Revel in the World of Japan Railway : Saitama Railway Museum

When you travel in Japan, it is impossible to avoid using train (because it can take you literally anywhere in the country).

But still, isn’t it boring to just ride on train?  Since Japan is a country with possibly the most advanced transportation system, tons of rich history lie behind it.

Today, I will introduce you to a place that tell stories from Japan’s first ever train to the latest technology. And if you want to try to be a Train Driver, you should not miss this blog.

Welcome everyone to…..

Saitama Railway Museum!!!

Saitama Railway Museum

Japan is a country best known for being one of the world’s most technologically advanced countries. The Railway System is one of the aspects that make Japan so. You may have heard about the High Speed Bullet Train so called “Shinkansen”, which is pride of this country.

Additionally, the Japan Railway is a very important part of Japanese people’s daily life. So if you visit Railway Museum, you will see more than just the collection of old trains but interesting history of Japan as well.

Access

The museum is located in Saitama Prefecture (north of Tokyo), so you can visit this place within half of day (I suggest that you should spend time there up to 3 hours for the best experience).

Operating Hours: 10:00-18:00 (last admission 17:30)
Close every Tuesday and the New Year’s holidays (Dec. 29 – Jan. 1)

Website (English) Click>>>

Adult (1000 yen)/ High School Student (500 yen) / Pre-School Student (300 yen)

1. First, you take JR train to Oomiya Station (Saitama). There is also Shinkansan Platform here.

“New Shuttle Line”

Look for the sign “The Railway Museum”, then change for “New Shuttle Line”

2. After entering the New Shuttle Line platform, get on the train, our destination is next stop, Tetsudo-Hakubutsukan Station.

“The Railway Museum”, One Stop!!

We get off at this station

Step out of the exit and we will see this hallway. There is Train Schedule written on the floor.

We will see Train Shuttle that was used in the past

Here is the entrance

This museum will be divided into 2 zones as Historic Zone and Experience Zone.

Historic Zone

This section collects all of the Train Shuttles since the beginning of its time in Japan. For some shuttles, you are allowed to go inside and try sitting on the bench like passengers in old days.

The first train of Japan

This is the first train ever to run in the country (as you will see No. 1 written on it). In the past, Japan couldn’t to construct their own trains, so they needed to rely on imports from England.

Passenger Shuttle

This train also originated from England, thus its style remains the same as its predecessor No. 1. The passenger seat faces forward, which was a common thing in the past. If you look at the roof, there is hole that allows train man to insert a lantern during the night.

Train No.2

This shuttle was imported from America, See the difference?

Various Designs and Models

Main attraction, “turning railway”

At the center of the hall, there is a rotating display which will turn the train shuttle around in circle, letting audience see every part of the train. It rotates several times a day. There are railways connecting with the turning platform that staff can change the display train.

P.S. The brown train, in the picture above, is the last model of Japanese Train that doesn’t have an air conditioning system installed inside. I don’t want to imagine how local people travel in the past during rush hour!

Shinkansen  (新幹線)

Taking a step further, there is a display about High Speed Bullet Train, called “Shinkansen” in Japanese. In this room, you will see every model of Shinkansen that has been used in Japan. Furthermore, you can get inside the train to see how it feels and see whether or not it’s much different from the recent model.

The 1st Shinkansen ran between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964.

Inside Passenger Shuttle

The arrangement of passenger seat is different from our recent train and you were allowed to smoke in the past.

History of Shinkansen

That’s it for today.

Next time, I will take you to the Experience Zone which you can get to become a Train Driver and try to drive Shinkansen Train be yourself!

Stay tuned!

 

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