TOHOKU EMOTION
The Restaurant Train
TOHOKU EMOTION
The Restaurant Train
In addition to a plethora of attractions that include excellent design, art, and panoramic views, the TOHOKU EMOTION is particularly known for its cuisine. This ‘restaurant train’ is a restaurant that spans all of the cars, which features include an open kitchen where you can watch your food being prepared while you wait. Guests can enjoy a menu rich in local Tohoku area ingredients while enjoying a view of the sea along the Sanriku Coast.
Tohoku Delicacies
The open kitchen serves food from its original menu prepared by popular chefs using local Tohoku ingredients. With the motif of a “gourmet circus,” the chefs change twice a year, and the menu changes four times a year, so you will never get bored of the menu even if you take the train over and over again.
Premium car interior
The “TOHOKU EMOTION” is a restaurant train, where all of the cars are part of the restaurant, including the symbolic open kitchen.
The decor features motifs of traditional Tohoku crafts, in-train artwork created by specialists in various genres, and there is even original music.
- Debut year
- October 2013
- Service area
- Hachinohe to Kuji Stations
Travel Guide
Here are some recommended spots along the TOHOKU EMOTION route.
Hirono Emotion
The TOHOKU EMOTION made its debut when the JR Hachinohe Line, which was damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake, resumed operation.
People in the areas along the line often wave their hands at passing trains in appreciation to passengers for their patronage to the region.
*No fixed schedule (outbound only)
Tanesashi Coast Natural Grassland
This is one of the most representative landscapes of the Tanesashi Coast, loved by many literary figures. The beautiful grass extends all the way to the edge of the waves.
- Access
- About 5 minutes walk from Tanesashikaigan Station
Kabushima Island
Kabushima Island is a breeding ground for seagulls, with more than 30,000 of them arriving in spring. It is the only place in Japan where you can observe their nests up close.
- Access
- About a 15 minute walk from Same Station
Ashigezaki Observatory
This observatory was used to monitor foreign ships at the end of the Edo period and by the Japanese military as a watchtower during the Pacific War.
- Access
- About a 10 minute drive from Same Station
Train Details
The exterior design of the train is bold, inspired by a “moving restaurant.”
With an open kitchen as the focal point, every train seat is a part of the restaurant. Each of the train’s three railcars is unique, private compartments, an open kitchen, and dining area.
Each railcar is decorated with motifs of traditional crafts from various regions of Tohoku, such as Fukushima Prefecture’s sashiko ori, Aomori prefecture’s kogin sashi, and Iwate prefecture’s nanbu iron, with something to discover at every turn. At the open kitchen, watch as your meal is prepared right in front of you, a delight to the eyes just as much as to the palate!
Car interior
Car no. 1
Private compartment railcar
Car no. 1 has seven compartment rooms decorated with sashiko ori wall fabric made in the Fukushima tradition.
Car no. 2
Open kitchen railcar
Car no. 2 has an open kitchen space. The back wall is decorated with kogin sashi embroidery in the Aomori tradition, and the counter walls are made of Nambu iron from Iwate and decorative Nambu himemari balls from Aomori.
Car No. 3
Dining area
Car no. 3 is an open dining area with Aomori kogin sashi embroidery on the floor, Iwate kohaku amber illumination, and Ogatsu inkstone from Miyagi as the finishing material for the fixtures.
Car layout
Make the most of your train ride
In addition to a plethora of attractions that include excellent design, art, and panoramic views, the TOHOKU EMOTION is particularly known for its cuisine. This ‘restaurant train’ is a restaurant that spans all of the cars, which features include an open kitchen where you can watch your food being prepared while you wait.
Dining Guide
Service style
We aim to provide a less formal service style with ample attention to detail and sprinkled with fun touches.
The open kitchen serves food from its original menu prepared by popular chefs using local Tohoku ingredients. With the motif of a “gourmet circus,” the chefs change twice a year, and the menu changes four times a year, so you will never get bored of the menu even if you take the train over and over again.
The menu for the outbound trip from April 2023 to September 2023 will be supervised by "Sous-sus" (Omachi, Akita), which serves dishes with a seasonal feel that emphasizes sauces and aromas. Chef Eiko Shibuya.
The menu for the outbound trip from October 2023 to March 2024 will be supervised by Ginza Kazen, a restaurant with a thorough knowledge of traditional Cantonese cuisine, as well as new dishes incorporating new ingredients and techniques. Chef Kei Yanada of ``Ginza Kazen'' (Ginza, Tokyo).
On the outbound trip, you will enjoy a course meal created by the fusion of the popular chef's sensibilities and local ingredients, and on the return trip, you will enjoy TOHOKU EMOTION original dessert provided by Hotel Metropolitan Morioka. The dishes are decorated with a variety of tableware and fixtures that were originally created for TOHOKU EMOTION and are the result of traditional Tohoku skill and beauty. We will present traditional crafts from all over Tohoku in a way that is appropriate for today.
▍Menu Direction
Eiko Shibuya
Sous-sus
(Sush)
April 2023 to September 2023
Born in Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture.
After graduating from "Ecole Tsuji Osaka" and "Tsujichou Group French School", he got a job at "Le Petit Boudon" in Daikanyama, Tokyo. At the age of 28, she became the first female finalist in the service competition "Maître de Servise". After that, he served as the head chef of "Le Petit Boudon" for two and a half years, and won the "Promising Young Chef Award" in the guidebook "Gault & Millau 2018", which is on par with Michelin. In October 2019, he himself launched the owner-chef French restaurant "Sous-sus". In order to continue to be loved by local people in Akita, we provide dishes that satisfy the body and mind of those who eat them.
▍Menu Direction
Kei Yanada
Ginza Kazen
(Ginza Kazen)
October 2023 - March 2024
Born on March 3, 1978 in Iwate Prefecture.
After graduating from Tsuji Culinary Technology Institute's Department of Chinese Cuisine, he studied under a special first-class chef in Beijing. After returning to Japan, he trained at Chugoku Hanten Group and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, and then served as executive chef at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and a restaurant in Tokyo, before opening Ginza Kazen in 2020. Based on our deep knowledge of traditional Cantonese cuisine, we offer new menus that incorporate new ingredients and techniques.
▍Dessert Direction:
Kumagai Takashi
(Hotel Metropolitan Morioka)
Directing dessert on the inbound trip
Lunch Course (outbound trip)
▍Beverages
As much beer, white wine, red wine, soft drinks, coffee, tea, etc. as you’d like
- *Menu items and order may be subject to change.
- *All images are intended as examples.
Dessert & Afternoon Tea (Inbound trip)
▍Beverages
As many soft drinks, coffee, tea, herbal tea, etc. as you like
- *Alcohol is also available.
- *All images are intended as examples.
- *The menu is an example and is subject to change without notice.
List of allergens (Japanese only)
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Neighborhood information
Location
The unforgettable charm of the local sightseeing spots and scenery from the train windows
The vast sea off the Sanriku Coast can be seen from the TOHOKU EMOTION along its route on the Hachinohe Line (between Hachinohe Station and Kuji Station).
The train slows down at the most scenic spots so that passengers can fully appreciate the scenery while enjoying a leisurely meal.
The Hachinohe-Kuji location is an area full of attractions, including abundant foodstuffs from the sea and mountains such as sea urchins, abalone, squid, mackerel, shorthorn beef, crimson glory vine, and shiitake mushrooms; traditional crafts such as pottery and textiles, including Kokuji-yaki; Hiraniwa Highlands with the largest birch forest in Japan; Kabushima Island, designated national natural treasure as a "breeding ground for seagulls;" and Tanesashi Coast, once described as beautiful by a great writer.
A little further along, visit Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge, Asamushi Onsen overlooking Mutsu Bay, the Sannai-Maruyama Historical Site, and the Shimokita Peninsula from Tsugaru and Komaki Onsen, which stretches over an area of 727,000 square kilometers. The trip becomes even more marvelous.
Route & Timetables / Calendar
How to Board
How to purchase
Travel Packages
Purchase Locations
Sold on the “Joyful Trains Reservation Site.” (Cannot be purchased through the JR-EAST Train Reservation system)
■■Easy Online Reservations■■
Joyful Trains Reservation Site (Japanese only)
*Some of the trip dates shown on the calendar are sold by other travel agencies and may not be available for reservation on the “Joyful Trains” site.