Like many rural railways in Japan, the Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line was facing closure due to declining ridership as local populations age and move away. It was saved after a rescued stray cat, named Tama, was made station master of Kishi Station. Her popularity lead to an influx of visitors, both local and from abroad, travelling the line that still continues today.
I rode the Tamaden, as it’s popularly referred to now, back in October 2023. It’s located a bit beyond Kansai Airport, so I thought it might be a good choice as a last day activity for the other two. Alex also wanted to see it.
Their rail passes expired, we purchase a couple of single day JR West Passes, allowing ridership on normal and express service in the region, but not Shinkansen services. That’s fine, we have no intention of catching one. Good value or not, the rail pass is convenient.
The plan is to dump our bags into storage at Kansai Airport, travel to the junction at Hineno, go down to Wakayama, change to the Tamaden, return to Wakayama, Hineno and Kansai Airport.
The agent serving us wants to reserve us seats on the Haruka in half an hour, but there’s one in 5 minutes. I think we can make it and we do. Just.
We don’t often ride the Haruka during daylight hours, not this early, and it casts a different perspective on the scenery outside. As we cross the causeway to the airport we can see the white caps of waves rolling in. It’s windy outside.
Once we have left our luggage at the JAL desk on level 4, we return to the station to take a JR Kansai Rapid service back to Hineno. There the four car airport service merges with another four cars from Wakayama for the trip to Osaka.
We are going the opposite direction and have to wait for our inbound train to split.
The line to Wakayama is rural, passing cabbage farms and mikan citrus groves, hills and valleys, crumbling buildings and small towns.
It’s lunchtime when we arrive at Wakayama. There are a number of places around the station. We go to the Kintetsu Department store, where there is a B Hands branch on the second floor where I suggest that B can find the Mama Butter hand lotion she seeks.
They have Mama Butter, though not the orange scented hand lotion (last season?). She picks out another brand and Alex and I break out in laughter when we read that it’s called “Booty Butter”. And yes, the Japanese “oshiri” confirms it!
The basement food department is full of interesting snacks that threaten the already overloaded bags. We eat ramen at Seino. The “Wakayama” broth is nice, then we return to the station.
The Tamaden is a private line and doesn’t accept IC cards. They sell unlimited ride day tickets, allowing passengers to get on and off at any station. There are also four stamps to collect. One each at Wakayama, Idakiso (the maintenance facility), Kishi (the terminus) and on the themed trains themselves.
Unfortunately, the 2270 class, ex-Nankai Line, two car electric train waiting for us on the platform is their plain version with just decals decorating it.
It’s a bumpy ride on the single track, not especially scenic, but still nice to be up close to rural Japan.
Idakiso is busy with tourists waiting for the decorated Umeboshi (plum) train, which is heading back to Wakayama. We stay on board all the way to Kishi.
Station Master Yontama is waiting for us at Kishi. The fourth Tama, after their predecessors passed away, they sleep in their glass box between the cafe and the little shop that offers Tamaden items, like t-shirts, notepads, badges and calendars featuring Tama. They also have bags of fresh mikan. Should have bought here instead of at the greengrocer in Nagai!
I bought some goods there last time, so there’s no need for more, but we do have a couple of cups of the very nice cream hot cocoa at the cafe to warm us up. It is very chilly outside.
We also pop into the tiny tourist information shop opposite and but some fruit jelly sweets that I found delicious last trip.
Yontama is 9 years old. Next in line would be given the title Gotama. I wonder if they will reverse that to “Tamago” which means “egg”.
The train to take us back is “Tamaden”, the white train painted outside to look like a cat and with a wooden interior with colour shaped sofas within. The locals head up to the front, the tourists spread throughout.
There are many tourists.
Again, we don’t get off at Idakiso, but we do admire the Chuggington decaled train. Unfortunately, the Tama Museum, the most over-the-top of the trains isn’t running today, but Tamaden is still fun.
Back at Wakayama, we change straight to a rapid service to Hineno. There is no real rush. Jetstar have messaged us to say that the flights are delayed by a couple of hours. That makes their connection in Cairns iffy, but we are sure that Jetstar will sort it out, as they have done before.
With time to waste, we leave the station at Hineno and walk in darkness to a nearby Aeon Mall in the hope of finding some food and amusement.
It’s a lot smaller than Kyoto’s version. B inexplicably buys a small frypan from 3 Coins.
Dinner is at a teishoku chain. Alex picks at his food, feeling nervous about the upcoming flight, worried he will throw up again.
It is freezing outside as we walk back to Hineno Station and hope for the warm train to hurry up. From there, it is only a short ride past Rinkutown and across the causeway to the airport.
Some repacking is done, including squeezing in the new frypan. There is no queue to check in.
We find a table to sit at, buy Alex a McFlurry and B a slice of strawberry cake from Le Pan, source of last year’s “birthday cake”.
They urge me to head back to Shin-Osaka because I have an early morning train ride. Alex feels sick. There are tears as we cuddle. I will miss them. It’s been so much fun exploring Japan with them. Sharing the experiences, the random decisions. I am sad too.
I ride the Haruka Express to Shin-Osaka in a daze, try to spot any teamLab lights at the Botanic Gardens near Nagai, fail.
At Shin-Osaka I buy a pudding and fruit cup and some snacks. The total is 666 yen. I hope that I have not brought about the apocalypse. The attendant gives me chopsticks instead of the spoon I need to eat it, and the two cups of jelly the others left for me.
The Remm Hotel is located right inside the station near the Shinkansen gate. It’s one of my favourites, but it doesn’t have space for 3 and the room is really tiny. Yet they still manage to fit in massage chair.
The bathroom and toilets are at the window and have glass, relying on your pulling down blinds for privacy from occupants without and within. But it’s just me and the view outside of Shin-Osaka Station and surrounds is amazing. The Shinkansen platforms right below, local and express lines to my left, the metro to my right.
I feel like I am in a scene from Blade Runner and indeed, that’s the music I play out loud while I fall asleep alone.
