My trip on Japan’s Super SONIC train – the Kyushu 885!
Time to ride on Japan’s incredible Sonic Limited Express train on Kyushu, one of Japan’s islands. This JR train is part of the Japanese railways, connecting Hakata Station in Fukuoka to the Ōita Bay area, through stations such as Kokura and Nakatsu, on the way to Beppu and Ōita.
These JR 885 Series, commonly known as White Sonic, feature an iconic streamlined design, much like the famous Japanese bullet trains! They are also based on the DB ICE 3 in Germany, and the design eventually evolved into the UK Class 395.
Join me as I use my JR Pass in the JR Green Car on this journey from Hakata to Ōita aboard the Sonic train in Japan. This train is no Japanese maglev, or even Shinkansen, but it’s still an enjoyable journey aboard a train in Japan.
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Journey Details:
Origin: Hakata (Fukuoka)
Destination: Ōita
Company: JR Kyushu (Kyushu Railway Company)
Train: JR 885 Series – White Sonic
Accommodation: Green Car Seat (1st)
Distance: 198 kilometres / 123 miles
Price: ¥8740 (£51.50 / €59.20 / $65.00)
Time: 2 hours 1 minute, arrived 2 minutes late
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30 Comments
Does anyone remember the front cab window of this train used to be orange instead of blue ?
11:32 – strangely, the red writing says "hot drinks"
What items were you laying out on the bum?
That rotatable seat was perhaps the biggest plot twist that a train vlog can take. Whoa!
It's not that fast. It's just that the track below is not as straightened as Shinkansen, and the suspension system is also not Shinkansen. Simples!!!!
Might have helped people if you would have put up STATS on here, about the DIFFERENCES of the trains themselves down to the SPEED differences FFS
It only goes at 130kmh.
Nozomi Shinkansen on the Tokaido goes at 286kmh. On the Sanyo, it goes at 300kmh!!!!
Get real mate.
Beautiful clean station and trains, credit to the Japanese people 👌
One of the only places outside of Japan that uses Pointing and Calling (Shisa Kanko) is the New York Subway!
1:46 it’s where the conductors are kept before or after their shift on the train…
Jesus, the title. Just call it SONIC train or super SONIC train without the first S capitalized please.
UK's hitachi trains have also really poor quality
Pointing and calling is an important part of Japanese railway culture, I believe. I’m cabin crew and use it constantly.
Great Doco! Long story (bear with me). I took the Sonic (blue) last year from Kokura/Kitakyushu (have come from Kagoshima). The ride was too fast and dangerously jumping. I waited for a stop to go to the loo! I was in Green Class and went get off a Beppū and couldn’t get off while standing at the door pressing the button! I managed to even reach the window to the driver waving and tapping on the glass (fruitless obviously) before entirely leaving the platform. So, I got a free trip Ōita. On the way back to Beppu, I ended up as an ever-English teacher speaking to high school students on the platform who wanted to practice English. The better speakers translated the experience to the group and since I finished the tale with “Sonic no good” (with a crossed arm gesture). When I finally disembarked the train at Beppū, the entire carriage said “Sonic no good” with the gesture included and laughter!
That wifi looks pretty low
‘Green car’ is like business class. First class in Japan is ‘Gran Class’.
Agreed that it and many other narrow gauge Limited Express trains are very rough-riding and sway, lurch and bounce quite viciously at times. The track condition is not good enough for the high speeds they do (up to 130 kph) yet they don't want to slow the trains down as that would increase journey times.
NOT supersonic !
''Fast''……. Well no, its slow AF. Maximum speed is 130km/h. ''Super sonic'' sounds as a joke. 🤣🤣 ''Our beloved (puke) orange dictator Führer Adolf Donald Trump should take over Japan, then he'll have high-tech at his disposal for MAGA and close to China to keep an eye on those crazy communists.'' /s
Everything in Japan is so efficient.
I really don't think Japan needs to be inspired by Europe's railways. Japan is a pioneer in the high-speed train industry.
Great vlog
why wouldn't the dedicated area for phone calls work in the UK?
The black leather seats and wooden ambience looks almost identical to the German ICE 1…best seats ever in an ICE, the newer models sadly don’t have those comfortable seats anymore
Thank you for bringing up the Sonic Express.
I live in Beppu, along the line.
Back when this railway was national railways, the train was called the "Limited Express Nichirin." It took about three hours to get from Hakata to Oita. Track improvements and double-tracking gradually shortened the travel time, but the most epoch-making event was the introduction of the "Limited Express Sonic Nichirin."
At the time, "Sonic" was the nickname for a new type of train (883 series). It was incomparably faster than the older trains, and the car tilting device was explained at the time as "allowing it to run at high speeds even around sharp curves." The overwhelming speed increase was well received by users along the line, and the express trains on this section were gradually replaced with newer trains.
As you pointed out, the severe shaking was a concern even back then. I think the main reason for this is that the speed was increased while maintaining the same gradients and sharp curves that the line had when it opened over 100 years ago. When the line was double-tracked, a new up track was added, and although this track has relatively more straight sections, the overall ride quality is not much different. Passengers understand that there is a trade-off between speed and uncomfortable ride, and the general wisdom is that "you just have to get used to it."
The name "Limited Express Sonic Nichirin" was later changed to "Limited Express Sonic." It was an acrobatic idea to use the nickname of the carriage as the name of an express train when all trains were replaced with new models.
"Limited Express Nichirin" survives as the name of local express trains beyond Oita.
I'm surprised Japan would run rough riding trains. I asumed all tracks were superbly maintained and trains were equpped with superior suspension systems.
11:35 probably used to have a manned vending section in that car where an attendant would tally your drinks on a mini register.
I hope you try the new VB sleeper trains of India. It's brand new service of Indian railways.
Uncomfortable Japanese Express Train?
Sounds like an insult to JR…….😂
Btw IR just launched its first Sleeper Vande Bharat train……..aaaaaand, it's snowing heavily in Kashmir, how about a train there……?🙃
That waterway looks so beautiful
Gotta Go Fast!
How is 25kV AC very uncommon? It is literally used in countless of countries, including the UK.
It is used a lot on high speed networks and any modern electrification project is done at that voltage – except for where the country is already using a different system and wants to keep uniformity.
In Japan is quite rare to have a non-Shinkansen rail line with that power system (there are only a few places that come to mind) as it usually uses 1500 V DC. But Japan is kind of a gem and there are different systems a little bit everywhere.
The train ticket is not costly to be fair. It is an express service and for Japanese railway system, it is a price in line with the rest of the network.