Ōigawa Railway

The Ōigawa Railway follows the Ōi River north from Kanaya, on JR's Tōkaidō Line in Shizuoka Prefecture, into the foothills of the Southern Alps. It is two railways in one. The 39.5 km Main Line was the first in Japan to bring steam back for visitors, in 1976, and still runs old coaches behind electric locomotives. Beyond Senzu, the 25.5 km Ikawa Line, built to carry materials for the dams, climbs in small red trains to Ikawa, through the only rack railway in Japan and the steepest gradient on any ordinary line in the country.

Two things have changed. In September 2022 a typhoon cut the Main Line beyond Kawane-Onsen Sasamado, and a town bus from Ieyama now covers the gap to Senzu. And since 1 July 2026 every Ikawa Line train has been a reserved sightseeing train, sold at one flat price.

Local trains leave Kanaya, where the line meets JR, and call at Shin-Kanaya, home of the depot and the heritage trains. They are second-hand city trains on a second career: Nankai's 21000 series "Zoom Car" of 1958, a Kintetsu 16000 series of 1965, and 7200 series cars that came from Tokyu by way of a closed line in Aomori. The line climbs the widening valley past Ieyama and the tea fields of Nukuri, crosses the river on the Ōigawa First Bridge, and stops at the buffers of Kawane-Onsen Sasamado, about 45 minutes from Kanaya.

The bus to Senzu

From Ieyama the Kawanehon town bus follows the river to Senzu in about 45 minutes; the stop is right outside the station. It is the town's bus, not a replacement service run by the railway. It also stops by the Kawane Onsen roadside station, ten minutes' walk from Sasamado, which has a day-bathing house and somewhere to eat.

The Ikawa Line

At Senzu the Ikawa Line's little coaches wait behind a DD20 diesel. The line was built as a works railway to tiny dimensions, and its cars are under 1.85 m wide. At Abt Ichishiro an ED90 rack locomotive is coupled on for the 90‰ climb to Nagashima Dam. The train then crosses Lake Sesso to Oku-Ōi Laketop and reaches Sessokyō-Onsen, where three of the five daily trains turn back. The other two go on over the Sekinosawa Bridge to Ikawa, about two hours from Senzu.

The heritage trains

The EL Express runs on set days between Shin-Kanaya and Ieyama: old JNR coaches behind an electric locomotive, one of them in the blue livery of the old sleeper trains. Steam made the railway's name, but the black steam trains have been suspended since 13 January 2026 while C10 8 is modified. For now steam runs only in the guise of Thomas and Percy, the Day out with Thomas trains, between Shin-Kanaya and Kawane-Onsen Sasamado.

Local trains on the Main Line, the town bus and the Ikawa Line all run every day of the year. The heritage trains on the Main Line run on set days only.

Main Line local trains (no booking)

Back towards Kanaya, trains leave Kawane-Onsen Sasamado at 06:26, 09:45, 12:02, 15:32 and 18:40, about 40 minutes to Kanaya.

Town bus, Ieyama to Senzu (about 45 minutes): 06:30, 08:15, 12:05, 15:30, 18:40, 20:25. From Senzu: 05:35, 07:20, 11:10, 14:35, 17:45, 19:35.

Ikawa Line (booking required, from 1 July 2026)

Good to know:

• A connection that works. The 07:24 from Kanaya meets the 08:15 bus, which reaches Senzu at 09:00 for the 09:15 to Ikawa.
• Breaking the journey. A booking covers one train; get off at Oku-Ōi Laketop and the next train needs a new one.
• Without a booking. The 14:35 from Senzu and the 10:45 from Sessokyō-Onsen carry one ordinary car, about 25 seats, at normal fares.
• Heritage trains, October 2026. The EL Express leaves Shin-Kanaya at 10:10, 12:10 and 15:10 for Ieyama, mostly Friday to Monday; the Thomas and Percy steam trains leave at 10:39 and 13:58 for Kawane-Onsen Sasamado.

Times as of October 2026, from the operator's timetables. Check your date on the Ōigawa Railway's Main Line timetable (opens in a new tab) (in Japanese) and Ikawa Line page (opens in a new tab).

On the Main Line, local trains need only a ticket from the station, priced by distance: ¥920 from Kanaya to Kawane-Onsen Sasamado, half for children under 13. The EL Express adds a ¥1,500 surcharge and every seat is reserved; the Day out with Thomas trains are sold through the ticket agencies listed on their own site, from ¥3,000 one way.

On the Ikawa Line every journey is a ¥3,500 booking for one named train, however far you ride, and seats are not numbered. Book online from 30 days ahead; on the day, any spare places are sold at staffed stations or on board, for cash. Many stations up the line have no mobile signal, so save or print the e-ticket before you leave Senzu. Fares checked October 2026 on the operator's site; Japanese yen.

No rail pass covers this line. The Ōigawa Railway is a private company, and the Japan Rail Pass is valid only on JR. It does cover the way there, on JR's Tōkaidō Line to Kanaya. For this journey alone, a pass is not worth buying.

The railway's own Ōigawa Main Line Free Pass, ¥4,800, gives a day of local trains between Kanaya and Kawane-Onsen Sasamado on the days the heritage trains run, and lets you ride the EL Express without the surcharge if you stand or find a spare seat. A plain return from Kanaya to Sasamado costs ¥1,840, so it pays only for a day of getting on and off along the line.

Checked October 2026 against the operator's October notice (opens in a new tab) (in Japanese) and the Japan Rail Pass conditions of use (opens in a new tab).

The Main Line's stops are for cherry blossom, tea and hot springs; the best of the scenery waits up the Ikawa Line, where a single booking covers one train, so choose your stop before you set out.

A night up the valley turns the journey into an easy two days: the Main Line and the bus on the first, the Ikawa Line on the second. The railway's own Kawane Onsen Hotel stands by the line at Kawane-Onsen Sasamado, and the inns of Sumatakyō Onsen are 40 minutes by bus from Senzu.

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