Photo/Illutration The West Express Ginga sightseeing train makes a stop at JR Shingu Station on the Kisei Line in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, on Dec. 22, 2021. (Masao Naoi)

WAKAYAMA--West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) will again run the West Express Ginga (Galaxy) sightseeing train on a route linking the Kinan region of Wakayama Prefecture and Kyoto from October.

The train ran on the same route last year, carrying about 3,000 passengers.

It was so popular that a lottery was used to select the riders.

The train will make 36 round trips between Kyoto and Shingu stations between Oct. 3 and March 8.

An overnight service will leave Kyoto Station shortly after 9 p.m., while a daytime train will depart Shingu Station just before 10 a.m.

Just like last year, the service will operate as a six-car train.

The overnight train will accommodate 85 passengers, while the daytime train will carry up to 101 passengers.

Last year, the sightseeing train received favorable responses from passengers, who said they enjoyed the ocean view in the Kinan region from their seats.

The company has more than doubled the number of seats facing the ocean for the upcoming season.

In response to a request from the city of Tanabe, which is willing to welcome passengers, the train will also stop at Kii-Tanabe Station.

Passengers will be treated to a wide range of local specialties in and outside the train.

Wakayama-style ramen noodles will be served on the platform at Wakayama Station.

Sightseeing guides and other services will be available inside the train, while bento lunch boxes made with local ingredients will be sold on board.

An optional fee-based tour of a tuna auction at a market in Nachi-Katsuura in Wakayama Prefecture, which is home to one of the main tuna ports in Japan, will also be offered.

Tickets are sold at an exclusive website at (https://www.jr-odekake.net/railroad/westexginga/).

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