Kyoto northwest · Arashiyama–KameokaNo.295★Open in map →
Sagano Romantic Train
— through the Hozu Gorge
A 25-minute sightseeing railway along the Hozu Gorge between Arashiyama and Kameoka, running on the abandoned old San-in main line.
The track under this train is a leftover. Until March 1989 it was the San-in Main Line, laid along the floor of the Hozu valley in the Meiji era because following the river was cheaper than tunnelling through the hills. When the line was rebuilt as a modern double-tracked, electrified route, the old riverside curves were bypassed and closed. Rather than lift the rails, JR West founded a subsidiary in November 1990 and reopened the 7.3 km stretch in April 1991 as Japan's first railway run purely for sightseeing. It has four stations — Torokko Saga, Torokko Arashiyama, Torokko Hozukyo and Torokko Kameoka — and clings to the gorge wall the whole way, high above the water the modern trains now pass in tunnels.
Why it stays quiet
Arashiyama itself is no secret, but most visitors treat it as a bamboo path and a bridge and stop there. The gorge behind it, and the fact that this train is riding a line the railway once wrote off, is the part almost nobody registers.
Background & history
The Kyoto–Kameoka section of the San-in Main Line was built along the Hozu River when engineers still preferred a valley floor to a tunnel. By the late twentieth century its curves were too tight for a modern electrified railway, and in March 1989 JR West switched traffic to a new double-tracked alignment between Saga and Umahori, closing the old route. Sagano Scenic Railway was set up in November 1990 to reuse it, and the trolley train opened in April 1991 — the first railway in Japan operated for sightseeing alone. The line has kept the old alignment intact, so the ride is also a working piece of Meiji-era railway engineering.
What to look for
- The gorge itself
- The line runs along the cliff above the Hozu River, so the water, the rapids and the boats below stay in view for most of the ride.
- Car 5, The Rich
- An open-sided carriage with no glass, where the river noise and the cold air come straight in.
- Torokko Hozukyo Station
- A tiny halt deep in the valley, reached only by this train or on foot, with a footbridge across the river.
- The river boats below
- Hozugawa boats poled by hand pass under the line, and passengers on both sides usually end up waving.
How to enjoy it
The classic loop is train out, boat back: ride to Torokko Kameoka, take the connecting bus to the river-boat pier, and come down the gorge by boat to Arashiyama in about two hours — the same valley seen from above and then from the water. If time is tight, ride to Kameoka and return on the JR line from Umahori instead. Late November is the peak for foliage and also the hardest time to get a seat, so book well ahead.
How to actually get there
- Kyoto Stn → Saga-Arashiyama Stn (JR Sagano Line, ~15 min).
- Saga-Arashiyama Stn → Torokko Saga Station (adjacent, 1–2 min walk).
- Torokko Saga → Torokko Kameoka (Sagano Scenic Railway, ~25 min).
- JR Sagano Line, then the scenic railway
- Kyoto Stn →(JR Sagano / San-in Line, ~15 min)→ Saga-Arashiyama Stn. Torokko Saga Station stands right beside the JR station, so the change is a walk of a minute or two. From there the Sagano Scenic Railway runs 7.3 km to Torokko Kameoka in about 25 minutes. All seats are reserved; the one-way adult fare is ¥880.
- JR from Umahori, or float back down by boat
- From Torokko Kameoka, JR Umahori Station is about a 10-minute walk and the Sagano Line returns you to Saga-Arashiyama or Kyoto. The other option is the Hozugawa river boat: a connecting bus runs from Torokko Kameoka to the boarding point near JR Kameoka Station, and a flat-bottomed boat is poled back down the same gorge to Arashiyama in roughly two hours.
Before you go
- Cash
- Every seat is reserved. Advance booking is through the railway's own online reservation site; same-day tickets are sold at the Torokko Saga, Arashiyama and Kameoka windows on a first-come basis (Torokko Hozukyo has no window). Autumn foliage weekends go early.
- Closing days
- The line runs roughly March through December and is normally closed on Wednesdays, though it often runs on Wednesdays during Golden Week and the autumn colours. January and February are the winter off-season. Check the operating calendar on the official site for your exact date.
- Another way
- Car 5, called The Rich, has no window glass — open to the wind and to the rain. It carries no extra charge, but its tickets are mostly held for same-day sale, and umbrellas may not be opened on board.
- After you get off
- Torokko Saga Station is immediately beside JR Saga-Arashiyama Station. If you would rather start from the bamboo grove end, Torokko Arashiyama Station is a short walk from it and the train calls there too.