JAPAN’S Limited Express Train 8 Hrs Ride “WEST EXPRESS GINGA” Kumano Kodo to Kyoto
The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Route. WEST EXPRESS GINGA. The cheapest seat. The common room. The first class. This seat transforms into a bed. It runs through mountains and sea side. Having Sushi and Sake on the train. Sunset view. At night. Exploring Kyoto. Are you ready? Let’s start!
First of all, let’s check out the route. The train departs from Shingu, Wakayama Pref. We are going to Kyoto. It runs along Kii Peninsula like this. The final destination of the train is Kyoto. Please subscribe to our channel if you like this video! Let’s go! We are in Shingu now.
Heading to Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine. It is the piece of The Kumano Kodo, or the ancient pilgrimage routes to the three Grand Shrines of Kumano. And it’s a World Heritage Site. I’ve already visited the other two Grand Shrines of Kumano, which you can watch the video on our channel.
The URL to the video is in the description. And now I’m heading to another shrine near Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine. This stairways are so steep. Can you understand how steep it is? This is the shrine. With a big boulder. Nice view! The boulder seems like falling down.
I’m buying sushi for my dinner on the train. This is one of the local dishes in this area. This sushi is made of Saury fish. This is Shingu Station, which the train departs from. The limited express WEST EXPRESS GINGA bound for Kyoto will depart at platform No.1 on 1:02 p.m.
That is another limited express train. I guess it could be NANKI bound for Nagoya. This is a train ticket, costs ¥5,500 ($37.00). You need also a limited express ticket This is it! ¥6,630 ($44.70)
🇯🇵¥12,130JPY 🇺🇸U.S.A. $81.70USD, 🇪🇺EU €76.00EUR, 🇮🇳India ₹6,790INR, 🇰🇷South Korea ₩108,400KRW, 🇮🇩Indonesia Rp1,285,200IDR, 🇧🇷Brazil R$407.4BRL, 🇬🇧UK £65.10GBP, 🇻🇳Vietnam ₫1,990,400VND, 🇭🇰HongKong HK$639.2HKD, 🇹🇭Thailand ฿ 2,916THB, 🇹🇼Taiwan NT$2,560TWD, 🇵🇭The Philippines ₱ 4,593PHP, 🇷🇺Russia ₽ 7,402RUB, 🇨🇦Canada CA$110.40CAD, 🇲🇽Mexico MX$1,398MXN, 🇲🇾Malaysia RM389MYR, 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia 306.5SAR, 🇹🇷 Turkey ৳ 2,498TRY, 🇦🇺Australia A$125.50AUD, 🇵🇰Pakistan Rs 22,657PKR, 🇧🇩Bangladesh ৳8,977BDT, 🇸🇬Singapore S$109.9SGD, 🇨🇳China 元580.4CNY 🇪🇬Egypt E£2,525EGP, 🇦🇪UAE 300AED
A staff “Please, wait for the train at platform No.1.” A staff “The train will come here around at 12:35.” Me “Thank you so much.” Me “Which way will it come from?” A staff ” It will come from the right side.” Actually it’s already stopped over there. Me “Thanks again!”
This picture is made by caps of bottles. Oh! There it is! It’s coming! Cool! This is the limited express “WEST EXPRESS GINGA” bound for Kyoto. It has 6 cars. It takes about 8 hours from Shingu to Kyoto. Bound for Kyoto is in the daytime.
The other hand, Bound for Shingu is overnight train, which I’ve already took it from Kyoto. And the video is already uploaded on our YouTube channel. At that time, I took the cheapest seat, called “couchette” I’m taking the most expensive seat in the train today. This train only runs 2 round trips a week.
So it’s pretty hard to book it. I got this ticket online at the time just started selling, which is one month prior to the boarding date. This is another expensive seat, is called “Premier room” This car is the only private rooms car. I hope I can take this room next time.
It will be operated between Kyoto and Izumo from this March. Let’s get in now! This train was refurbished from old one. I can’t tell this was so old at all. This is “couchette” This car is common space that everybody can seat. You can chat, you can dine, you can drink.
You can do whatever you want. This car has normal reclining seats. But these seats have so much space. It could be nice to have this seat. This is also common area. I love this table. This car No.2 is the women only car.
Basically men can’t enter this car but the only male passengers of car No.1 can pass through due to access to the common area. Changing room for ladies. Finally we are in our car where I’m taking a seat. So lovely! This car looks way amazing!
To be honest, it’s the best train I’ve ever had. What do you think? You know what? Each passenger can use two facing seats. It’s crazy right? These two seats are only for me! Looks really nice. I got nice lace curtains It’s even better! I got 2 soft pillows.
The seat is good. not too soft, not too firm. Looks very clean. This part is made by wood. I got a lovely wooden table. Real wood. Good design. This is a dimmer switch. Turn on the light. You can dim. I got 2 outlets. The light switch. Got 2 USB Type-A ports.
I got shelves for keeping luggage. This table looks like foldable Let me try. Yeah! made it. And these two seats can transform into a bed. You can sleep on it at night. Even daytime, you can lay down on the bed. Not bad not bad!
Anyway I should set it back for now. Alright! It’s time to depart. We’ve just leave Shingu Station now. It’s gonna be take about 8 hours to Kyoto. Let’s enjoy this luxurious train with Japan’s scenery. I’m so excited now. Here we go!! Announcement: Thank you for using JR West.
Announcement: This is the limited express train “West Express Ginga” for Kyoto. Announcement: We have just departed from Shingu at 1:02 p.m as on time. Announcement: We have a small market at car No.4 between Shingu and Kushimoto Announcement: It has local food and West Express Ginga goods. Announcement: Please feel free to stop by.
Announcement: Please check out on the left side in direction of travel. Announcement: You’ll see Pacific Ocean. Announcement: It is Ojigahama Beach, with an arching coastline, 4 km long. Announcement: Please enjoy the view of Pacific Ocean for a while. Let’s see the outside view. This is a free space. This is Ojigahama Beach.
Such a long beach. We got a nice wooden table. And got 4 chairs Announcement: Please, don’t enter car No.2 without reserved ticket for car No.2. It’s women only car. Announcement: Each car has a restroom except car No.3 Announcement: No smoking on board, including in private rooms and toilets.
Announcement: There are smoking detectors on the train. Announcement: We will make an emergency stop if the smoking detectors go off. Announcement: Please do not smoke including E-cigarette. Announcement: You can open some windows at the lounge on the car No.1 and at the free space of the car No.6.
Announcement: However please don’t put your hands out the car windows. it’s dangerous. Announcement: Each car has free wi-fi. Announcement: However, there might be no signal at some points. Announcement: There are some leaflets about local information and the beach we can see from the train on the car No.4.
Announcement: Please take care of your valuables when you leave the seat. Announcement: PIN locks are available for private rooms. Announcement: We hope you will enjoy your trip with West Express Ginga. I got a roll curtain. Announcement: We will soon arrive at Kii-Katsuura. Announcement: After Kii-Katsuura, we will stop at Taiji.
Actually I want to see the window view. Announcement: Nanki-Katsuura Hot Springs is famous in Wakayama Prefecture. Announcement: Katsuura Fishing Port is one of the largest catches of raw tuna in Japan. Announcement: You can eat fresh tuna in the town. Announcement: The door on the right side will open.
Announcement: We will depart from Kii-katsuura at 1:30 p.m. Announcement: We will stop there for about 5 minutes. At Kii-katsuura Station. Look!!! There are some fresh tuna there!! Here we go! Announcement: This is a limited express train “West Express Ginga” bound for Kyoto. Announcement: We will stop at Taiji.
Announcement: We will arrive there at 1:42 p.m. Announcement: We are having a market at the free space of car No.4 right now. They have local food and drink Announcement: And also collaboration goods with West Express GINGA. Announcement: They will open until Kushimoto Station. Announcement: Please feel free to stop by.
Announcement: We are now at Mikawa Station. Passengers can’t get off here. Announcement: We are Wakayama University students. Announcement: We will tell passengers about the attractions along the route. Announcement: We maintained the plants along the line for the good view from the train.
Announcement: You can get the map about the best views of beaches at car No.4. Announcement: Please feel free to grab it. Announcement: Thank you for listening. Announcement: We hope you enjoy your railroad trip. I love this view. Let’s check out the market at car No.4. Souvenirs, Japanese Sake cookies Soft drinks Finger food
Towel Wow! such a nice view. I’m asking the staff what kind of alcohol they have. They have Japanese sake and plum wine. Me “Do you have glass for sake???” Staff “Yes, we do.” I’ll buy Japanese sake set. Staff “It’s ¥1,375” This is free space. Those tables are also free space for all passengers.
It’s made by wood. This part is also wooden. Lovely! I’ll show you the bathrooms. Automatic door. It’s tiny like a lavatory on the plane. But looks super clean. By the way, you can’t smoke anywhere on this train. This is a sink. Alright! It’s time for lunch.
I bought 2 packs of sushi in front of Shingu Station before the departure. Assorted sushi. And this is pacific saury sushi.
2 packs of sushi are 🇯🇵¥1,550. 🇺🇸U.S.A. $10.30USD, 🇪🇺EU €9.60EUR, 🇮🇳India ₹856INR, 🇰🇷South Korea ₩13,700KRW, 🇮🇩Indonesia Rp151,000IDR, 🇧🇷Brazil R$51.2BRL, 🇬🇧UK £8.20GBP, 🇻🇳Vietnam ₫253,000VND, 🇭🇰HongKong HK$80.7HKD, 🇹🇭Thailand ฿ 372THB, 🇹🇼Taiwan NT$323TWD, 🇵🇭The Philippines ₱ 577PHP, 🇷🇺Russia ₽ 949RUB, 🇨🇦Canada CA$13.90CAD, 🇲🇽Mexico MX$176MXN, 🇲🇾Malaysia RM49MYR, 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia 38.7SAR, 🇹🇷 Turkey ৳ 318TRY, 🇦🇺Australia A$15.80AUD, 🇵🇰Pakistan Rs 2,881PKR, 🇧🇩Bangladesh ৳1,132BDT, 🇸🇬Singapore S$13.90SGD, 🇨🇳China 元73.4CNY 🇪🇬Egypt E£319EGP, 🇦🇪UAE 37.9AED
2 bottles of Japanese sake is 🇯🇵¥1,375JPY. 🇺🇸U.S.A. $9.20USD, 🇪🇺EU €8.50EUR, 🇮🇳India ₹760INR, 🇰🇷South Korea ₩12,200KRW, 🇮🇩Indonesia Rp143,400IDR, 🇧🇷Brazil R$45.5BRL, 🇬🇧UK £7.30GBP, 🇻🇳Vietnam ₫224,000VND, 🇭🇰HongKong HK$71.6HKD, 🇹🇭Thailand ฿ 330THB, 🇹🇼Taiwan NT$287TWD, 🇵🇭The Philippines ₱ 512PHP, 🇷🇺Russia ₽ 845RUB, 🇨🇦Canada CA$12.30CAD, 🇲🇽Mexico MX$156MXN, 🇲🇾Malaysia RM43.8MYR, 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia 34.4SAR, 🇹🇷 Turkey ৳ 282TRY, 🇦🇺Australia A$14.00AUD, 🇵🇰Pakistan Rs 2,558PKR, 🇧🇩Bangladesh ৳1,005BDT, 🇸🇬Singapore S$12.30SGD, 🇨🇳China 元65.2CNY 🇪🇬Egypt E£283EGP, 🇦🇪UAE 33.6AED
This is local sake, made in Wakayama. This bottle’s named Kumano Sanzan, which means the three Grand Shrines of Kumano. Sounds like a holy alcohol. Cheers! I love it! It’s really smooth. Itadakimasu! I’m having the pacific saury sushi first. This is kind of preserved food.
So the fish is not fatty and also is marinated in vinegar. Let’s try the other sushi. This is tuna. Not bad. with sake. Lovely! Marinated white fish. I don’t know what this is. Guess egg roll sushi? The head of fish? We don’t eat heads of fish though. Seaweed roll sushi. Inari sushi
This is pickled ginger. It serves as a palate cleanser between different types of sushi, allowing you to fully appreciate the flavor of each piece. Its slightly acidic and refreshing taste helps to refresh your taste buds.
It also has natural antibacterial properties due to the vinegar used in the pickling process. This can help to cleanse the palate and kill any bacteria that may be present. Sushi roll. Sushi roll with Kanpyo. Really local Japan. Idyllic. Nice beach. Announcement: We will soon arrive at Kushimoto.
Announcement: The door on the left side will open. Announcement: We will depart from Kushimoto 3:07 p.m. Announcement: We will stop there for about 36 minutes Announcement: Local sweets are sold at Kushimoto Station. Announcement: After Kushimoto, we will stop at Susami. At Kushimoto. Let’s check it out! This is Tuna miniature.
Yeah, Kushimoto is famous for its Tuna. I bought a sweet snack Welcome back! Sweet my home. This is a fried dough cookie. It’s crunchy. Tastes good! It’s gradually turning into a sunset. Lovely time on the train. I just love watching the sun setting and rising. That’s the best part of train travel.
Where are we now? We are now the west coast of Wakayama. The sun is about to set. The sun has not been setting yet. Feels like that we are chasing the sun. We are now at Gobo. Finally, you are gone. right? It’s night already. This train has free Wi-Fi.
Let’s check it out! You need to sign up. Now I got the free Wi-Fi. Check the Wi-Fi speed. 19Mbps for download. Not so bad. Upload is a bit slow. Try again. Hmmm. We are at Hinone Station now. It’s in Osaka. It looks like a special train. Cool!
After this station, we will stop at Tennoji, Osaka, Shin-Osaka and Kyoto. Looks like we are getting close to the city center. At Tennoji Station now. We are arriving at Osaka Station which is the biggest station in Osaka. Announcement: We will arrive at Kyoto in 3 minutes. I already miss this.
I don’t wanna leave. Please stay with me…. Finally we’ve arrived at Kyoto now. This is the terminal of this train. Let’s get off! We are back now. This is the face. You are so handsome. In front of Kyoto Station now. The following day. I’m heading to the tower that we can see now.
This is one of the icons in Kyoto. You’ve seen it before right? This slope is also so famous. Let’s go down. Can you tell what the store is on your left? Yes, this is Starbucks coffee. I couldn’t tell that it was Starbuck when I came here for my first time. Incredible.
We have many typically Japanese Starbucks in Japan. I came to Higashi Honganji Temple. It’s free of charge to enter. Note: Many temples in Kyoto require an entrance fee. This is a head temple of the Jodo-Shin Sect, one of Japan’s largest Buddhist sects. So peaceful. Please don’t speak loud in temples. lol
This temple was built in 1602. It’s more than 400 years old now. Actually it was destroyed by fire on four occasions. This video is coming to an end. Would you try the Japan’s sleeper train and visit Kyoto? I hope you enjoyed this video. Thank you for watching!
Please press the like button and subscribe to our channel! We keep uploading new videos about Japan. See you in our next video!
We are in Wakayama Pref. for going Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails
We take the limited sleeper train WEST EXPRESS GINGA from Shingu to Kyoto. The train only runs two round trips a week. It’s special train because it has lots of free space. Let me take you a virtual train ride.
▼Train information
Train : WEST EXPRESS GINGA
Seat : First Seat
Price : ¥12,130 [$81.70]
Route : Shingu – Kyoto
Duration : 7 hours 51 minutes
Distance : 315.5 km (196.0 mi)
Booking : 1 month before the traveling date on the internet/ at a ticket window
▼WEST EXPRESS GINGA – where to book?
JR West WEST EXPRESS GINGA’S page [in Japanese]
https://www.jr-odekake.net/railroad/westexginga/reservation_kinan/
▼Time table(For Kyoto)
Shingu 1302
Kiika-tsuura 1325
Taichi 1242
Koza 1420
Kushimoto 1431
Susami 1546
Shirahama 1626
Kii-Tanabe 1648
Gobo 1723
Kainan 1802
Wakayama 1833
Hinone 1935
Tennoji 2002
Osaka 2016
Shin-osaka 2021
Kyoto 2053
shot in OCT 2023.
▼Video time
0:00 Opening
0:33 Checking out the route
1:20 Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails
4:07 Shingu Station
9:43 West Express GINGA is coming
12:34 Exploring the train
15:43 First Seat
21:15 Departure
48:34 Lunch on a train
1:05:14 Kushimoto Station
1:16:07 Sunset time
2:09:48 Arriving at Kyoto Station
2:11:19 Exploring Kyoto
▼Limited Sleeper Train WEST EXPRESS GINGA For Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails Over 1000 Years Old
▼Please subscribe our channel for more videos!
https://www.youtube.com/@off-to-japan
shot in MAY 2023.
4K HDR 30fps
▼My Gear
Camera: iPhone14 https://amzn.to/3s3B9io
Stabilizer: DJI OM5 https://amzn.to/3LJyIdL
Mic: SHURE MV88 https://amzn.to/3cjxCIw
Camera: GoPro https://amzn.to/3PV4vZA
Camera: Sony a7iii https://amzn.to/3Q3SQsz
Stabilizer: DJI RS3 mini https://amzn.to/41jJu0q
Mic: JOBY Wavo Mobile https://amzn.to/42gghop
※I join Amazon associates
#tokyo #japan #asmr #japanvlog #japaneseculture #japantravel #tokyotrip #HDR #4K #4K HDR #kumanokodo #caminodesantiago #worldheritage #sleepertrain #nighttrain #japantrains #westexpress銀河