The Himi Line

  • Published on : 23/02/2018
  • by : Japan Experience

Between Takaoka and Himi

The Himi line is a 16.5 km line between Takaoka Station and Himi Station in Toyama prefecture. The train is decorated with motifs from the manga "Ninja Hattori-ku," for whom the author is originally from Himi. 

It's not without reason that JR West has a specialty train on the Himi Line that celebrates the famous scenery. The “Belles Montagnes et Mer” is this line's signature locomotive and means "the beautiful mountains and sea" in French. A gorgeous green, one-car train that runs on the Himi Line only on Sundays, with 2 roundtrip journeys a day. 


The interior design is well worth appreciating, with bench seats in the beautiful green velvet that makes up the train's livery. Then there are the wooden seats along the windows, facing the landscape and giving you a front-row seat to nature's great spectacle. Of course, looking outside from the train, the sunsets over the sea are a view like no other. 

Belles Montagnes & Mer JR Train

Belles Montagnes & Mer - Wikimedia commons

Takaoka station is 5 minutes from Shin-Takaoka on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.This train is known because the exterior and the interior are decorated with manga drawings, the Ninja-hattori-kun manga. Indeed Motoo Abiko, the manga artist, was born in Himi city.

The inside of the train features also illustrations of the Great Buddha of Takaoka, the Nami Tulip Fair, the world heritage village of Gokayama, the Tateyama Alps and other sightseeing spots of Toyama Prefecture.

This train runs along the Johana Line between Takaoka and Johana. 

Hokuriku shinkansen

Hokuriku shinkansen

©motihada, unsplash

Toyama

Toyama

©shino, unsplash

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