Through the night,
a train continues to move across Japan.
By morning,
it arrives softly in the San’in region.
This is the Sunrise Izumo—
one of the last overnight trains connecting Tokyo to western Japan.
A Journey That Begins Before Arrival
You can board this train from major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka,
and travel through the night while the landscape quietly changes outside.
Unlike flights or bullet trains,
this journey does not rush.
It carries you slowly,
from the brightness of the city
into the quiet of the countryside.
An Unexpected Encounter
One evening in Matsue,
I found myself waiting on the platform after a sudden train cancellation.
The usual trains were delayed.
No one knew when they would depart.
Then, quietly,
a train I had never seen before arrived.
The Sunrise Izumo.
Without hesitation, I stepped aboard.
A Conversation in the Night
The train is fully reserved,
so I stayed near the deck, watching the darkness outside.
There, I met a man from Chiba.
He told me he had always wanted to ride this train.
He now works as a tour bus driver in Tokyo.
We spoke about places—
about Yasugi, where his friend lived,
about Kamakura, where he once worked,
and about the sunset over Lake Shinji.
He showed me a photo of that sunset.
Even in the dim light of the train,
it felt quietly powerful.
A Memory That Remains
We exchanged contact information,
but I later lost it after breaking my phone.
Sometimes I wonder—
if he ever returns to this place,
perhaps our paths might cross again.
A Journey That Connects
Arriving by the Sunrise Izumo,
your journey naturally continues.
From Matsue,
you can walk along the quiet streets and the lakeside.
From there,
you move to Tamatsukuri Onsen—
an ancient hot spring known as the “water of the gods.”
And finally,
to Izumo Taisha,
where mornings are especially still.
Explore Matsue — A Town of Shadows and Quiet Beauty
Discover Tamatsukuri Onsen — The Water of the Gods
Stay near Izumo Taisha — A Quiet Night Before Prayer
Traveling by Night
The Sunrise Izumo is not just transportation.
It is a transition—
between places,
between times,
between people.
And sometimes,
it brings unexpected encounters
that stay with you longer than the destination itself.
Continue the journey deeper into the mountains
→ Hakubi Line