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Inaho
Providing train service along the Japan Sea coastline is the Inaho, limited express trains. In 1982, the Inaho was remade as a connecting limited express from Niigata Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line to Tsuruoka and Sakata Stations. It also provides occasional service to Akita Station. The cars provide wonderful views of the wilderness and the Japan Sea.
The Train Line-up
- Series E653
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Inaho: Niigata – Sakata / Akita
Places of Interest
- Tsuruoka and Sakata are cities located on a wide plain near the Japan Sea in Yamagata Prefecture. Together, they are referred to as the Shonai Region. The abundance of mountain water makes Shonai an excellent farming region, and both the rice and sake from Shonai are popular throughout Japan. During the Edo Period, Tsuruoka was ruled by the daimyo (lord) Sakai, and the town of Sakata flourished as an important stop for ships travelling northward from Osaka, giving Shonai a unique history and culture.
Access: Take the Uetsu Line to Tsuruoka or Sakata Station. 
- The Kanto Festival, or Festival of Lantern Poles, is a traditional event for which Akita is well known. Men carry poles 40 feet and higher, decorated with lanterns, and perform traditional tricks such as balancing them on their palms, foreheads, shoulders and even waists. The lantern poles weight 100 pounds or more, and their feats of skill and displays represent wishes for a bountiful harvest. The namahage event of the Oga Peninsula is particularly characteristic of winter, when adults dress as monsters to test the mettle of children.
Access: Take the Uetsu Line to Akita Station.