Our route will take us occasionally through sheer cliffs and precipices. Think of the hardship involved in building this railway. Imagine the scene as you listen to this Guide.

Soon we will pass through a tunnel. When we emerge, take a look behind you. JR Hozukyo Station should be visible. It’s unusual in that the station is actually a bridge that’s sandwiched at both ends by tunnels. Through this connection, the current JR train cuts through Hozukyo in a straight line.

On the other hand, we have our Romantic Train winding along the Hozu River, twisting and turning with its current. That very contrast between a straight line and these extreme curves is proof of the blood and sweat poured into this, the first railroad made in the Hozukyo Ravine.

Once upon a time in the Meiji Period, a politician drafted a plan for a railroad connecting Kyoto and Maizuru, a port city on the Sea of Japan. However, the technology of the era made it difficult to excavate a mountain tunnel and raise a bridge across a river while laying the tracks. Bringing materials to sheer cliffs was also an arduous task. Surely, this was the biggest hurdle in the way of building a railway across the Hozukyo Ravine.

Modern heavy machinery was but a dream in those days, but despite that, eight tunnels were excavated by hoe and shovel, and 51 bridges were built in what became one of the longest railroad bridge construction projects in Japan at the time. It cost an untold amount of money, and the project saw setbacks. Nevertheless, a route to Sonobe, which was closer than Kamioka, was completed.

Looking back, the Emperor and the Sagano merchant who tamed the Hozu River understood the area’s rugged geology and decided to make it into a trade route. Of course, one of their likely reasons was economic development; where there are roads you will find goods to be hauled.

And yet, perhaps there’s more to it than that. Pioneers imagine what future lies beyond the boundaries they break. Maybe Hozukyo is a place that inspires such romantic notions.

As a result, trains ran across the Hozukyo Ravine for the first time. Cargo was transported faster and in larger quantities than before – and soon, people would also start riding, changing their lives greatly. Within the Hozukyo tunnel you could hear raucous clattering as a locomotive mountain of metal raced through. For the people of that era, it was a monumental achievement that represented a change of the times.

We will be passing through the longest tunnel of our trip soon: the Asahi Tunnel. It is said to be the first place in Hozukyo that the sunrise hits, hence its name, “the morning sun”. When we go through this tunnel, I invite you to imagine the sun rising upon the dawn of the locomotive railway.

The railroad prospered for a long time, but development progressed on a different route at the start of the Heisei Period. You can see this new route from the JR Hozukyo Station; it cuts straight through the Hozukyo Ravine, and it brought about the end of this railroad’s usefulness. It seemed as if the tracks would fall into disrepair, but people suggested the route be revived as a sightseeing train. After that, with only nine people on board, the smallest railroad company in Japan was born.

Their efforts resulted in the Romantic Train you are currently riding. They shoveled the ground, planted cherry and maple trees, and conceived unique guide announcements. Some of the announcers were famous for their singing abilities. All of it came from an earnest desire for people to enjoy the ravine, and come back again some day.

Today, a million people ride the Romantic Train every year and enjoy the Hozu River vistas as they change with the seasons. The ones who restored this decommissioned train inherited the hopes and dreams of the predecessors who blazed a trail towards that very dawn.

With a history spanning well over 1,000 years as a cargo transport route, this train now runs along a tourist route that is inextricably connected to that legacy.

Please take the rest of our time together to look back upon the history laid upon this road we’re on, and listen to the music playing in your headphones as you appreciate the beautiful scenery of the Hozukyo Ravine.

Much like its tracks, the story of the Sagano Romantic Train goes ever on. On that note, so long, and until we meet again.