SL Ginga: Japan's Starry Steam Train Journey

Experience JR East's unique steam locomotive with onboard planetarium through Iwate's magical landscapes. Inspired by Miyazawa Kenji's universe.

★★★★☆ 4.8/5

During my stay in Iwate, I have talked to different staff and locals about my job as a travel consultant. Thanks to a lot of these conversations I get to understand a whole lot more about Iwate and managed to make my journey a lot more beautiful. I have promised them to share about this place so I'm writing a little more of Iwate than I plan to do!

Today, I'm writing about SL Ginga - the steam locomotive with a planetarium, and the very first in Japan.

Inspired by Miyazawa Kenji's Ihatov, this train runs between Hanamaki of Iwate until Kamaishi on certain weekends from late April to November and tickets get booked out super quickly!

- About the train -

SL Ginga by JR East

Compared to Pokemon with YOU train that has only 2 cars, SL Ginga has 4. It's also different in the sense where all four cars has seats, but the Pokemon train has only 1 car full of seats with another car being the playroom.

SL Ginga has been here for many years, but after the tsunami and earthquake that devastated Iwate, it's seen as a project to revitalize the affected regions besides Pokemon with YOU (that instead heads to Kesennuma, another affected region). It is also the first train in Japan with its very own planetarium!!

First car has the planetarium that displays horoscope of the children book author Miyazawa Kenji. You can spend time in the planetarium during your ride. It's also a place you can see and purchase SL Ginga's merchandises.

Second car is more of a gallery of books and maps. You can find information on literature, astronomy and knowing more about Miyazawa's Ihatov - a fictional land based on his native Iwate Prefecture.

Third car is another part of gallery, but more towards sciences and agriculture. Miyazawa has contributed a fair amount in education and agriculture for this region (he has his agricultural school in Hanamaki!) and understanding things that inspires his work.

The fourth car is a gallery featuring the artist side of Miyazawa Kenji. He composed songs and made artwork, and is actually well-known for his talents in meteorology, philosophy, geography, horticulture, etc. This car is a fancy place to sit in for sure!

- The Journey -

SL Ginga Interior

The entire SL Ginga ride from one end to another end takes about 4.5 hours. If you didn't want to go on the full journey, it's recommended to stop in Tono.

You will be getting queue tickets to go into the planetarium rooms (the room is not a big one so it's definitely required to take turns). The planetarium projection lasts about 15 minutes, and the room fits about 10 person (maybe another 2 or 3 if everyone are skinny).

In each stop you are given some time to take photo with the train but one thing about the train stations along the way is that, each sign has a Esperanto translation - an international auxiliary language often used in Miyazawa's works.

SL Ginga

- About Tourist Spots -

*Hanamaki*

In Hanamaki of where SL Ginga starts, it is a place where you can feel Miyazawa's traces from places such as Miyazawa Kenji Ihatov Museum, Polan Square Garden, Ginga Poppo Clock, Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura, Kenji's school... etc.

Hanamaki is also famous for its hot springs that is nice to go, so even if you are not boarding the SL Ginga (reservation required with JR East), Hanamaki is a nice place for day trips.

*Tono*

In Tono, it is famous for tits meganebashi. It's a good viewpoint with a beautifully-arched bridge, also rumored as the lovers' sanctuary - the reason why stopping here is recommended if you didn't want a 4.5-hour journey.

That aside, if you are using SL Ginga's tour you can also see country dance. SL Ginga takes quite a long break in this station that if you join a tour with JR East it'll be more convenient for sightseeing purposes in my opinion, or you can also consider checking out the sightseeing taxi plans in Tono station. It's also said that the mythical Kappa lives here.

*Sumita*

This is more of a place that I recommend driving here (despite SL Ginga passes by) as it offers the beautiful Ryusendo where you can see a waterfall within the cave. Kakkou is also a place for some nice local sweets. It's a great place for a side trip with visits to Kamaishi and Miyako as you can spend time strolling around the machiya and understanding the local culture in Sumita.

*Kamaishi* 

Well-known for its Dai-kannon Statue where you can see a stunning view of the Kamaishi Bay and the straits, you can also understand a little more about steel and irons in Kamaishi. When SL Ginga arrives here, there's a tiger dance (imagine the Chinese lion dance, but tiger) performance that prays for the safety of fishermen. Additionally, Kamaishi is also a place where it has a UNESCO world heritage - Hashino Iron Mining and Smelting Site, for this site has been recognized as the oldest western-style blast furnace in Japan.

- Reservation of SL Ginga-

You can reserve it if you are a JR East Tohoku Area Pass holder, JR Pass Nationwide holder without additional charges.

Without the passes, you can also purchase the tickets from Midori no Madoguchi in Japan, or pre-book 1 month before the boarding date (then collect it in Japan) using ekinet (English version available).


Share the info out, help a fam who's interested!

Enjoy!