Photo/Illutration The Grand Super Cart sightseeing train crosses the Takachiho Iron Bridge over the Takachiho Gorge on Dec. 12. (Taken by Kenta Sujino using a drone)

TAKACHIHO, Miyazaki Prefecture—“If you are afraid of heights, please bear with it for a little while,” the train driver called out while blowing shimmering soap bubbles that swirled around the train before drifting into the abyss below.

The Grand Super Cart sightseeing train was stopped 105 meters in the air on the Takachiho Iron Bridge—the highest railway bridge in all of Japan—on a recent day in mid-December.

The picturesque mountain town of Takachiho is known for the Takachiho Gorge, where myths say Japan’s founding deity descended from the heavens.

While the natural wonder itself is quite a sight, visitors can also enjoy the view from aboard an open-air sightseeing train as it passes over a steel bridge above a deep valley surrounded by the Kyushu Mountain Range.

The Grand Super Cart train is operated by Takachiho Amaterasu Railway Co.

The company took over the now-defunct Takachiho Railway Co.’s Takachiho Line connecting Nobeoka and Takachiho stations, which was shut down after being damaged by Typhoon No. 14 in September 2005.

The train’s engine was remodeled from a truck used to carry luggage at an airport. It runs on diesel and biodiesel fuel and can reach a top speed of 35 kph.

The train takes about 30 minutes to make the 5-kilometer round trip between the old Takachiho Station and the Takachiho Iron Bridge, carrying up to 60 passengers.

The Super Cart passes through two tunnels along the way, which feature handmade disco balls lighting up the walls in dazzling colors.

The driver stops the train on the bridge for about five minutes and blows clouds of whimsical soap bubbles into the air.

COMMITMENT TO REVIVAL

Managing Director Hiroyoshi Saito, 50, is the only person at the company who previously worked as a train driver for Takachiho Railway.

The Nobeoka native was so inspired by his love of locomotives that he joined the company in 1994.

“It was a beautiful railroad that threaded its way along the Gokasegawa river, and I was proud of my job to enhance the lives of passengers,” he recalled.

However, Saito lost his job due to the typhoon damage in 2005.

While working a part-time job, Saito also helped a local civic group fight for the railway’s revival. He collected signatures for a petition, mowed grass along the railroad line and more—but the railroad was abandoned in 2008.

With his wife expecting their third child, Saito joined Amagi Railway Co. in Fukuoka Prefecture and worked away from home to earn a living.

Still, he never gave up hope of reviving the Takachiho Railway someday.

In 2017, when he was asked by Takachiho Amaterasu Railway to work for the company, which had begun operating a sightseeing train to preserve the railway heritage, Saito jumped at the offer.

He started out by introducing regulations and training crew members to improve safety, applying the expertise he accumulated at Amagi Railway.

The railway company struggled financially at first. However, the number of foreign visitors and repeat customers gradually increased as the operator devised unique ways to keep them entertained and opened the Takachiho Railway Memorial Museum.

Passengers have continued to increase, reaching about 110,000 in fiscal 2023, and the business began turning a profit.

The company expects to attract 140,000 passengers this fiscal year.

“We want to run the cart to (the disused) Fukasumi Station in the near future as it is connected by rail,” Saito said. “We also want to create a forum for elderly residents to interact to prevent them from being isolated.”

Yuki Takakura, 29, an employee at Takachiho Amaterasu Railway, said he had wanted to become a train driver for the Takachiho Railway since he was in elementary school after watching Saito.

“My dream was dashed by the typhoon damage, but as a train driver now, I’m happy to contribute to the town and I feel the weight of responsibility for the human lives in my hands,” Takakura said. 

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