[HD] A THUNDERBIRD BEFORE 2023: Osaka to Kanazawa before the Hokuriku Shinkansen
Here’s another take on trains you cannot ride anymore. Partially, that is. The Thunderbird was the fastest limited express in Japan in terms of average speed. Some services completed the trip from Osaka to Kanazawa in just 2 hours and 40 minutes and an average speed of over 100 km an hour or 62 mph. A timetable revision that took place on the 16th of March 2024 saw these trains truncated to run only between Osaka and Tudaga with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Zuruga. In this video, we’ll be taking a look at the Thunderbird and what was once the lifeline between the Kai region and the Hokuriku region. [Music] Starting off in Umeda, the private rooms over at this manga cafe are top tier. It might have been a bit pricey, but for single travelers to Japan, it was a must try activity for me at least. I got this room for 6,500 yen, and I only needed it for 7 or 8 hours. Anyways, these manga cafes are found in what are known as pencil buildings. And these are buildings where a single business occupies an entire floor right to the entrance of the elevator. The zoning for these buildings would be instantly rejected in most western countries. An early start to this trip got us some time to get some breakfast at the platform. And another simple but obvious protest against uklidian zoning in North America. This 7-Eleven ride up platform level serves track 11 here at Osaka Station, which is dedicated to longer inner city services such as overnight sleeper trains as well as the Thunderbird Limited Express, which we will be taking today. My choice for this trip was this set of onigiri. Osaka station serves the busy Umemeda district with its connections to private commuter railways as well as a few subway stations including that of the famous north southrunn line. And in order to add capacity and increase connections to the south, new underground platforms were opened in March 2023. At 7:30 a.m., we see our train at the platform 681 683 series sets V13 and B34, which form a 12car train. This type was built specifically for inner city services within the Hokuriku region and for services to Osaka as well as to Nagagoya by way of the Shiraasagi Limited Express. Some sets were built for the Hokuetsu Express between Kanazawa and Ichigo Yuzawa running at 160 km an hour or 99 mph. This was the fastest speed on 3’6 in railways in the country. But that service ended when the Hokuri Kushin consent from Tokyo and Nagono was extended to Kanazawa in 2015. At 7:40 a.m., we leave the platform and head straight towards Shin Osaka to pick up transfers from the Sanosin [Music] Ken 12 at the rear. Car number one is the green car at As we’re on the JR Kyoto line, let’s review our trip. We go to Kyoto and the JR Kyoto line. And then for 90 km, we take the Kos line along Lake Biwa to Tsuluga. From there, we traverse the Hokuriko mainline along the northern coast to Kanazawa station. Total travel time is 2 hours and 45 minutes and a distance of around 267 km or 166 mi. Kyoto’s arrival is AO9 a.m. A grandiose cathedral-like station. This stop is to bring in people from Kyoto as well as any remaining transfers from the tokosin kansen. [Music] [Music] The coy line or lake west line was built in 1974 for a faster connection to the hokuriku region from Kyoto. Before then, inner city services including the predecessor Raicho had to pass through the south side of Mayara before heading north. The Raicholo ran from Osaka to Toyama with services being gradually renamed to Thunderbird between 1997 and 2011. And since this video’s posting, this will have been the second major truncation of the Thunderbird service. A bit more on this after we leave Tudiga. Meanwhile, we find ourselves sprinting alongside Lake Biwa at 130 km an hour or 81 mph. [Music] [Music] We pull into Tulaga at 9:03 in the morning. As of this video’s posting, trains pull into the new platforms in the background. Many have described the transfer to the Hokuri Kushinkansen as rather crowded and unpleasant. Unlike other stations which enable a cross-platform transfer, such as at Tako Onsen out west in Kyushu, this one requires a pair of long escalators and the convoluted transfer gate. Many have also criticized the single foot bridge for services onto the other local lines. Tudagot itself is a small city tucked away in a cove. It serves as a transportation hub for both rail and water transportation. A freight line once ran from the station to the port terminal, but it has since been abolished. With a population that is enough to fill up Nissan Stadium, I’m sure everyone knows half the people living in the city. Sudaga also concludes the first phase of our journey. The next phase begins right away as we switch from 1500 volts DC to the Hokuriku network’s 25 kts at 60 Hz AC. In addition to the extension of the Hokkuriku Shinkansen, the Hokuriku mainline in this section was transferred to private companies. If you want a detailed video, please check that out in the description. What’s important here is that you can no longer ride the Thunderbird pass Tuda. And this also has ramifications for people holding the JR pass. And with that out of the way, let’s talk more about where we are right now. The Hokuriku region is culturally important in Japan mainly for its mountains and natural beauty. Mountains such as Mount Haku and Mount Tatayyama offer a variety of resorts and a gateway to Japan’s wilderness, offering a completely different perspective of the country compared to the bright city lights and crowded subway trains of Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and others. Lush green fields near the Sea of Japan grow various commodities such as koshi hikari, which is a type of rice designated for its use in sushi. In Canada, 7 kg of this rice would run you back around $40. [Music] [Music] And now is a great time to do a tour of the train, including the seats and onboard facilities. And that begins with our seat tour. Having lost my green car seat reservation days earlier, I opted to sit in car 6, which is the unreserved car. All cars except car one are in a 2 two configuration with blue fabric. Now sometimes you’ll find a red fabric, but that just means part of the train normally operates the shiasagi and was assigned to run on the Thunderbird service. Regardless, they are all the same design. The seats come with a hook as well as a large airline style tray table. There’s also a curtain at your disposal for those blinding mornings and afternoons. Although there’s plenty of leg room, there are no footrests on all cars outside of the green car. Now, I’m still technically allowed to be in the green car as a green passholder. Seats here are in a one two configuration with the side facing the lake having the single column. The seats here are much wider in size and they do have the folding footrest at the bottom. And attached to the end of the car is a little private room for phone conversations. Lastly, a look at the washrooms. The centralized accessible washroom is located in car 6. The door slides with a push of a button. Meanwhile, the inside is clean and spacious with a harness for toddlers and a disposal for osttomy patients. The toilet is equipped with a bedet and there is a baby changing station. That said, the sink is outside but with no towels or blow dryers. Please use the exit at the front. Passengers, car number two. Please use the exit at the back. Fukui is the capital and biggest city of Fukui Prefecture. Having visited Drumheller, Alberta’s Royal Terrell Museum in 2019, I am allowed to call Fukui the Japanese version of Drumheller. This comes from the city being primarily known for its large dinosaur museum, which in Fukui it’s located an hour bus ride to the east. [Music] [Music] before arrival times. The Hokkuriku region is not limited to just agriculture and tourism. Those in the construction industry might recognize the name Komasu. The company which produces heavy machinery was founded in Komasu city 103 years ago. Kamasu is our last major stop before we enter Kanazawa. [Music] Just as a Thunderbird speeds to the Hokuriku countryside, time also flies while you’re on board looking out the window. Whether it’s Lake Biwa, the towering mountain ranges, or the lush green fields, the old Thunderbird had no shortage of passing scenery. While the service remains a key connection, its significance and presence on the railways is now just a shadow of its former self. Let’s be real. Tsuga is nowhere as popular as Kanazawa. If you are heading between Tokyo and Osaka by way of the Hokkuriku region, you’d much rather spend a day in Kanazawa instead of being thrown to the Shinkansen at Suduga. And that is one critique about the current option. Although the Shinkansen is much faster, you do lose accessibility and rail pass privileges without the Thunderbird past Suduga. Let me know if this should be a topic for another video because talking about the transfer and all that jazz might make this video longer than it needs to be. As for the tickets, this was before the price change of the Japan Rail Pass. This means I paid 39,000 yen for a week’s worth of green card travel instead of the 70,000 yen it costs nowadays. However, on the GRS website, tourists can pay 8,000 yen for a one-way ticket between Osaka and Kanazawa, which includes the Thunderbird and any Hokuriku Shinkansen service between Turuga and Kanazawa. The catch here is that you pay for the voucher while in your home country, and then redeem the voucher and reserve your seats at the train station at no extra cost. Doing this would save you around 1,700 yen compared to buying the tickets in the country directly. Finally, we reach Kanazawa. Adorned by its large tori gate and delicate glass structure, this major city has loads of tourist attractions. From walking around in Higashi Chaya to buying exclusive merch at the Pokémon Center, there’s always an entire day’s worth of activity for anyone staying here, young or old. That said, my biggest grievance is the lack of luggage storage. The lockers at the station and at the mall are always full. So when planning your trip, try to spend a hotel night here or come here between Monday and Thursday. And Kano is where we end this journey. If you liked this video, please consider subscribing for more trip reviews on Japanese railways. Thank you for watching.
Hello, and welcome back to the channel!
In this video, we do a trip review on the Thunderbird from Osaka Station to Kanazawa Station.
What was once the railway transportation lifeline between the Hokuriku Region and Greater Kansai is now just a shadow of its former self. It and the sister Shirasagi service to Nagoya were the main transportation options on the Hokuriku Main Line from Omi-Shiotsu and Tsuruga to Kanazawa and beyond.
As of 16 March 2024, all Thunderbird and Shirasagi services end at Tsuruga Station; the Hokuriku Shinkansen now provides service from Tsuruga to Kanazawa and further to Toyama, Nagano, Omiya, and Tokyo.
Train: Thunderbird 5
Departure: Osaka Station Track 11 7:40am
Arrival: Kanazawa Station 10:25am
Distance: 267km (166mi)
Average speed: 96km/h (60mph)
Formation: 681/683 Series 12-car train
=====LINKS=====
Please see my explainer video on all the service revisions that took place in Spring 2024:
===Cover Image Credits===
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JRW_Series683-4000R.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JRW_Series681-0_V14.jpg
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