Boso Peninsula Railway Crossing

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Recherche et rédaction Hinato

Kominato RailwayIsumi Railwayrape flowertrolley trainBoso

Préfecture de Chiba · Otaki

35.3165°N, 140.2407°E

Two small railways meet end to end at a station in the middle of nowhere and, between them, cross the Boso peninsula. The Kominato Railway runs inland from Goi on Tokyo Bay; the Isumi Railway runs from Ohara on the Pacific. They join at Kazusa-Nakano, a single unstaffed platform in the hills, and a through ticket covering both costs ¥1,730.

What makes it worth doing is late March to late April, when the embankments along both lines are solid yellow with rape flower and the cherry trees at the small stations come out at the same time. The Kominato line runs an open-sided trolley train, the Boso Satoyama Trocco, pulled by a retro locomotive, for a ¥600 supplement. The Isumi line paints its cars with Moomin characters and sells the fact that it is unprofitable. Neither is quick and that is the point.

Informations essentielles

Horaires d'ouverture

Trains run through the day on both lines | Trolley train on published dates only

Fermé: Operates year-round | Trolley train seasonal

Tarif d'entrée

Boso Odan combined ticket around ¥1,730 | Trolley train supplement around ¥600

Meilleure saison

Late March–late April for rape flower and cherry blossom along the lines

Durée de visite

Half to a full day for the crossing

Comment s'y rendre

Informations d'accès

Kazusa-Nakano Station, Otaki, is the junction between the two lines. The Kominato Railway runs from Goi on the JR Uchibo Line; the Isumi Railway runs from Ohara on the JR Sotobo Line. A Boso Odan combined ticket for continuous travel on both costs around ¥1,730. The Boso Satoyama Trocco open-air train requires a supplement of around ¥600 on top of the fare and runs on published dates. Rape flower blooms along the lines from late March to late April.

Guide d'initié

**Late March to late April is the season.** Rape flower along the embankments with cherry at the stations. Outside that window it is a pleasant rural railway with no particular reason to prioritise it. **The through ticket is the efficient way.** Around ¥1,730 for continuous travel across the peninsula on both lines. Buying separately costs more and requires thought at the junction. **Book the trolley train.** The open-air Satoyama Trocco runs on specific dates only, needs a supplement, and sells out in spring. It is a different experience from the ordinary diesel cars. **Get off at the small stations.** Several unstaffed wooden stations on the Kominato line are the photographs — Itabu in particular. The trains are infrequent enough that getting off means committing an hour. **Check the timetables together.** Both lines run a handful of services a day and the connection at Kazusa-Nakano is not always tight. Plan the crossing before you start.

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