‘Stove Train’ Services Start in Tsugaru Area of Aomori Pref., Bring Warmth, Smiles to Railway’s Passengers

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:24 JST, December 2, 2025

AOMORI — The Tsugaru Tetsudo railway company in Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, started its winter train service with potbelly stoves on board on Monday.

The departure of the first “stove train” this winter was celebrated with a ceremony at Tsugaru-Goshogawara Station in the city.

The services with coal-fired stoves on board are run with an eye on catering to tourists. There are two or three stove train services every day until the end of March next year, running a stretch of 20.7 kilometers between the station and Tsugaru-Nakazato Station in the town of Nakadomari in the prefecture.

About 50 passengers who came to ride the first stove train this winter were welcomed with a soup filled with locally produced delicacies and entertained with a performance of the Tsugaru shamisen three-stringed lute. Although there was no snow, a fixture in an average year, they enjoyed the ride on the retro train that has been in service since the late 1940s. Passengers can savor a bottle of sake or surumeika dried squid that has been roasted on the stove by an attendant.

“I can feel history with this train, and the warmth of the stove makes me feel nostalgic,” said a smiling 33-year-old railway fan from Beijing. “I’m deeply moved.”