A diesel "Kiha 40, 47" train, the same type that will be used for the "Futatsuboshi 4047." The train pictured is part of JR Kyushu's "Ibusuki no Tamatebako" sightseeing service. (Photo courtesy of Kyushu Railway Co.)

       Will you go east, or to the west?

       That's the question you'll have to answer if you're hopping on the "Futatsuboshi 4047," a Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) sightseeing train set to link southwest Japan's Nagasaki and Saga prefectures on two seaside routes starting in autumn 2022.

       According to an Oct. 27 announcement from JR Kyushu, the service's debut will be timed to coincide with the opening of the western Kyushu shinkansen bullet train line between the cities of Takeo, Saga Prefecture, and Nagasaki. Planners are hoping synergy between the super-fast shinkansen and the more leisurely Futatsuboshi will boost local tourism.

       The trains will all be "Kiha 40, 47" diesel models -- a common sight on Kyushu's local lines -- remodeled by industrial designer Eiji Mitooka. The service was dubbed "futatsuboshi," meaning "two stars," because it will connect two prefectures. It also follows the example set by the "Seven Stars in Kyushu" luxury sightseeing train running in all seven of the island's prefectures. "Futatsuboshi 4047" will be JR Kyushu's 12th dedicated sightseeing train.

       A diesel "Kiha 40, 47" train, the same type that will be used for the "Futatsuboshi 4047." The train pictured is part of JR Kyushu's "Ibusuki no Tamatebako" sightseeing service. (Photo courtesy of Kyushu Railway Co.)

       "Futatsuboshi" will run one service per route per day primarily on weekends and holidays, between Nagasaki and Saga Prefecture's Takeo Onsen: one to the west via Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, and one further east on the Nagasaki Line going through Hizen-Yamaguchi Station in Kohoku, Saga Prefecture, and Isahaya, Nagasaki Prefecture.

       The fare will be the same as for a regular express train, or 4,180 yen (about $37) from Takeo Onsen to Nagasaki on the eastern line. JR Kyushu is currently considering the schedule, which stations the trains will stop at and what onboard services to offer.

       JR Kyushu President Toshihiko Aoyagi told reporters on Oct. 27, "I'd like people to really appreciate the beauty of western Kyushu by riding the inland shinkansen and the 'Futatsuboshi' along the coasts."

       (Japanese original by Hiroshi Hisano, Kyushu Business News Department)

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