way to the base of the extinct volcano, Mount Kimon, which last 
erupted in in the 9th century. And after a few hours, we boarded the local train and headed 
back to Kagoshima. It makes for a great day.

Riding the Ibusuki no Tamatebako! Today we are in Kagoshima to enjoy another one of Japan Rail Kyushu’s (JR Kyushu) themed trains! The ibusuki no tamatebako is a wonderful train that runs along the coat. Great sights, great food, and a wonderfully designed interior makes for a great afternoon. If you think this is something you’d like to do, I prove some tips to enjoy this train yourself.

Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:00 About Kagoshima
2:00 Track side
3:00 Boarding + Departure + map
3:45 In-train service
5:25 Sights along the way
6:20 Inside Car 2
7:40 Is Car 1 better?
8:50 Washroom
9:00 How to buy a ticket
9:50 Price and concluding remarks
10:55 Easter Egg

✈✈✈✈Playlists✈✈✈✈
⭐ Check out some fantastic trains🚊:

⭐See what else Hokkaido has to offer!⭐:

⭐Enjoy these flight reviews. It’s always sunny above the clouds. ✈:

⭐Airport Adventures: See what these airports have to offer!

Follow me on:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/the_global_peasant

#japan #travel #japanrail #TravelJapan #ScenicTrain #ibusukinotamatebako #JapanTrain