Crossing Japan via Railway

From Fukuoka to Hokkaido via Tokyo

Mohd Shazni Zainal May 17, 2016 - 2 min read

A high school student taking the train to school

Exiting the metro in Kyoto near Nijo Castle

Before going out of the train station in Hachioji

Middle school students going to their extra curricular activities via train

Inside the Fujikyu train heading towards Kawaguchiko Station

The mini-Shinkansen stopping at Yamagata station

JR trains parked on its platform in Aomori during winter

On the Enoshima Electric Railway passing through the Kanagawa beach area

The view just after exiting the train in Tokyo

The view from the train the day after the first snowfall, going from Yamagata to Fukushima

One of the views after snowfall going back to Fukushima from Yamagata

Back in December 2015, I had the opportunity to explore Japan for 24 days. Being someone who has been waiting for this chance of a lifetime, I decided to explore as many prefectures as I could.

I began looking at options of buses, airplanes, ferries, and of course, the train. In my itinerary, I planned to start from Fukuoka, and cross all the big prefectures, up to Tokyo, and then continue my journey further north to Hokkaido. Lucky enough, as a foreigner I get to utilize the JR Pass option, whereby it allows you to use all JR line transportation, including the Shinkansen. Of course, there are certain Shinkansen which are not accessible with the JR Pass, but that doesn't mean you can't use other Shinkansen, which pretty much go along the same track as these Shinkansen.

With the choice of 7, 14 and 21 day passes, I chose the 21 day pass for my trip. To be honest, I would have paid double the price in total if I did not use this pass for my trip. In Tokyo however, there are many other private lines that do not accept the JR Pass if you want to go to certain places. Sure, you can still use some of the JR lines, but you may end up taking more travel time. Therefore, if you're planning to travel all over Japan, a JR Pass is definitely useful. Here are some of the best train experiences that I had when exploring Japan:

Watching my movement via Google Maps when I was on the Shinkansen. Fast!
Seeing a cloud-covered Fuji-san.
Witnessing the change of weather from snowy to normal after going through the tunnel from Yamagata to Fukushima.
Taking the Enoshima Electric Railway, going along the scenic beach of Kamakura.
Standing for 5 hours from Aomori to Sapporo due to the peak season.

Mohd Shazni Zainal @mohd.shazni.zainal

A self-taught photographer since 2009 who used to be a simple enthusiast, who takes photos of everyday life and later ventured into wedding photography, at the same time, working on his own personal projects which had rewarded him a few slots for exhibitions locally. Having retired from wedding p...