Imagine the perfect sleeper train journey – waking up after a comfortable night’s rest and opening the curtains to a magical sunrise over some beautiful scenery, perhaps with breakfast in bed. The Sunrise Express name does indeed conjure up images of an idyllic experience and, although idyllic would be going too far to describe this journey, I did really enjoy my unique experience of riding Japan’s only regularly timetabled sleeper train.
Operated by two companies of the Japan Railways in cooperation, JR East and JR Central, the Sunrise Express sleeper train departs nightly and is actually formed of two seven-carriage trains. The Sunrise Seto connects Tokyo and Takamatsu (and Kotohira in the summer) while the Sunrise Izumo connects Tokyo and Izumoshi. Both trains run as one train from Tokyo as far as Okayama, where the trains are decoupled and run separately to Takamatsu and Izumoshi respectively stopping regaularly at towns, cities and railway junction stations en route.
In November 2019, I took a trip on the Sunrise Izumo from Izumoshi in the Shimane Prefecture to the country’s capital, Tokyo. The train departed at 18:51, arriving into Tokyo for 07:08, which is almost the same as the running times today. Although this travel report may not be the most recent, it is still relevant as the train remains the same today.
Here’s the route map of the full route on the Sunrise Express including the Sunrise Seto and Sunrise Izumo portions:
Departure from Izumoshi
Serving the city of Izumoshi, and trains on the Sanin Main Line, is Izumoshi railway station built in 1910. Today the station offers a supermarket and a tourist information centre as well as two island platforms. On the ground of the platforms were coach markers written in Japanese and English so you know where exactly to wait for your reserved carriage. These were specifically for the Sunrise Izumo citing the accommodation type along with the coach number. I also liked the passenger information screens – following our train to Tokyo the “Local Conductorless Train” was scheduled to depart for Nima… That name doesn’t quite evoke the same image as the Sunrise Express.
Onboard the Sunrise Express
The two seven carriage train-sets that form the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto are identical with a choice of accommodation onboard including a choice of sleeping compartments and the very Japanese ‘Nobi Nobi’ seating.
On a Thursday night in November, there were only a handful of passengers with us on the platform boarding the Sunrise Izumo bound for Tokyo.
Sleeping Car Accommodation
The Sunrise Express does have private sleeping car accommodation with compartments, similar to European sleeper trains. The double-deck carriages, are made up of Type A and Type B compartments. Type A compartments are set up as single berths for one person with wash basin while Type B accommodate one or two customers in bunk beds. There are communal washing and toilet facilities for Type B compartments that can be found in the corridor – there aren’t en-suite toilets at all as you’ll find on some European sleeper trains.
For our trip myself and a friend had booked Type B accommodation that we shared. The room was cosy indeed with very Japanese wood panelling everywhere. In the room, slippers were provided with clean bedding and there was also a radio and digital clock panel in the wall. With no external luggage storage facilities we did have an issue with storing our two large suitcases. These had to be precariously balanced between the end of the bed and the door frame which wasn’t great.
Sleeping Car Facilities
On the Sunrise Express, there are communal sinks available in the corridor complete with a privacy curtain. There are also vending machines with drinks and a small communal sitting area.
There are also showers available on the train that are available to any passenger. As water is limited, these come at an additional cost of ¥320 / £1.70 / €1,99. Shower cards are available to purchase from a vending machine near the communal sitting area. In the shower compartment you simply push the card into the reader and, hey presto, the shower works for six minutes with a countdown timer in the cubicle so you’ll know when your time up is coming! Six minutes doesn’t sound very long, but actually it was more than adequate. Even if you don’t intend to use the shower itself, the Shower Card is a nice souvenir branded with the Sunrise Express.
Nobi Nobi ‘Seated’ Accommodation
The Nobi Nobi accommodation is unique to Japan and is the cheapest accommodation on the train. This is marketed as a ‘seat’, however, it is not really, the Nobi Nobi is actually a thick carpet. This is an open saloon carriage with allocated spaces on two levels. There is some basic privacy covering the face area only and each space has its own window – perfect for enjoying views in the morning.
Arrival into Tokyo
Waking up in the suburbs of Tokyo, it was surreal to be lying in bed watching commuters on platforms of local stations heading to the city. After a day of exploring quiet Izumoshi, it was strange to step off the train in the busy capital.
Booking and Fares
Most tourists will have a Japan Rail Pass in their possession. This provides great value for anyone planning multiple trips on the Shinkansen across the country with no reservation fees. Although the Japan Rail Pass does provide a discount on the Sunrise Express, there is the need to pay for the reservation for the specific type of accommodation. This is compulsory so is subject to availability.
We had enquired about travelling in the Nobi Nobi area, however, unfortunately all spaces were sold out (reserving 6 nights before, travelling on Thursday night). We decided to treat ourselves to the other option, a twin sleeping berth, at a total cost of ¥22,000 / £164.30 at the time of travelling.
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Conclusion
The Sunrise Express provided a comfortable, time-effective way to travel from the west of Japan to the capital, Tokyo. Although it wasn’t great that we had nowhere to store our suitcases, I had a good night’s sleep on the train in our Type B compartment. Facilities are limited with no catering available other than a vending machine with drinks. The shower was a nice treat though and worth the cost. We didn’t wake up to a sunrise unfortunately, however, we won’t hold that against them!
This travel report was first published in January 2024.
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