Yesterday, I just finished reading the book "The Railway of the Falling Star" by Kong Saharat Bangyikhan.

And then I suddenly felt a deep longing for Japanese trains, even though it's been less than a month since I left Japan.

Everyone has been recommending this book to me for a long time, because they say that

This guy is Tetsu, a real train otaku, the same breed as me.

It's possible that in a past life, we were in the same tribe, maybe even the same village. The "train-crazy" tribe, that is.

I haven't been able to find it to read yet, because I thought the book came out a long time ago and it would be hard to find.

Imagine my surprise when I was walking through B2S and saw it prominently displayed on the new release shelf.

Okay, so what new release is this, the how many-th time?

The monk was delighted, so he quickly grabbed it and paid for it. He then read it all in one go.

The content of this book made me go "whoa," "wow," and "oh!"

Some chapters almost brought tears to my eyes with the thoughtfulness of the Japanese train designers.

Filled with awe and excitement (I don't know if I'm the only one who's into it, haha)

And then I thought back to the journey, which I had also been to visit, sometimes overlapping with him, sometimes following in his footsteps, sometimes going in opposite directions.

And then there was a strange feeling of happiness and longing.

This caused a fire to erupt, the water boiled violently, and the bottom of the pot turned black.

I plan to post a review of the Japanese trains that I have ridden, one train per week.

To share the joy and make others jealous, I mean, to let them experience it too.

But I don't know how far I can go.

The post will flop. No matter how hard you try, it's all up to fate.

However, I would like to have a lot of readers because if I post a topic and no one reads it, it's like opening a noodle shop and no one comes to eat.

It's eerily quiet and lonely. Hehe.

This trip was at the end of June.

This is the same trip where I will travel by train across Japan, from the northernmost station in the country to the southernmost station, a distance of 3,157 km.

As I wait for the day of my journey, which I expect to be long, arduous, and fast-paced,

I'll slowly travel, accumulate fun, comfort, and save HP to fight first.

The journey will have a mix of chill, tiring, fast-paced, and relaxing moments.

My happiness comes from taking strange train journeys, as befits a train enthusiast.

From doing homework from Thailand

This scenic train, called Norokko, does not run every day.

However, it will only run on weekends and major holidays during Hokkaido's peak season.

According to this table

http://jprail.com/destinations/hokkaido-area/furano-biei-norokko-train.html

I also learned that there is only one reserved seat carriage. If you don't get a reserved seat, you'll have to take your chances.

As soon as I landed at Chitose Airport, I went to the JR counter at the airport to book a seat.

It turns out that the lady who takes reservations said that it's full already. You go try your luck at the non-reserve machine. Let's see if you get lucky.

On the morning of June 29, 2015, I arrived at JR Asahikawa Station, the starting point of the journey, early in the morning.

The bus leaves at 9:56. I arrived an hour early to be sure I have a seat.

Asahikawa JR Station is a very spacious station.

The station is very spacious and modern, but there aren't many people around.

The crowd was about the same as the Airport Link in our country in the afternoon.

Seeing the streets so empty like this, I feel relieved that I won't have to squeeze with the crowd today.

I see a sign that says Norokko 1 to Furano, platform 1, time 9.56.

Most Japanese train stations have this kind of light sign.

Even people who don't know much about it can still guess which way to go and when.

No need to fumble around for long.

Upon arriving, I found the Norokko train waiting to start its engine. However, the doors were still closed, and I couldn't board yet.

As a train enthusiast, I took out my camera to capture the various details.

The side of the locomotive is painted with a picture of the Furano mountain range, which is a view from the side of the road.

The symbol of the Norokko train is a turtle, indicating that the train is not a fast train.

We will focus on a slow life, like a turtle, chill.

Enjoying the breeze and the view as we go, because we are the scenic train, haha!

After taking photos to their heart's content, they returned to the queue to board the bus.

This Norokko 1 train has a middle-aged Thai couple who are crazy enough to be the first in line to board the train.

After standing for a while, a Japanese man and a Chinese girl joined the queue behind me, making the line quite long. However, it didn't seem like the bus was full yet.

The staff, who were not wearing their usual uniforms, but rather T-shirts with the Norokko logo, gradually opened the windows of the train.

And then he opened the door for us to go in. Being the first ones on the train is so good. We get to choose our seats before anyone else.

Once you have a seat facing away from the window,

I also went to explore and take pictures in the train.

There are 3 cabinets in total.

The first compartment is the one I'm sitting in. It has viewing chairs facing the train window.

The second booth is a seating arrangement that resembles a dining table.

The third car, reserved seats, has scenic view seats. Facing the other way, there is a shop, but it is closed.

"Reserve seat" is all there is. No wonder it fills up so quickly.

As I walked through the train, I thought to myself, "Finally, my dream has come true."

From what I've seen, I've only seen it in the NHK world Train cruise documentary.

The torokko train slowly makes its way through the streams and forests, offering stunning views along the way. It's a truly blissful experience.

Today is the day, the thing I've been dreaming of will come true in a few minutes. Oh, yay, when I get back to my own locker.

Hey, why is the car full of people? I just looked away for a second and now it's packed!

Almost full.

There are still about 5-10 minutes left. The car hasn't left yet.

Almost at the last minute

What's going on? A group of Chinese tourists are walking by dragging their luggage.

Your bags are so big, it's like you're going on a twenty-day trip.

Standing close together at the entrance with all these suitcases. What's going on here?

My fancy tourist train is now no different from a Bangkok Mass Transit Authority bus.

Luckily we came early, so we got a good seat with a great view.

The train whistle has blown, which means the train is about to depart.

The scenery along the way kept changing, from cityscapes to rice fields and mountains.

That's great.

The weather wasn't too hot, around 18-20 degrees Celsius. A cool breeze kept blowing in my face.

The train had been running for about 10 minutes after leaving the station.

My trip today has reached the break-even point.

Translation:

From now on, it's all profit.

The uncle and the younger sister sitting next to me also looked like they were making a profit.

Everyone seems happy and having a good time.

I don't know how the Chinese brothers and sisters who are standing next to the bags at the door feel. I feel sorry for them.

And then the Furufuri train came to a stop at Biei Station.

It took a while to park because it was a main station with a lot of people getting on and off.

And also waiting for the car at the garden, because the train on this line is a single-lane railway.

Each train must wait for the oncoming train at the station.

I noticed something at the building. They wrote the year it was built on it.

If you can imagine, you will see how much the city of Biei has developed, according to the year written on the building.

Hokkaido in winter in the imagination is a picture of winter, with snow everywhere. Wherever you go, people are slipping and falling on the ice.

But in Hokkaido, during the summer, there are meadows and small flowers blooming everywhere.

Translation:

Depart from Biei Station

The roadside view also changed to rolling hills, alternating between barley and corn fields.

A visual treat indeed. The Japanese are truly masters of storytelling.

A single tree has a story to tell, attracting drivers from all over the country to come and see it.

Finally, 11.11 on time.

The Norokko train has arrived at Lavender Farm Station.

This is the station where I will get off.

Over an hour has passed, why does it feel like 15 minutes? Are we there already? I didn't even realize.

We have to say goodbye today.

Goodbye Norokko-san. You made me very happy today, Norokko-san.

Since then, I have stayed in Hokkaido for many more days and returned twice.

Every time I drive past norokko, or take a train that passes norokko, or see norokko parked at a station,

I feel like I've met an old friend. It's like meeting a friend who used to blow frogs and play cards with me as a child.

Translation:

The distant whistle sounds like an old friend's greeting.

I hope we'll meet again, Norokko-san. Goodbye.

This part is Tomita Farm.

I think someone has already reviewed every nook and cranny.

I won't review it again because our thread is a thread about reviewing trains.

This concludes the thread. Thank you all for visiting.

Excuse me while I go wipe away my tears. I miss Noriko-san.