This article is based on a visit made on Saturday, 19 May 2018.
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I wrapped up a day trip to Takayama which, I would say, was one of the highlights of this trip. After returning for our final night in Toyama, we were about to return to Tokyo. But even though the Hokuriku Shinkansen provides a fast and direct link between the two cities, I felt like making a diversion along the way. Our interim destination was the castle town of Matsumoto, and to get there, our route included a special train called the Resort View Furusato.
The Resort View Furusato (リゾートビューふるさと,
Rizōto Byū Furusato) is one of JR East's lineup of "Joyful Trains". These are specialised excursion trains which generally run on weekends and holiday periods, and have unique exterior and interior themes, often tying in with aspects of their particular regions.
The Resort View Furusato uses a 2-car HB-E300-series train, powered by a hybrid electric/diesel engine. Inside, the Furusato may not appear as flashy as other Joyful Trains, but its essentials go above and beyond the call. All seats
have a generous pitch of 120 cm (47 inches), the most spacious regular seating in JR's entire
fleet, and the windows are plenty wide, too. At both ends of the train, there are small open areas where you can enjoy an even better view. Traditional music performances are also held here, primarily on the western portion of the route which we skipped over.
Mid-way between Nagano and Matsumoto, the train makes an extended stop at Obasute Station. Two things stand out about this station: first, there is a switchback here, where the train must change directions to climb up or down, not unlike certain points of the
Hakone Tozan Railway. And second, the platform has a commanding view of the Zenkoji Plain below, towards Nagano.
Attendants are also on hand throughout the whole journey. You can buy certain snacks and gifts from them -- such as products made with apples, an agricultural specialty of Nagano Prefecture -- and they are happy to assist with taking your picture, such as I did at the above-mentioned stop.
We disembarked at Matsumoto, but the Resort View Furusato continues up the Oito line, which skirts up the eastern edge of the Japan Alps. If you want to go to the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, you can take this train to Shinano-Omachi station, and transfer to a bus from there. Kurobe Dam (pictured), one of the route's highlights, can be reached in only an hour from Shinano-Omachi. Beware that if you do so, make sure you have enough time to catch the last connection at each stop, since crowds are liable to build up by the time you get there. For more information, please read my introduction article on the Alpine Route
here.
On its outbound journey, the train also makes an extended half-hour stop at Hotaka. This gives you enough time to visit Hotaka Shrine which, despite being situated right next to the station, is nestled within a pleasant wooded grove. In that regard, it reminds me of Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Even Hotaka Station is modelled after the shrine's bare-wooden architecture!
The far end of the line, from Hakuba to Minami-Otari, is home to a dense cluster of ski resorts, accessible by buses from either of the two stations as well as from Nagano. The largest ski zone is Happo'one (pictured), which hosted Downhill and Super G skiing events during the 1998 Winter Olympics.
The Resort View Furusato runs on most Saturdays and Sundays, and some additional periods, including almost the entire month of August. For up-to-date operating schedules, please visit the links at the bottom of this article.
| Station | Resort View Furusato
for Minami-Otari | Station | Resort View Furusato
for Nagano |
| Nagano | 9:04 AM | Minami-Otari | 3:18 PM |
| Shinonoi | 9:13 AM | Hakuba | 3:33 PM (Arr.)
3:39 PM (Dep.) |
| Obasute | 9:28 AM (Arr.)
9:45 AM (Dep.) | Shinano-Omachi | 4:20 PM (Arr.)
4:21 PM (Dep.) |
| Akashina | 10:11 AM (Arr.)
10:12 AM (Dep.) | Shinano-Matsukawa | 4:30 PM (Arr.)
4:31 PM (Dep.) |
| Matsumoto | 10:27 AM (Arr.)
10:41 AM (Dep.) | Hotaka | 4:42 PM (Arr.)
4:45 PM (Dep.) |
| Hotaka | 10:59 AM (Arr.)
11:31 AM (Dep.) | Matsumoto | 5:14 PM (Arr.)
5:23 PM (Dep.) |
| Shinano-Matsukawa | 11:41 AM (Arr.)
11:42 AM (Dep.) | Akashina | 5:40 PM |
| Shinano-Omachi | 11:52 AM (Arr.)
12:02 PM (Dep.) | Obasute | 6:06 PM (Arr.)
6:07 PM (Dep.) |
| Hakuba | 12:34 PM (Arr.)
12:42 PM (Dep.) | Shinonoi | 6:19 PM |
| Minami-Otari | 1:00 PM | Nagano | 6:29 PM |
Tips
- All seats on the Resort View Furusato are reserved. The supplement fee is a flat ¥530 on top of regular fare.
- The Resort View Furusato is classified as a rapid train, so you can ride
it for free with the Japan Rail Pass, JR East Nagano-Niigata Pass, and
even the Seishun 18 Ticket.
- For the best views during the Nagano-Matsumoto section, including the Obasute overlook, sit on the right side of the train (for outbound services). For the best views of the Japan alps beyond Matsumoto, sit on the left side (outbound).
More information:
(English) (Japanese)
