Resort Shirakami: The Scenic Train from Aomori to Hirosaki

In this part of our journey, we took the Joyful Train Resort Shirakami from Aomori to Hirosaki. It was a short ride and we didn’t plan on it at all, but it turned out to be an eye-opener, and a must-do for anyone who is a fan of train rides. Confusing as it might sound, this is not an accommodation!

Joyful Trains are JR East’s themed sightseeing trains. Each one has its own look and its own scenic route, and they are made together with the towns along the line. The Resort Shirakami runs from Aomori and Hirosaki down the Gonō Line to Akita, along the Sea of Japan coast and past the Shirakami mountains.

This morning we arrived in Aomori from Hakodate, toured the Nebuta Museum, and had lunch at Horoka. Now we had about an hour to burn before our train to Hirosaki. We got a little tired, so we decided to see if there was anything else going our way. There was, and it was a whole lot more interesting than a regular train.

Since we had the JR Pass, the ticket office at Aomori Station printed us two reserved seat tickets on the spot at no extra charge: Resort Shirakami No. 4, leaving 13:51, reaching Hirosaki at 14:26. Car 1, seat 8-C. And of course we had to grab a can of coffee from the vending machine first. Priorities.

There are a few Resort Shirakami trains, and each has a name. We got the Buna, which means beech, after the beech forests of the Shirakami mountains. The trees are painted all the way down the sides of the train.

Car 1, where our seats were, has regular reclining seats. Except nothing about them is regular: every seat is a patchwork of orange, red and yellow, and the floor is wood.

The best seats are the booths though. Four seats facing each other around a table, a little lamp by the window, and a window as wide as the booth. We spent most of the ride in one, and I made full use of it, as you can see.

In the middle of the train, there is a small counter selling drinks, snacks and souvenirs, under a big wooden tree. Right at the front, you can look down the line over the driver’s shoulder, and there is even a box of colouring sheets for the kids.

All the stops are painted along the bottom of the wall, starting from Aomori. Hirosaki was third on the list, so we knew we didn’t have long.

Once we got going, it was white fields and snowed-in houses all the way. Minmin had her photoshoot by the window, and I spent a lot of it with my face against the glass.

The booth seats are also long enough to lie down on. Tested and confirmed.

Before we knew it, we pulled into Hirosaki right on time at 14:26. One last look at the counter car and we were off.

35 minutes was way too short. If you have a JR Pass and you are heading between Aomori and Hirosaki anyway, there is no reason to take a plain train. And if you have a whole day, ride it all the way to Akita along the coast. Onward to Hirosaki Castle!