Sagano Scenic Railway

Just west of Kyoto, where the Hozu River carves a wooded gorge through the hills of Arashiyama, runs one of Japan's most charming little railways. The Sagano Scenic Railway — the Sagano Torokko, or "Romantic Train" — is a slow, open-sided sightseeing line that trundles for 7.3 kilometres through the Hozugawa gorge, along a stretch of old track that the mainline trains left behind.

That is exactly why it exists. When the San'in Main Line was straightened and double-tracked in 1989, its beautiful, winding riverside alignment — first laid in 1897 — was abandoned. Rather than let it fall silent, JR West reopened it in 1991 as a heritage sightseeing railway, running vintage torokko carriages hauled by an old diesel locomotive. One carriage is left completely open to the air.

Timed to the seasons — cherry and plum blossom in spring, blazing maples in autumn — and closed through the winter, it is a favourite Kyoto day out: ride the little train up the gorge, then float back down the rapids by traditional boat. After the 285 km/h of the bullet train, the Sagano is a deliberate, delicious slowing-down.

The line starts at Torokko Saga, in the Arashiyama district, beside the modern JR station of Saga-Arashiyama. Within minutes of setting off, the ordinary suburbs fall away and the train drops into the gorge of the Hozu River, and for the rest of the ride the two are inseparable — the track threading the wooded hillside just above the water.

At the second stop, Torokko Arashiyama, you are a short walk from the famous bamboo grove; by Torokko Hozukyō the gorge has closed in completely, all rapids and overhanging maples, with the little flat-bottomed river boats visible far below. The train crosses the river on old steel bridges, curves past cliffs the mainline now bypasses in tunnels, and finally rolls out into the open at Torokko Kameoka, twenty-five unhurried minutes and 7.3 kilometres later.

What gives the journey its character:

• It runs on the original 1897 alignment of the San'in Main Line, freed for tourism when the mainline was rerouted onto a new double-track course in 1989 — the rails and stations are still owned by JR West.
• The trains are genuine "torokko" — open-sided carriages converted from freight wagons, with wooden benches — hauled by a vintage Class DE10 diesel locomotive, one at each end.
• Car 5, "The Rich," is completely open, with no glass at all, so on a fine day nothing stands between you and the gorge.
• The whole line is built around the seasons: it closes for winter and reopens for the blossom, running at its most spectacular under the autumn maples of November.

It is a short ride, and a slow one — and that is entirely the point.

The Sagano Scenic Railway runs hourly in each direction between Torokko Saga and Torokko Kameoka, from morning to late afternoon. Crucially, it does not run all year: it closes on Wednesdays and through the winter (generally January and February), reopening for the spring blossom, and runs from about March to late December.

Real departures (2026 — confirm before travelling):

The trip through the gorge is 7.3 km, about 25 minutes. Every seat is reserved, and in the two peak seasons — the spring blossom and the November maples — trains sell out well in advance, so book as early as you can.

Most visitors ride one way and return by a different route — either the Hozugawa river boat down to Arashiyama, or the regular JR San'in line back through the tunnels. From Torokko Kameoka a short bus or walk reaches the river-boat boarding point.

Times as of the 2026 timetable. Confirm operating days, seasons and reservations with the operator — see the Tickets section below.

All ordinary seats on the Sagano Scenic Railway are reserved, and there are only a few trains a day, so tickets are the one thing you should sort out before you arrive. They go on sale one month ahead, through JR West ticket offices and travel agents and via the operator, and for the blossom and autumn seasons they can sell out almost immediately — book the moment they open.

There is one exception. Car 5, "The Rich," is the fully open carriage, with no glass at all; its tickets cannot be reserved and are sold only on the day, at the departing station, and only when the weather is fine. If it is running, it is the seat to have.

The options below link to the Sagano Scenic Railway. Fares checked July 2026 against the operator's English site (opens in a new tab).

The Sagano railway sits at the heart of Arashiyama, one of Kyoto's most beautiful corners, and pairs naturally with the sights along the Hozu River.

The train, the boat and the bamboo together make a classic half-day out from Kyoto — easily stretched to a full one.

The Sagano railway is an easy outing from anywhere in Kyoto, so most travellers base themselves in the city and come out for the morning — and Kyoto rewards a proper stay, with everything from sleek modern hotels near the station to traditional machiya townhouses and beautiful ryokan inns in the old quarters of Gion and Higashiyama. For something quieter and closer to the gorge, Arashiyama itself has a handful of lovely riverside ryokan, where you can wake to mist on the hills and have the bamboo grove almost to yourself before the day-trippers arrive. Wherever you stay, plan well ahead for the cherry-blossom weeks of spring and the maple season of November, when Kyoto is at its most crowded and its most breathtaking.