Hi everyone! At the end of October/beginning of November I (train driver) and my father (big train buff) will be traveling to Japan for the first time. I’m planning a day trip from Tokyo to see an operational steam train. I found the Paleo Express and the SL Gunma. Which line is more interesting and scenic? Which one would you recommend? Are there any other operational steam trains near Tokyo, doable as a day trip? Thank you very much for your help.
4 comments
SL Ginga is also within a day trip from Tokyo. Kyoto’s train musuem run’s a stream train throughout the day if you are going there.
Some other train notes:
-Saitama train musuem has a steam train simulator, get there early on a weekday for your best chance of winning the lottery.
-Densha de Go, the arcade train simulator, is available at most namco arcades.
-If you are going to Yokohama, there is a model train museum there.
-Small Worlds Tokyo might have nothing on minature wunderland, but it’s the most impressive model display in Japan. Perfect combo if your going to Teamlabs Planets
I guess it might depend if there if you want to do something else than just ride the train and return to Tokyo. I went to Chichibu and Nagatoro and there is some interesting sports if you want to check some things around. This one would absolutely be possible as a day trip from Tokyo.
The other one I know of is the Ban’etsu Monogatari that run between Niigata and Aizu-Wakamatsu. While it’s technically possible to do in a day, it would be much more expensive as it would require to ride the shinkansen all the way to Niigata. That one might make more sense if you visit Niigata and Aizu-Wakamatsu.
consider posting this on r/trains r/trainspotting and maybe r/japanrail
This might be up your alley: [https://sl-96kan.com/](https://sl-96kan.com/)
Haven’t visited it myself but just past by the building and took a picture of the train on my way to Mashiko back in 2019.