International Railroad Discussion > New Years Eve around Aomori, Japan

I had the pleasure of railfaning in & around Aomori on New Years Eve.

Below zero (celsius) temperatures & lots of snow - an additional novelty for an Australian!

With the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen scheduled for March 2016, major changes for this area are ahead. The Hokkaido Shinkansen will initially link Shin-Aomori with Shin-Hakodate on Hokkaido, via the Seikan Tunnel. The Seikan Tunnel is already open for narrow gauge trains.

There is a distance of approx 5km/3 miles between the main Aomori station (dead end terminal) & Shin-Aomori, where people transfer to the Shinkansen.

Photo 1: Super Hakucho #1 awaits departure from Shin-Aomori for Aomori (reverse) & onto Hakodate via the Seikan Tunnel, with series 785 set #NE303 leading. The Shinkansen station is at right angles above.

Photo 2: The same train, Super Hakucho #1, awaits departure from Aomori, now with a series 789 set leading. Train consisted of a total of 8 cars, 2 789 series half sets & the 785 set

Photo 3: close up of the 789 & its English name!

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Thanks for the report from Northern Japan. Is it possible the carbody design of the 785 EMU was inspired by the Kiha 181 DMU?

The name "HEAT 789" just sounds so cool. The cab design looks similar to JR Hokkaido's fastest "Furico" DMUs.

The original dead-end Aomori station was located for ferry transfers to Hokkaido, and this was of course before the Seikan Tunnel was built. In fact, Japan's worst ferry disaster in 1954, the Touya Maru accident with 1155 people dead or lost at sea, was what made the Japanese decide in earnest to build the Seikan Tunnel.