Day 15, the last day of the JR Pass, and we saved one more special train for it.
Getting There
From Hakata, it’s the Relay Kamome and the Kamome Shinkansen again, this time only as far as Shin-Omura, where the Two Stars 4047 picks you up.
The Two Stars
The Two Stars 4047 is one of JR Kyushu’s “D&S” (design and story) trains, launched in 2022 together with the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen. The “4047” comes from the two old diesel cars it’s made from, a KiHa 40 and a KiHa 47. It runs along two seas: the Ariake Sea in the morning, and Omura Bay in the afternoon, which is the run we took.
Inside, it’s all wood, patterned carpets, lattice screens, art on the walls, a bar counter, and sofa seats facing the windows. Old diesel railcars dressed up like a little hotel.
Chiwata, the Station by the Sea
The train stops for a while at Chiwata, a small station right on the edge of Omura Bay, so everyone can get off, look at the sea and take photos.
Along Omura Bay
Then on along the bay, with the water right outside the window. We sat at the counter facing the sea with drinks. Near the end, you pass Huis Ten Bosch, the Dutch theme park, with its palace across the water.
The Last Night
At Takeo-Onsen, the Relay Kamome took us back to Hakata one last time. The final dinner was steak, then a walk around Canal City at night.
And that was it. 14 days on the JR Pass, and we used every single one of them: Narita, Sawara, Yokohama, Kamakura, Kanazawa, Maruoka, Kurashiki, Matsue, Okunoshima, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Kokura, Nagasaki, Yufuin and Hakata. Hot, sticky and tired every single day, but damn fun. That’s what travelling is about.
The flight home was the next morning. The whole trip, day by day, is on the trip page.
Information About the Two Stars 4047
JR Kyushu's sightseeing train between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki, running weekends and holidays mostly. The afternoon run goes along Omura Bay, with a long stop at Chiwata Station by the sea.