Know Your Trains: Azusa and Kaiji

Edit 26 December 2018: Updated with new maps and pictures.

Edit 3 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Edit 24 November 2019: Earlier this year, the "Super Azusa" name has been retired and all its trains were renamed as "Azusa".

An E353-series Super Azusa train at Matsumoto Station.
Taken on Saturday, 19 May 2018.

Over the past week, I've been recalling my adventures in the Fuji Five Lakes area.  While I travelled to and from there by bus, it is also possible to get to there from Tokyo by way of train.  There are two parts to this method, as I have discussed before: the JR Chuo line, and the Fujikyu line.  For the former, there are limited express services which make that leg in as little as 60 minutes: the "Azusa" and the "Kaiji".  The Azusa also goes as far as Matsumoto, a city in Nagano prefecture famous for its 400-year-old castle.

Name	Start Station	End Station(s)	Time*	Max. Frequency**
Kaiji	Shinjuku	Kofu	1 hour 45 minutes	1 per hour
Azusa	Shinjuku	Matsumoto	3 hours	1 per hour
Super Azusa	Shinjuku	Matsumoto	2 hours 30 minutes	1 per hour

*Approximate time between start and end stations.
**Departures are based on April 2017 schedules and are subject to change.

The Kaiji only goes as far as Kofu Station, whereas the Azusa makes the full journey from Shinjuku to Matsumoto, with some services (former Super Azusa trains) making fewer stops.  Some trains go even farther, with some Kaiji and one Azusa per day starting from Tokyo, and one other Azusa ending at Minami-Otari.  For those looking to transfer to the Fujikyu line, at Otsuki Station, only the Kaiji and some Azusa services stop there.

Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Line	Kaiji	Azusa
Tokyo	東京	JR Chuo	O	O
Shinjuku	新宿		X	X
Mitaka	三鷹		X	I
Tachikawa	立川		X	X
Hachioji	八王子		X	X
Otsuki	大月		X	O
Enzan	塩山		X	O
Yamanashi-shi	山梨市		X	O
Isawa-Onsen	石和温泉		X	O
Kofu	甲府		X	X
Nirasaki	韮崎		I	X
Kobuchizawa	小淵沢		I	X
Fujimi	富士見		I	O
Chino	茅野		I	X
Kami-Suwa	上諏訪		I	X
Shimo-Suwa	下諏訪		I	O
Okaya	岡谷		I	X
Shiojiri	塩尻		I	X
		JR Shinonoi
Matsumoto	松本		I	X
		JR Oito
Toyoshina	豊科		I	O
Hotaka	穂高		I	O
Shinano-Omachi	信濃大町		I	O
Hakuba	白馬		I	O
Minami-Otari	南小谷		I	O

Legend
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.

The main keep of Matsumoto Castle, accessible from Matsumoto Station.
Taken on Saturday, 19 May 2018.

Notable stops

• Shinjuku: A bustling transportation and entertainment hub in Tokyo.
• Mitaka: Location of the Studio Ghibli Museum.
• Otsuki: Gateway to the Fuji Five Lakes via the Fujikyuko Line.
• Kofu: The terminus of the Kaiji.
• Kobuchizawa: The last stop in Yamanashi Prefecture, and the last stop covered by the Tokyo Wide Pass.
• Chino: Gateway to the Takato Castle ruins, one of Japan's best cherry-blossom spots.
• Matsumoto: City with a long-standing castle.
• Shinano-Omachi: The start of the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route.
• Hakuba: A ski resort used during the 1998 Winter Olympics.
• Minami-Otari: Where JR East's coverage area ends and JR West's begins.

Since 16 March 2019, Azusa and Kaiji services both use 12-car E353-series trains.  The regular sections have a seat pitch of 96cm (38 in.), while the Green Car section, which takes up half of one car, has seats with 116cm (46 in.) of space.  Among the train's recent upgrades, all seats have electrical outlets, and luggage storage compartments were added to half of the cars, similar to those on the Narita Express or Keisei Skyliner.

Total Cars	Non-Reserved Cars	Reserved Cars	Green Cars
12	4 (Cars #3-6)	5½ (Cars #1-2, 7-9, 10-12)	½ (Car #9)

Tips

• For those using the Azusa or Kaiji to get to the Fuji Five Lakes, the Japan Rail Pass and most JR East passes will only cover those trains, and not the Fujikyu line.  The exception is the Tokyo Wide Pass, which covers both lines.
• The Tokyo Wide Pass and Tohoku Area Pass only cover journeys on the Azusa as far as Kobuchizawa, the last stop in Yamanashi Prefecture.  If you are using a Tokyo Wide Pass, you will have to pay for any sections travelled beyond that point, starting from Kobuchizawa.  For example, going the rest of the way to Matsumoto would cost an extra ¥2,190 for reserved tickets.

Trivia

• "Azusa" (あずさ) is named after the Azusa River in Matsumoto.  The name was first used for express services in 1957-1960, then for the current limited express in 1966.
• "Kaiji" (かいじ) is named after Kai Province (甲斐国, Kai no kuni), the old counterpart to modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture.  The name was first used for semi-express services in 1961-1965, then express services in 1966-1986, and finally as the current limited express in 1988.
• The "Super Azusa" (スーパーあずさ, Sūpā Azusa) service was introduced in 1994.  It made fewer stops than the Azusa, and used more advanced trainsets.  On 16 March 2019, the Super Azusa name was retired and all its trains were rebranded as Azusa.

An E257-series train, formerly used by Azusa and Kaiji trains until 2019, in front of the Yatsugatake Mountains, between Nagasaka and Kobuchizawa stations.
By Cassiopeia sweet [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons