Hi everyone! I’m at Tokyo Station now. I’m gonna try the cheapest room on the Japanese sleeper train. I’m heading from Tokyo to Izumo-Shi on the Sunrise Express tonight. It’s a 950km (590 miles) trip. The total fare is 21,710 yen.
Tokyo Station is like a maze, so you’d better arrive early! So many security cameras that even Tom Cruise wouldn’t be able to break through. I want to buy some food before getting on the train I bought one lunch box for dinner Today, I booked the cheapest private room called “Solo”. Because it’s a long trip and I want privacy. To be precise, the train has the cheapest seats called “Nobi Nobi” But, they are not private rooms that ensure privacy.
My train will depart from platform 9. It’s 9:20 pm. My train has arrived! It’s a cool train, colored like Iron Man. First I need to buy a shower card. Because the quantity is limited. I could buy one. Bound for Izumo-Shi My room is in this car No.10! Let’s go! I’m getting so excited!
This is my room! There is a staircase next to the bed It’s so nice! A pair of slippers (you can’t take them home though) They are big enough The mattress is soft Unisex pajamas (One-size-fits-all) One pillow (a little stiff) And a blanket Perfect This is the narrowest bed on this train, but it’s comfortable enough for me. The corridor is also narrow, but it’s okay. You can close the door to ensure your privacy. And the door is lockable. The ceiling is high enough, and there is space for luggage storage. My favorite part is this big window.
The room is kept at an appropriate temperature by air conditioning. One disposable cup It was more than I expected. It’s 9:50 pm. The train has departed from Tokyo Station. The train conductor came to check my ticket. Thank you!!
The maximum speed of the train is 130km/h (81mph) If you turn off the lights, you can enjoy the nice night view from the window. The train departs Tokyo Station at 9:50 pm and arrives at Izumo City Station at 9:58 am. So it will be a 12-hour trip. You can fly to the US in the same amount of time. hahaha If the outside lights are too bright, you can close the window shades. But not now
The view from the train window makes me feel so relaxed. By the way, the Sunrise Express is the only night train in Japan that operates every day. I hope that the Sunrise Express’s service will never end. Our train has stopped at Yokohama station. It was a brief stop. There are many switches next to the bed. It’s a heating control switch. I like these warm colored lights because they go well with this wood grain interior. I set the alarm for 5:20 am. I’m glad that there is one electrical outlet next to the bed.
Train information This pillow is harder than the one in the first class room I stayed in last time Now, I’d like to change into the pajamas. The pajamas are shaped like a robe or a kimono. It’s very clean and ironed well. The thickness of the blanket is just right for any season. The size of this bed is 196cm x 70cm (77 inch x 27 inch) It’s big enough. This is today’s last in-car announcement so as not to disturb sleeping passengers Well, I’m going to sleep. Our train is still running in Shizuoka. Good night
Good morning It’s still dark out side. Our train traveled a long distance while I was sleeping The train has stopped at Himeji Station (Himeji Castle is my channel’s icon!!) I’m gonna go wash my face. It’s winter, so it’s nice to have hot water. At the next station, the front 7 cars and the rear 7 cars will be uncoupled. So I’m going to see it! You can lock the door by simply pressing any four numbers To unlock the door, press the same numbers again.
Our train has arrived at Okayama Station. It’s so cold outside! Here The Sunrise Express is a 14-car train, and the name differs depending on its destination. The first to seventh cars are called Sunrise Seto. And the eighth to fourteenth cars are called Sunrise Izumo. Sunrise Seto has departed first! Last time I rode on Sunrise Seto, so I couldn’t see the uncoupling. So I’m glad I could see it this time.
I’m back in my room From here our train goes north, the snowy area. Our train has stopped at Kurashiki, a traditional canal city. Dawn is breaking, but I’m going to take a nap. hahaha The view is changing to that of the countryside. Here is Bicchu-Takahashi Station As you can see, there’s a little bit of snow on the ground. Nice view This is Niimi Station.
Our train is now running through a mountainous area and going through a lot of tunnels. There is quite a bit of snow on the ground! I realized that I had forgotten about the lunch box I had bought! So now I’m going to the lounge to have breakfast.
What was supposed to be dinner turned out to be breakfast. This lunch box is called “Makunouchi Bento” in Japanese! It’s a Bento box filled with the most common Japanese dishes. It looks tasty First, I clean my hands. ASMR of chopsticks. hahaha Eating on the train is one of the best pleasures of train travel! Grilled salmon I like lunch boxes that offer a variety of flavors. It was so tasty
When I finished my breakfast, I was in snow country! Heavy snow covers the railroad tracks Now, I’m going to take a shower. Here is the restroom. The toilets on this train are not high-tech toilets. I’m not the first person to use this toilet today, but it’s well cleaned. Toilet seat disinfectant OK, then I’ll go to the shower room. Fortunately, no one is using the shower room right now.
Taking a warm shower on the train while it’s snowing outside is an unusual experience! The shower room has a countdown timer to prevent water waste. Shampoo and body soap are provided, but you need to bring a towel By inserting the shower card into the machine, you will be able to use the shower for 6 minutes. When you press the start button, the countdown will start You can save your remaining time by pressing the stop button. Shower time I was refreshed. One minutes left. Good. When you finish using the shower, you need to press the cleaning button for the next user. OK, then, let’s explore the train.
The Sunrise Express has 14 cars, all of which are double-deckers. This is the lounge where I had my breakfast. Vending machine The train conductor’s office This car No.12 has the cheapest seats on this train, called Nobi-Nobi. Next, this car No.11 has the most expensive rooms on this train, called “Single Deluxe”. Twin rooms are also available. And this is car 13 which has the most standard rooms on this train, called “Single”. The private room of ”Single” is slightly larger than the one of “Solo”. The washbasins are clean That’s all. I’m back in my room. Sometimes the train conductor makes in-car announcements explaining the tourist attractions. Relaxing time
Our train has arrived at Yonago Station. We are now in Tottori prefecture, which is famous for the Tottori Sand Dunes If you book the Sunrise Express in the future, I would recommend the seat on the right side! This is one of the reasons, the view of Lake Shinji. Lake Shinji is famous for its clams and one of the 100 best sunset views in Japan! This train runs along the sea during the night, so you can’t see the sea. However, if you reserve a seat on the right side, you can enjoy the nice view of the lake instead.
The next station is Izumo City Station, the final stop. I get ready to get off the train It’s about time to get off the train. After arriving at Izumo City Station, I will go to eat the unique soba noodles that are a local specialty. I’ll show you briefly later.
Finally, I’ve arrived at Izumo City Station! It was a very long train trip Wow, the wind is painfully cold! Many passengers are taking pictures of the train Thank you for transporting me! I had a wonderful night sleeper train trip and I am very satisfied. Although I stayed in the cheapest room, I didn’t get tired as the bed was fully flat.
From here, I’ll take a bus to go to the Izumo Taisha Shrine first. It takes about 30 minutes by bus. The fare is about 500 yen. I got off the bus in front of the entrance of the shrine. Izumo Taisha Shrine is famous as a sacred place for marriage. This big rope is the most popular photo spot I’m so hungry.
This is Izumo City’s local specialty, called “Wariko Soba”. It is a soba noodle that you eat by sprinkling noodle soup directly on the soba noodle. There are many soba noodle restaurants in the city. ASMR of chopsticks You can enjoy five kinds of flavors at once. Just for your future travel ideas, I wrote down the detailed information in the description. It was so tasty. Thank you for reading until the end!