A day with Thomas the Locomotive in Shizuoka

After a long time in the planing we finally made it to join a very special train event, which you can only find in Japan. In the mountains of Shizuoka Prefecture you will be greeted by a very special train. Every year since 2014, from June till the end of September, you can have a ride with the popular Thomas train and join the Thomas Fair organized by Oigawa Railway company. Thomas, the Tank Engine, is the main character in a series of short stories as well as the title character of a television series for children.

The Thomas Fair is the perfect event for the whole family, especially if you have kids who love trains.

We went to Shizuoka Station early in the morning by Shinkansen from Tokyo and then changed to a local train running to Shin-Kanaya Station, where the Thomas train usually departs.

To ride on the train you need to have a reservation in advance. Please be aware that those tickets sell out very fast. Unfortunately, we only got a return ticket, which started from Senzu Station, where the actual Thomas Fair is held. Since we were a little late to arrive in Shin-Kanaya we did not reach our planned train but instead got another special train that took us to Senzu Station from where we took the Thomas train on the way back.

At Shin-Kanaya station, you can also find a small train exhibition and a shop with tons of Thomas products. Also, they sell small Thomas bento boxes, which are really cute.


To be honest, the special train we caught was much better than our actual Thomas tour. It was an old train from the 30s, completely clad with old wood, really cool padded benches, and simply rustic. You could also open all the windows, but you had to be careful when sticking your head out. Also, the train was really shaky. In the past it most definitely couldn't have been easy to take a longer train ride on those trains. The train is also popular for it use in Japanese dramas or films that are set in the 30s. It was definitely a great experience.

When we arrived at Senzu station, we were greeted by Thomas and his friends. If you wanted, you could take photos with all the trains or take a ride with Rusty. The Thomas event at the train station came to an end around 2 p.m. and the Thomas locomotive was coupled to the wagons.

Of course, we wanted to take another photo of a steaming Thomas, but you had to be very careful, since all the soot flew into our eyes. On the other side, you also had a cool view of the driver's cab where coal was being shoveled. Then the long ride back to Kanaya Station started.

The train was full of families and small children, but it was nice that you always had a four-seater bench to yourself and that the neighboring bank was left free. Inside the train, of course, everything was in the Thomas design, even the train music and announcements came from the series. The ride through the beautiful mountain landscape was really great, even when the weather was really crazy -  it often alternated between rain and glorious sunshine.

You could spot something very special when you looked out of the window. We were not traveling alone, but were accompanied by the Thomas bus that drove parallel to the train. To be honest, I would recommend riding the bus instead of the train. You will have a way better view of the Thomas train from the bus.

In the end it was really a great trip, but you should note if you are traveling with children, that the whole trip takes a lot of time. The local trains in the area run only a few times per day, and you have to plan things very well. We ended up sitting on the train for a total of 7 hours.