Japan Day 1 (part 1) – Journey to Koyasan: Figuring Out Japan’s Train System

Post is a WIP. Sorry if some things look funny at the moment.

The journey from Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Koyasan marked the first steps of my inaugural visit to Japan. And for the next few days, I will be exploring... the Wakayama Prefecture!

Baffled by the lack of sleep on an overnight flight filled with the incessant sounds of babies crying, I mustered what little consciousness I had as I bought the ICOCA card from the ticketing machine and struggled to make sense of Japan’s railway system with eyes that were on the verge of collapsing.

As if I had envisioned this exhaustion, I remembered (from research done at home) that I needed to:
1) take the Nankai Electric Railway Line to Tengachaya.
2) switch to the Nankai Koya Line bound for Gokurakubashi which was located at the terminus.

After some frantic scurrying around the train station, I found my way to the train terminal. I tapped my ICOCA card at the gantry and made my way in. Here, I observed that the trains were all Limited-Express trains but had no clue what they do since all of them were of this type. The station announcements were clear and there were no oddity that struck out. It was just like the metro back at home – or so I thought.

Things went well… until I arrived at Tengachaya.

There were trains ranging from Express, Limited-Express, Rapid-Express, Semi-Express to Local (no idea how I overlooked this information when checking the itinerary at home). Nonetheless, they were nothing more than hieroglyphs to one who has not slept for almost a full day. Disregarding the train types, I figured everything would work with the travel card’s Tap-and-Go payment system just like the trip from the airport.

Oh boy was I about to find out.

Useful information for reference:

Japanese Name	Engish Name	1) Speed of Train, 2) Number of Skipped Stops, and 3) Price increases down this column ⬇️
普通	Local	slowest, stops At every station, cheapest.
準急	Semi-Express
快速	Rapid
急行	Express
快速急行 (may be shortened to 快急 by some train companies)	Rapid-Express
特急	Limited-Express	fastest, ONLY stops at the busiest train stations, extra price surcharges.

A train bound for the direction I wanted to go was arriving shortly. Not caring for the train types (still thinking everything was Tap-and-Go), I made my way to the platform and awaited eagerly for the train. A Local train headed for Hashimoto (not Gokurakubashi) soon arrived.

You see, Express-type trains tend to skip stations, usually the smaller ones and would only open its doors when it arrived at a more prominent destination. Not knowing that i boarded a Local train, I was wondering why the train stopped so frequently since I was subconsciously making comparisons to the earlier Limited-Express train from the airport. It was immediately overlooked once I ascertained that the train was heading in the right direction.

I slumped into an empty seat, clutching my luggage between my legs. On one side, there was an excited young Japanese family who looked like they were on some kind of a short getaway. And on the other, there were some foreigners pointing to interesting buildings outside the window while making small chatters that were pretty much white noise. In front of me was a foreign couple who also collapsed into their seats in exhaustion – their lifeless eyes were probably mirroring that of mine.

Observations like these are some of the little things I enjoy doing whenever I travel.

“BEEEEEEEEEP…..!!” “BEEEEEEEEEP…..!!” “BEEEEEEEEEP…..!!”

The sounds of blaring whistle blows awakened my peaceful slumber. Following that, the train conductor was making rounds in every cabin asking passengers to alight.

“Rinkanden-Entoshi….” were the words from the nearest signboard I could barely piece together from where I was seated. “Aren’t we a few stations off? What’s going on?”

Still a little groggy from the nap, I dragged my luggage out from the train and watched it depart.

Clueless on what just happened, I decided to ask a station officer for more information. “Was it a train fault? Track fault? Or even a change of shift?” Perhaps my message was lost in translation, and the helpful man simply explained what train I needed to take to get to Gokurakubashi. Not wanting to press further, I thanked him for the directions as I moved along, trudging my luggage behind me.

From the brief conversation, I had some semblance of understanding that I needed to purchase a Limited-Express ticket for the next train bound for Gokurakubashi which was arriving in approximately 15 minutes.

For some reason… I thought that meant I had to tap out and tap back into the station via the gantry. (Oh geez… How silly this was looking back in hindsight…) And so I did just that.

With a little time to spare, I took out my camera for the first time since arriving in Japan and took some photos of the immediate vicinity.

Nobody was around waiting for the next train like me and the station seemed to be in a fairly remote little town based on what I could make sense of outside.

I was all alone in the train platform with no idea what to expect next. AND I LOVED IT! The thrill from knowing anything could happen made me brim with excitement.

After boarding the newly arrived train, I picked a random empty seat only to be returned with uncomfortable stares from the neighboring passengers.

Now for a little nap to catch up on sleep before I arrive at my first planned destination…

BIG NOPE!

The train then started moving and shortly after, I caught a glimpse of a uniformed man making rounds to check tickets. Some showed paper ones while others showed screenshots taken from their phone. “What is going on?? What tickets??” His footsteps grew louder in each passing moment, and I could hear my own heartbeat reverberating in the air that has turned so ominously silent.

Trepidation filled my mind.

“OHHHH the Limited-Express tickets that the station officer was talking about all this time!” The newfound information just hit, and did it hit hard.

Without delay, I whipped out my phone and started punching the words that would get Google to show me how to purchase a train ticket online. I realised that the tickets for the train I was on was no longer available for purchase. Instead, I bought the next available ticket and thought I could play the role of a clueless foreigner if push comes to shove.

The ticket inspector eventually made his way to me and I “proudly” showed him the email of my freshly bought e-ticket in a display of false confidence. He started scrolling through his records and to his surprise (but not to mine), it appears that my ticket was not showing up. “Is everything ok?” I asked in Japanese that definitely did not sound local. He asked to look at my confirmation email again before letting me know that I was only supposed to board a later train. I explained that I was early and thought I could get on since I already had the ticket.

The kind inspector informed that it was alright this time since the train had vacant seats but I had to abide by the ticket’s timing next time. I gave a little bow, thanked him and apologised for the inconvenience. It was also at this point I learnt that these Express-type trains came with fixed seats, which explained the uncanny gazes I received earlier.

The takeaway was that certain Express train tickets have to be pre-purchased, they come with designated seats and are generally faster than local trains since they tend to skip smaller towns/stations on their journey.

Huge sighs of relief were made and the adrenaline from this predicament made the fatigue I had disappear in an instant.

I didn’t take too many photos earlier but views of the Wakayama Prefecture from trains were often filled with picturesque mountains like these in the horizon.

I eventually got off at Gokurakubashi, took some photos of the wind chimes-decorated walkway and a beautiful red bridge in the distance (see featured image of this post) before riding the cable car to Koyasan.

The message of the flags hanging on the walkway is well… succinct, but thought provoking!

Seeing how wildly the day had started, I felt even more stoked for the next 2.5 weeks to come!

Cheers,
Jimmy

Summary of my journey from Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Koyasan if you need a reference (with notes bulleted below the station):

On hindsight, I learnt afterwards that there is actually a direct Airport Limousine Bus from KIX to Koyasan…

This trip was made in August 2023, some information may no longer be accurate or relevant.

Continue reading my exploration of Koyasan in my 2023 Japan trip here >>