Tsugaru Railway: Winter Journey on Japan's Northernmost Stove Train

Running across the deep snows of the Tsugaru Plain with the warmth of a pot-bellied stove, the Tsugaru Railway's "Stove Train" in Aomori Prefecture is one of the defining sights of winter in the Tsugaru region. Inside retro carriages, coal-burning stoves warm travellers. Gazing out at the silver-white world spreading beyond the windows, you can savour the atmosphere of an old-fashioned train journey — a heartwarming winter rail trip.

The Tsugaru Railway and the Stove Train

The Tsugaru Railway is a historic private line connecting Goshogawara City and Nakadomari Town in Aomori Prefecture. It opened in 1930 (Showa 5) and is 20.7 km long in total. From December 1 to March 31 the following year, three round trips a day, all during daylight hours, run as the famous "Stove Train." To ride it you need a Stove Train ticket costing 1,000 yen in addition to an ordinary passenger ticket (fares revised on December 1, 2024). Old-fashioned pot-bellied stoves are installed in the retro carriages, making the interior toasty warm. It is a train on which the severe winter of snow country can be spent warmly and full of travel atmosphere.

The Atmosphere of the Pot-Bellied Stove

The star of the Stove Train is the coal-fired daruma stove set into the carriage. The nostalgic sight of the conductor feeding in coal, and the toasty smell of the famous surume (dried squid) grilled on top of the stove, stir the traveller's mood. Surume can sometimes be bought from the on-board trolley, and grilling it on the stove is the classic way to enjoy it (availability differs by operating day). It is a warm space where conversations spring up among passengers as well.

The Snowscape Beyond the Window

From the windows of the Stove Train, an unbroken silver world spreads out. The snow-covered Tsugaru Plain, and the sacred Mount Iwaki rising in the distance, are truly the finest winter scenery of the northern country. The landscape seen from a train advancing slowly through falling snow feels somehow nostalgic and dreamlike. From the warmth of the carriage you can take in, to your heart's content, the harsh yet beautiful scenery found only in snow country.

Sights Along the Line and Stopping Off

The Tsugaru Railway has twelve stations in all: Tsugaru-Goshogawara, Togawa, Gonokomae, Tsugaru-Iizume, Bishamon, Kase, Kanagi, Ashino-Koen, Kawakura, Osawanai, Fukogota and Tsugaru-Nakazato. Of these only three — Tsugaru-Goshogawara, Kanagi and Tsugaru-Nakazato — are staffed; all the rest are unstaffed. At Tsugaru-Goshogawara, the starting point, there is a community cafe called "Del Sole," where you can try the speciality "Tetsu-jiru" soup made with Aomori Shamorock chicken and yam dumplings. The station shop stocks products made at Aomori Prefectural Goshogawara Agriculture and Forestry High School, Tsugaru Railway goods and coal cookies. Kanagi Station, midway along the line, is the hometown of the novelist Dazai Osamu, and "Poppoya" on the station's second floor is popular for its speciality shijimi clam ramen and special gyoza. At the next stop, Ashino-Koen Station, the "Red-Roofed Cafe Ekisha" occupies the former station building, where you can drink "Showa Coffee" from the Hirosaki coffee house that Dazai is said to have frequented and favoured. Tsugaru-Nakazato, the terminus, is the centre of Nakadomari Town. Each unstaffed station has been given a secondary station name, such as "Town of History: Takadate Castle Ruins" (Tsugaru-Iizume) and "Moonbow — Happiness to All Who See It" (Ashino-Koen), so that simply reading the station signs conveys the stories of the line. The whole line is 20.7 km, less than an hour even one way, but the more you break the journey, the closer the life of Tsugaru comes.

The Tsugaru Railway Through the Seasons

The Stove Train is the winter speciality, but the Tsugaru Railway shows a different face in each season. In spring, cherry blossom blooms so as to enfold the tracks within the grounds of Ashino-Koen Station, and the "tunnel of cherry blossom" is lit up at night. In busy periods, services using locomotive DD352 and vintage carriages are arranged, and in some years special trains run in time with the Kanagi Cherry Blossom Festival. In summer the "Wind Chime Train," with wind chimes hung inside the carriages, carries a cooling sound, and during the Goshogawara Tachi-Neputa in August a "special vintage carriage service" runs using the same carriages as the Stove Train but without lighting the stoves. Because these are old carriages with windows that open, you can enjoy the view while the breeze crossing the rice fields blows through. Special trains also run in time with the Goshogawara Fireworks Festival and the Tachi-Neputa. The line's flagship train, the "Hashire Melos," changes its headmark with the seasons — the "Bell Cricket Train," the "Pass Your Exams Train" and others — so you meet a different train each time you visit.

Tips for Photographing the View and the Train

Snowy scenes through the window easily blow out to pure white, so the trick is to expose a little brighter to keep gradation in the snow. Inside the Stove Train the contrast is very strong between the flames of the daruma stove and the snow-light outside the windows. Setting the exposure for the stove to bring out the red fire, or shooting a person's silhouette slightly against the light from a window seat, makes for an evocative shot. Before and after boarding, the retro station buildings, station name signs and the carriages waiting at Tsugaru-Goshogawara Station also make good subjects. Note, however, that winter platforms are snow-covered and icy, and conductors and staff are at work carrying coal. Shoot from a position that does not obstruct other passengers or their work, and never step onto the tracks. Use tripods sparingly at stations and inside the carriages, and enjoy the trip by giving way to one another.

Best Season and Access

The Stove Train operates from December 1 to March 31 the following year. Even within that period not every train is a Stove Train — only three round trips during the day. Note also that the "Tsugaru Free Pass" cannot be used for the Stove Train; an ordinary passenger ticket plus a Stove Train ticket is required separately. For access, board at Tsugaru-Goshogawara Station, adjacent to Goshogawara Station on the JR Gono Line. Combine it with nearby sights such as the Tachi-Neputa Hall and enjoy a rail journey full of the atmosphere that only an Aomori winter can offer.

Practical Information

• Best season: The Stove Train runs only in winter. It is a journey for enjoying snowy views from the window.
• Operating period: From December 1 to March 31 the following year, every year. Not all trains during the period, but only three round trips during the day, run as the Stove Train. Check departure times in the official timetable (revised June 1, 2025).
• Fares: In addition to an ordinary passenger ticket, a Stove Train ticket costing 1,000 yen is required (fares revised December 1, 2024). Note that the "Tsugaru Free Pass" cannot be used for the Stove Train; an ordinary passenger ticket plus a Stove Train ticket is needed separately.
• Access: Board at Tsugaru-Goshogawara Station, adjacent to Goshogawara Station on the JR Gono Line. The whole line from Tsugaru-Goshogawara to Tsugaru-Nakazato is 20.7 km.
• Clothing and gear: The Tsugaru Plain is a heavy-snow region where ground blizzards blow. Bring cold-weather clothing, a hat and gloves, and shoes that do not slip on snowy ground. Station platforms and areas in front of stations are snow-covered and icy, so watch your footing.

The daruma stoves in the carriages burn coal, and their outer surfaces become extremely hot. Take great care to avoid burns: do not lean against them, keep hands and luggage away, and do not take your eyes off small children. When grilling surume, follow the staff's instructions.

Timetables may be disrupted by severe weather. For enquiries, contact Tsugaru Railway Co., Ltd., tel. 0173-34-2148 (main line).

📚 Sources

• Tsugaru Railway Co., Ltd. official website, "Stove Train," "Fare Table," "Timetable"