The pleasure of day trips on local trains continues with history, nature and scenic views aplenty on each ride.

Start out from Goi Station in Chiba, catching the Kominato and Izumi Lines to travel across the Boso Peninsula for hot springs and seafood.
And don’t forget to grab a lunchbox for your journey. But be warned, the variety is wide so don’t forget the train’s departure when taking time to decide on the affordably priced lunchboxes. Also useful to have with you are the excursion day tickets to Ohara. Although they are one way tickets, they can be used on both the Kominato and Izumi train lines and allow stops at any station along the way – very handy! In fact, by taking the Kominato Line which runs between Goi located on the west coast and Kazusa Nakano located on the peninsula’s inland offers quite an adventure. First of all, the conductors on the Kominato Line are all women and they views offer rare glimpses into the Japanese countryside.

Just outside Chiba’s Goi station, the first stop - Murakami station - will offer visitors a chance to see people making Kazusa kites. Information and direction on Kazusa kite makers can be found at Murakami Station. It’s just about 20 minutes on foot to the nearest place where the kites are made and anyone can visit and watch the craftsmen at work in their home. Kazusa square kites come from the Edo Era and the tradition among the craftsmen, some of whom have been making the kites for 40-50 years, have been handed down from father to son. The kites are popular in the area, as people paint their children’s names on kites to wish for their happiness during celebrations such as the boy’s festival day. It takes about a week to create the hand-made kites which are eco-friendly since a large of it is recycled from old ledgers.

Back at Murakami station, be ready and waiting for the next onward train which stops only if there are passengers waiting to catch the transport which will weave through the mountains and many trees on Boso peninsula. The next stop is at the station named after the Takataki lake and dam.

The artificial reservoir includes a museum and botanical gardens nearby and is scenic spot for picnics or a break with box lunches if you’re lucky with the weather. If not, continue on the train as it goes deeper into the mountains, stopping at the terminal station, Kazusa Nakano. Before the trip across the Boso Peninsula can continue, travellers must switch from Kazusa Nakano to the short Izumi Line where an unmanned train runs to Ohara. After a 25 minute train ride uphill.

The train arrives at the town of Otaki, dominated by the castle built by Takakatsu Honda, a lord under the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa. Inside the castle is a museum that displays objects from the Edo era and unique displays such as a dress-up booth where visitors can transform themselves into characters of the by-gone era with near original costumes from the period. Not too far from the train station too is a hot spring bath. The Otaki Sawayama Onsen allows visitors to enjoy the outdoor hot springs while viewing waterfalls. Another attraction is the spring water, which contains seaweed elements, giving it an interesting colour and extra warmth to the body.

Once recharged, hop back on the train as it speeds towards the Pacific Coast which you can see from the train for most of the trip. The 30 minute ride on the local train, brings you to Ohara Station.the terminal of the Izumi Line, and the end of the line. Ohara port hauls in the largest catch of lobsters in Japan, so there’s no guessing what’s a must-have! Nearby is a restaurant popular among locals especially since the owner is also a broker in the fish market.

You’ll be able to have the freshest select lobster in this restaurant which uses lobster in all the dishes in its lobster set meal, from sashimi to grilled lobster seasoned only with salt to preserve its fresh taste and even miso soup cooked with a whole lobster to give the soup a strong flavour.Finish the day at the beach.

If the quiet and scenic is not on your agenda, how about some history? Immerse yourself with a trip on the Watarase Keikoku Railway. This runs from Kiryu in Gunma prefecture which is also steeped in tradition. It thrived in the Edo era producing fabrics and many old-style factories and mud-walled warehouses still exist in the city. After a visit to the area, find your way to the Kiryu Station to catch the Watarase Keikoku Railway.

With a day excursion ticket on the local train you can get on and off the train as many times as you want. The ticket also offers the first nostalgia adventure, a ride on a lorry train which is part of the Watarase Keikoku Railway and runs some 44km from Kiryu to Mato. The ride only begins outside Kiryu where the local train stops at Omama Station, where the lorry train which used to carry copper, begins its run to Ashio and back, once a day until the end of November. Cool weather is not the best for anyone taking the lorry train as it’s spartan, with iron plates on its ceiling and no windows or sides, so commuters get the wind the whole time. But that’s for all five cars on the train, some offer more cover which is handy when the weather changes.

As the train weaves through the woods, commuters brush the trees with the open car. The lorry train also offers the best view of a gorge as it heads deep into the mountains. When the train exits the tunnel, a majestic waterfall greets travelers on the train. The scenic 45 minute ride stops at Godo where you can take pictures of the train during its short stop or take lunch break, or both! At the station, look out for another stylish train which houses the Seiryu Restaurant.

The train that used to run has been recycled as a restaurant and offers a wonderful atmosphere for diners who can relish the popular maitake mushroom set lunch or the mushroom curry rice.

Catch a taxi from Godo Station to get to Konaka Farm where you can pick seasonal vegetables.

Admission is free when you use the Watarase Keikoku Railway. Apart from seasonal vegetables you can also dig for sweet potatoes which the farm will charge you by the kilogram. Take it home or have it roasted for you at the farm as a tasty treat.

Return to Godo Station and catch the train to Ashio. The town in Tochigi Prefecture, once thrived as a copper mine and a short five minute walk from the station brings visitors to a copper mine from the Edo and Showa periods. Ashio Dozan Kanko as the copper mine facility is called, shows the history of the copper mine and mining, right down to an old mine which you can explore by riding on a little lorry train which was used by the mine. The mining tunnel is about 1,200 km long and so only a part of it is open to visitors who can also walk through it. There are mannequins that recreate how workers mined, original stone that was mined, a 20kg copper bar and Edo era coins that were mined in the same place. Before heading back to Tokyo, visit the Mizunuma Onsen Centre which near the Tsudo Station so you can take a relaxing outdoor bath and buy your tickets for a relaxing journey to the city.

A trip for nature-lovers is to Watarase. Start from Odawara city at the large JR Kozu Station to travel on the Gotenba Line. This is the red line which is opposite to the Tokaido Line (the blue line) which goes to Numazu and used to be called the Tokaido Line when the Tanna Tunnel opened in 1935. Stop at the first station from Kozu which is famous for its hyotan guords. It was planted 36 years ago by a station employee to create some shade and became famous when the picture of it was used on the cover of a train timetable book. If you can’t find it at the station walk around the town, many locals plant hyotan as well in their gardens. There’s also a local hyotan handicraft centre called the Hyotan Workshop Yumehyou with very colourful items made from the seeds and other parts of hyotan which is regarded as good luck because of its shape and was essential in the old days for use as tea sets and dippers. Visitors to the centre can try their hand at decorating hyotan which they can take home as special souvenirs.

Their trip continues on and the next stop is Matsuda Station. There a rare, red and white flower called the Suifuyo can be experienced by walking through the flower fields. There are also fields of Fuyo flowers, which have a single layer of petals and keep their colours unlike the Suifuyo which changes gradually from white in the morning to varying shades of pink and red as the day grows. The scenery changes on the next part of the journey as the train heads out of Matsuda Station, weaving through tunnels and mountains on the original Tokaido Line towards Shizuoka Prefecture. On entering the area, visitors are greeted by Mt. Fuji.

Stop off at Gotenba Station and take a five minute walk to a Western style restaurant in town which is famous for Kinka pork which is a prime ham from pigs bred only in Gotenba.

The meat is marbled making it tender as well as with a rich, sweet flavour.

A set meal at the restaurant costs 1,600 yen. Head next to the terminal station of Numazu which is a port town lying along Suruga Bay. Visit Senbonmatsubara which is known as the most beautiful place in Tokaido with is view to Mt. Fuji amid the pinewoods. Visitors can also view stone art of the exclusive view made by the locals.