By REI INOUE/ Staff Writer
May 25, 2022 at 07:00 JST
The Akita Matagi sightseeing train is painted with a “matagi” hunter holding a rifle on the exterior. (Provided by Akita Nairiku Jukan Tetsudo Railway Co.)
KITA-AKITA, Akita Prefecture--Akita Nairiku Jukan Tetsudo Railway Co. has introduced a new sightseeing train with an interior themed on an old-fashioned house of a “matagi” hunter.
Matagi are traditional hunters mainly in the northeastern Tohoku region who track bears, deer and other animals.
The railway operator hopes to attract sightseers from in and outside the prefecture with the rustic Akita Matagi train, which runs through a rugged mountain area.
“It is indeed a traditional house that travels,” a company representative said. “The train looks perfect as it runs through cedar forests on the mountain.”
The one-car, diesel-powered train was remodeled from the Ozashiki Train Matagi, which was an orange sightseeing train operated on the Akita Nairiku Line along with the Akita Jomon and Emi services.
The exterior of the new train sports red and black colors depicting a matagi hunter holding a rifle, retaining the motif of a matagi and a bear from the previous model that was designed by a local junior high school student.
In the redesign, the company installed shoji sliding doors, “noren” curtains featuring a matagi logo and a dining table to make the interior look like a traditional house.
The passenger compartment originally had a tatami mat floor, but it is now equipped with box seats that have backrests to make it more comfortable for passengers on long rides and elderly people.
It cost 50 million yen ($382,000) to remodel the train.
Half of the project cost was covered by subsidies from the Japan Tourism Agency, while the other half was shouldered by the prefectural government, as well as the city governments of Senboku and Kita-Akita, through which the train runs.
The Matagi train is operated as the Moriyoshi express service between Aniai and Takanosu stations on Saturdays, except on the third Saturday of each month.
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