Feel the comfortable breeze when you open the window…

“Nagaragawa Railway is a local train which is loved by the local community. You can feel the warmth and peace. In a modern society where, slow life is attractive to people. Many people prefer to move slowly and leisurely. Nagaragawa Railway is a railway that creates such a new era. The biggest attraction is the relaxing time and view, but I want you to feel it with all five senses, not just looking at it. Feeling the river breeze flowing inside the train, instead of cool wind blowing from the cooler.”

Make local people feel proud of their hometown

Mr Sakamoto, who planned and started the operation of sightseeing train “Nagara” said, “Train designed by Mr Eiji Mitooka, the creator of the famous “Seven Stars” and “Sonic”, makes the local people feel proud of their hometown and brag with outsider. I think I was able to contribute to the revitalization of the region.”

Take positive challenges with the government and the community

“Due to the declining population and the spread of highways, it is important to attract people from the outside in order to reduce the deficit as much as possible. We are actively implementing various sightseeing trains. The ultimate feature is the tourist train “Nagara”. It started operating from spring 2016 attracting over 20,000 customers in the first year from outside Gifu-ken. Economic effect in Gujo-shi provided was more than hundreds of millions Japanese Yen. I would like to continue to take positive challenges in collaboration with the government and the region starting from planning. In anticipation of inbound tourists from overseas, we introduced making reservations, payments with smartphone, and providing tourist information along railway lines. We are trying to improve services and convenience, such as the mechanism and packages including transportation after getting off. Please check the website for more information on special trains and new services created.”