List of named passenger trains of Japan
This article contains lists of named passenger trains in Japan.
Shinkansen (bullet trains)
| Train name | Name meaning | Operator | Train endpoints | Operated | Maximum operating speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aoba | Green leaves | JR East | Tokyo – Sendai | 1982–1995 | 240 |
| Asahi | Morning Sun | JR East | Tokyo – Niigata | 1982–2004 | 275 |
| Asama | refers to Mount Asama | JR East | Tokyo – Nagano | 1998– | 260 |
| Hakutaka | White hawk | JR East / JR-West | Tokyo – Kanazawa | 2015– | 260 |
| Hayabusa | Peregrine falcon | JR East / JR Hokkaido | Tokyo – Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto | 2011– | 320 |
| Hayate | Strong wind | JR East / JR Hokkaido | Tokyo – Morioka and Morioka – Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto | 2002– | 275 |
| Hikari | Light | JR Central / JR-West | Tokyo – Hiroshima and Nagoya – Hakata | 1964– |
|
| Hikari Rail Star | Light – Rail Star | JR-West | Shin-Ōsaka – Hakata | 2000– | 285 |
| Kagayaki | Glitter | JR East / JR-West | Tokyo – Kanazawa | 2015– | 260 |
| Kodama | Echo | JR Central / JR-West | Tokyo – Shin-Ōsaka and Shin-Ōsaka – Hakata | 1964– | 285 |
| Komachi | Beauty (refers to Ono no Komachi) | JR East | Tokyo – Akita | 1997– | 320 |
| Mizuho | Harvest, also an ancient name of Japan | JR Kyushu / JR-West | Shin-Ōsaka – Kagoshima-Chūō | 2011– | 300 |
| Nasuno | refers to Nasu highlands | JR East | Tokyo – Kōriyama | 1995– | 275 |
| Nozomi | Hope | JR Central / JR-West | Tokyo – Shin-Ōsaka, Hakata | 1992– |
|
| Sakura | Cherry blossoms | JR Kyushu / JR-West | Shin-Ōsaka – Kagoshima-Chūō | 2011– | 300 |
| Tanigawa | refers to Mount Tanigawa | JR East | Tokyo – Echigo-Yuzawa | 1997– | 240 |
| Toki | Crested ibis | JR East | Tokyo – Niigata | 1982–1997, 2004– | 240 |
| Tsubame | Swallows | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Kagoshima-Chūō | 2004– | 260 |
| Tsubasa | Wings | JR East | Tokyo – Shinjō | 1992– | 275 |
| Tsurugi | refers to Mount Tsurugi | JR-West | Toyama – Kanazawa | 2015– | 260 |
| Yamabiko | Mountain spirit | JR East | Tokyo – Morioka | 1982– | 275 |
Daytime trains
Limited express (partial list)
| Train name | Operator | Train endpoints | Operated |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-Train | JR Kyushu | Yoshizuka, Hakata – Nagasu | 1967– |
| Aizu Liner | JR East | Kōriyama – Aizu-Wakamatsu | 1968– |
| Akagi / Swallow Akagi | JR East | Ueno, Shinjuku – Takasaki, Maebashi | 1982– |
| Ariake | JR Kyushu | Kumamoto – Misumi | 1967– |
| Asagiri | Odakyu | Shinjuku – Gotemba | 1991– |
| Ashizuri | JR Shikoku | Kōchi – Nakamura | 1990– |
| Ayame | JR East | Tokyo – Narita, Kashima Jingu, Chōshi | 1975–2015 |
| Azusa / Super Azusa | JR East | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Chiba – Matsumoto, Minami-Otari | 1966– |
| Enoshima | Odakyu | Shinjuku – Fujisawa – Katase-Enoshima | 1964– |
| Fujikawa | JR Central | Kōfu – Shizuoka | 1996– |
| Hakone / Super Hakone / Metro Hakone | Odakyu | Shinjuku, Kita-Senju – Hakone-Yumoto | 1950– |
| Hakuchō / Super Hakuchō | JR East / JR Hokkaido | Shin-Aomori, Aomori – Hakodate | 2002–2016 |
| Haruka | JR-West | Kyoto/Shin-Ōsaka – Kansai Airport | 1993– |
| Hida | JR Central | Nagoya – Takayama, Toyama | 1968– |
| Hitachi | JR East | Shinagawa – Iwaki | 1969– |
| Hokuto / Super Hokuto | JR Hokkaido | Hakodate – Sapporo | 1965– |
| Homeway / Metro Homeway | Odakyu | Shinjuku, Kita-Senju, Ōtemachi – Machida, Sagami-Ōno, Hon-Atsugi, Odawara, Hakone-Yumoto, Karakida, Fujisawa, Katase-Enoshima | 1999– |
| Huis Ten Bosch | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Huis Ten Bosch | 1992– |
| Inaho | JR East | Niigata – Sakata, Akita | 1969– |
| Inaji | JR Central | Toyohashi – Iida | 1996– |
| Ishizuchi | JR Shikoku | Takamatsu – Matsuyama, Uwajima | 1988– |
| Kaiji | JR East | Tokyo, Shinjuku – Kōfu, Ryūō | 1988– |
| Kaio | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Nōgata | 2001– |
| Kamome | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Saga, Hizen-Kashima, Nagasaki and Haiki – Nagasaki | 1961– |
| Kamoshika | JR East | Akita – Aomori | 1997–2010 |
| Kinosaki | JR-West | Kyoto – Kinosaki Onsen | 1996– |
| Kinugawa / Spacia Kinugawa | JR East / Tōbu | Shinjuku – Kinugawa-Onsen | 2006– |
| Kirameki | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Kokura, Mojikō | 2001– |
| Kirishima | JR Kyushu | Miyazaki – Miyakonojō, Nishi-Miyakonojō, Kagoshima-Chūō and Kokubu – Kagoshima-Chūō | 1995– |
| Kita-Kinki | JR-West | Shin-Ōsaka, Fukuchiyama – Toyooka, Kinosaki Onsen | 1986–2011 |
| Kounotori | JR-West | Shin-Ōsaka – Fukuchiyama, Toyooka, Kinosaki Onsen | 2011– |
| Kumagawa | JR Kyushu | Kumamoto – Hitoyoshi | 2004– |
| Kuroshio | JR-West | Kyoto, Shin-Ōsaka, Tennōji – Wakayama, Shirahama, Shingu | 1965– |
| Kusatsu | JR East | Ueno – Manza-Kagawaguchi | 1985– |
| Lilac | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Asahikawa | 1980–2007 |
| Midori | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Sasebo | 1976– |
| Nanki | JR Central | Nagoya – Shingū Station, Kii-Katsuura | 1978– |
| Nanpū | JR Shikoku | Okayama – Kōchi, Nakamura, Sukumo | 1972– |
| Narita Express | JR East | Tokyo area – Narita Airport | 1991– |
| Nikkō / Spacia Nikko | JR East / Tōbu | Shinjuku – Tōbu-Nikko | 2006– |
| Odoriko / Super View Odoriko | JR East / Izukyū / Izuhakone Railway | Tokyo, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro – Itō, Izukyū Shimoda, Shuzenji | 1981– |
| Ohayo Express / Oyasumi Express | JR-West | Fukui – Kanazawa |
|
| Ohayo Tochigi / Hometown Tochigi | JR East | Shinjuku – Utsunomiya, Kuroiso | 1995–2010 |
| Okhotsk | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Abashiri | 1972– |
| Relay Tsubame | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Shin-Yatsushiro | 2004–2011 |
| Sagami / Metro Sagami | Odakyu | Shinjuku, Kita-Senju – Machida, Sagami-Ōno, Hon-Atsugi, Odawara | 1950– |
| Sazanami | JR East | Tokyo – Kimitsu | 1972– |
| Shimanto | JR Shikoku | Takamatsu – Kōchi, Sukumo | 1988– |
| Shinano | JR Central | Ōsaka, Nagoya – Nagano | 1968– |
| Shiokaze | JR Shikoku | Okayama – Imabari, Matsuyama, Uwajima | 1972– |
| Shiosai | JR East | Tokyo, Shinjuku – Sakura, Narutō, Chōshi | 1975– |
| Shirasagi | JR-West | Nagoya, Maibara – Kanazawa | 1964– |
| Shirayuki | JR East | Niigata – Jōetsumyōkō | 2015– |
| Skyliner | Keisei | Keisei Ueno – Narita Airport | 1972– |
| Sonic | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Yanagigaura, Ōita, Saiki (via Nippō Main Line) | 1997– |
| Super Inaba | JR-West | Okayama – Tottori | 1993– |
| Super Kamui | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Asahikawa | 2007– |
| Super Matsukaze | JR-West | Tottori – Masuda | 2003– |
| Super Oki | JR-West | Tottori – Yonago, Shin-Yamaguchi | 2001– |
| Super Ozora | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Kushiro | 1961– |
| Super Soya, Sarobetsu | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Wakkanai | 2000– |
| Super Tokachi | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Obihiro | 1990– |
| Super White Arrow | JR Hokkaido | New Chitose Airport, Sapporo – Asahikawa | 1986–2007 |
| Suzuran | JR Hokkaido | Muroran – Sapporo | 1992– |
| Thunderbird | JR-West | Ōsaka – Kanazawa, Wakura-Onsen | 1995– |
| Tokiwa | JR East | Shinagawa – Tsuchiura, Katsuta, Iwaki, Takahagi | 2015– |
| Trans-Kyushu Limited Express | JR Kyushu | Beppu – Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto | 2004– |
| Tsugaru | JR East | Akita – Aomori | 2002– |
| Uwakai | JR Shikoku | Matsuyama – Uwajima | 1990– |
| Uzushio | JR Shikoku | Okayama, Takamatsu – Tokushima | 1988– |
| Wakashio | JR East | Shinjuku – Kazusa-Ichinomiya, Katsuura, Awa-Kamogawa | 1972– |
| Tōkai | JR Central | Tokyo – Shizuoka | 1996–2007 |
| Yufu / Yufuin-no-mori | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Yufuin, Ōita, Beppu (via Kyūdai Main Line) | 1989– |
| μ Sky | Meitetsu | Shin-Unuma, Shin-Kani, Mikakino, Meitetsu Gifu, Meitetsu Nagoya – Central Japan International Airport | 2005– |
Express
| Train name | Operator | Train endpoints | Operated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chichibuji | Chichibu Railway | Hanyū, Kumagaya – Kagemori, Mitsumineguchi | 1969– |
| Moriyoshi | Akita Nairiku Jūkan Railway | Kakunodate – Takanosu | 1989– |
| SL Express | Ōigawa Railway | Shin-Kanaya – Senzu | 1976– |
Rapid
| Train name | Operator | Train endpoints | Operated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acty | JR East | Tokyo – Atami | 1989– |
| Airport | JR Hokkaido | Otaru, Sapporo – New Chitose Airport | 1992– |
| Aqua Liner | JR-West | Yonago – Masuda | 2001– |
| Aterui | JR East | Mizusawa – Morioka | 2001– |
| Central Liner | JR Central | Nagoya – Nakatsugawa | 1999–2013 |
| Hamayuri | JR East | Morioka – Kamaishi (via Kamaishi Line) | 2002– |
| Kansai Airport Rapid Service | JR-West | Tennōji – Kansai Airport (via Ōsaka) | 1994– |
| Karikachi | JR Hokkaido | Takikawa, Asahikawa – Obihiro | 1990– |
| Kishuji Rapid Service | JR-West | Tennōji – Wakayama, Kainan, Gobō, Kii-Tanabe (via Ōsaka) | 1999– |
| Kitami | JR Hokkaido | Asahikawa – Kitami | 1998– |
| Kubikino | JR East | Arai – Niigata | 2002–2015 |
| Marine Liner | JR-West / JR Shikoku | Okayama – Takamatsu | 1988– |
| Mie | JR Central / Ise Tetsudo | Nagoya – Toba | 1990– |
| Nayoro | JR Hokkaido | Asahikawa – Nayoro | 1965– |
| Rabbit | JR East | Tokyo – Utsunomiya, Kuroiso | 1988– |
| Rias | JR East | Morioka – Miyako (via Yamada Line) | 1988– |
| Shōnan Liner | JR East | Tokyo – Odawara (Some of trains pass Tōkaidō Freight Line) | 1986– |
| Tambaji Rapid Service | JR-West | Ōsaka – Sasayamaguchi | 2000– |
| Tottori Liner | JR-West | Tottori – Yonago, Izumoshi | 2001– |
| Urban | JR East | Tokyo – Takasaki, Maebashi | 1989– |
| Yamatoji Rapid Service | JR-West | Tennōji – Kyoto (via Ōsaka) | 1989– |
Night trains
Limited express
| Train name | Operator | Train endpoints | Operated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akatsuki | JR-West | Kyoto – Nagasaki | 1965–Mar 2008 |
| Akebono | JR East | Ueno (Tokyo) – Aomori | 1970–Jan 2015 |
| Asakaze | JR-West | Tokyo – Shimonoseki | 1956–Mar 2005 |
| Cassiopeia | JR East | Ueno – Sapporo | 1999–Mar 2016 |
| Dream Nichirin | JR Kyushu | Hakata – Minami Miyazaki, Miyazaki Airport | 1993–2011 |
| Fuji | JR Kyushu | Tokyo – Ōita | 1964–Mar 2009 |
| Hayabusa | JR Kyushu | Tokyo – Kumamoto | 1958–Mar 2009 |
| Hokuriku | JR East | Ueno – Kanazawa | 1947–Mar 2010 |
| Hokutosei | JR East / JR Hokkaido | Ueno – Sapporo | 1988–August 2015 |
| Izumo | JR East | Tokyo – Izumoshi (via Tottori) | 1972–Mar 2006 |
| Marimo | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Kushiro | 2001–2008 |
| Naha | JR Kyushu | Kyoto – Kumamoto | 1968–Mar 2008 |
| Nihonkai | JR-West / JR East | Ōsaka – Aomori | 1968–Mar 2012 |
| Sunrise Izumo | JR Central / JR-West | Tokyo – Izumoshi (via Okayama) | 1998– |
| Sunrise Seto | JR Central / JR-West | Tokyo – Takamatsu | 1998– |
| Okhotsk | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Abashiri | 1992–Mar 2006; Daytime service continues |
| Rishiri | JR Hokkaido | Sapporo – Wakkanai | 2000–2007 |
| Sakura | JR Kyushu | Tokyo – Nagasaki | 1959–Mar 2005 |
| Suisei | JR-West | Kyoto – Minami-Miyazaki | 1968–2005 |
| Twilight Express | JR-West | Ōsaka – Sapporo | 1989–Mar 2015 |
| Oze yakō 23:55 / Snowpal 23:55 | Tobu Railway | Asakusa – Aizukōgen-Ozeguchi | 1986–; Climbing and skiing season only |
Express
| Train name | Operator | Train endpoints | Operated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daisen | JR-West | Ōsaka – Yonago (via San'in Main Line) | 1968–Oct 2004 |
| Ginga | JR-West | Tokyo – Ōsaka | 1950–Mar 2008 |
| Hamanasu | JR Hokkaido | Aomori – Sapporo | 1955–Mar 2016 |
| Kitaguni | JR-West | Ōsaka – Niigata | 1968–Jan 2013 |
| Noto | JR East | Ueno – Kanazawa | 1975–Feb 2012 |
Rapid
| Train name | Operator | Train endpoints | Operated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moonlight Echigo | JR East | Shinjuku – Niigata | 1986–May 2014 |
| Moonlight Nagara | JR East / JR Central | Tokyo – Ōgaki | 1996– |
See also
References
- JR Timetable, December 2008
- ＪＲ新幹線＆特急列車ファイル (JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File). Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
- 列車名鑑１９９5 (Train Name Directory 1995). Japan: Railway Journal. August 1995.