Nagasaki: Sightseeing Train to Savor the Seasons: Train Operator’s Elaborate Seasonal Programs Gain Popularity

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:48 JST, December 28, 2024

SASEBO, Nagasaki — A special train is gaining popularity with its elaborate seasonal programs. The sightseeing train Retron operated by Matsuura Railway that operates in Nagasaki and Saga prefectures. Having gotten its name from its retro look, Retron has 11 four-person box seats.

When the Beaujolais Nouveau wine was released on Nov. 21, Retron was operated as a wine train in cooperation with a local liquor store. A wine specialist was on board the train, and the passengers compared 15 different kinds of wine as they made the 90-minute round trip between Sasebo and Saza Stations.

The railway company, a semi-public firm based in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, has also planned to operate Retron as an afternoon tea train and as a train that allows passengers to compare the different types of sake available along the train route.

The railway also planned to operate a train offering sake and castella cake, a specialty sweet of the prefecture, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday and sponsored by the Hirado Tourist Association. The beer train, which runs in summer, is one of the projects that has long been in operation.

Matsuura Railway officials said, “We would like to continue to enliven the train with a variety of projects.”