Hanaakari, JR West’s seasonal sightseeing train. (Image: JR West)
Hanaakari is a JR West sightseeing train built around a simple idea: gather the finest things a region has to offer onto a train, and use the ride to connect passengers with the place they are travelling through. It debuted in October 2024, and rather than sticking to one line, it relocates with the seasons — Hiroshima and Miyajima in spring 2026, Lake Biwa in summer, and now Yamaguchi Prefecture.
From October to December 2026, timed to the Yamaguchi Destination Campaign, the train runs between Shin-Yamaguchi and Iwakuni along the Sanyo Main Line — a route it has never covered before. Iwakuni is home to the Kintai Bridge, the five-arched wooden bridge that is one of western Japan’s most photographed sights.
Hanaakari moves to a new part of western Japan every season, and this autumn it runs a route it has never run before: Shin-Yamaguchi to Iwakuni. Shin-Yamaguchi is a Sanyo Shinkansen stop, so this one is unusually easy to reach from Hiroshima, Osaka, or Tokyo. It runs on only 20 days between October and December 2026.
The Route: Shin-Yamaguchi to Iwakuni in About 1 Hour 40 Minutes
The autumn 2026 route runs the width of Yamaguchi Prefecture, calling at Shin-Yamaguchi, Hofu, Tokuyama, Yanai and Iwakuni. (Map: Tetsudo Channel, created using MLIT National Land Numerical Information)
The train makes one round trip per operating day, stopping at five stations: Shin-Yamaguchi, Hofu, Tokuyama, Yanai and Iwakuni. Each leg takes roughly one hour and 40 minutes, tracing the Seto Inland Sea side of Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Because Shin-Yamaguchi is served by the Sanyo Shinkansen, you can arrive by bullet train in the morning, ride Hanaakari to Iwakuni and back, and be finished by early evening — which makes the Shin-Yamaguchi round trip the easiest way to fit this train into a wider itinerary.
Operating Dates: Only 20 Days, and Some Weekends Are Skipped
The operating calendar and timetable. Dates highlighted in yellow are operating days. (Image: JR West)
Hanaakari runs mainly on weekends and public holidays, but not every weekend. According to JR West’s published calendar, these are the operating days:
October (8 days): 10, 11, 12 (holiday), 17, 18, 24, 25, 31
November (6 days): 7, 8, 22, 23 (holiday), 28, 29
December (6 days): 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20
That is 20 days in total. The month to watch is November, when four weekend dates — the 1st, 14th, 15th and 21st — are skipped. That is peak autumn-foliage season, so it is an easy trap to fall into when planning. October 3 and 4, and December 26 and 27, are also non-operating days.
Separately from this route, Hanaakari is also scheduled to make special runs on the Sanin Line on October 2 and 5. Those are sold as travel packages bundled with the Shimonoseki Open Top Bus through “tabiwa by WESTER,” on a different route and through a different booking channel — don’t confuse the two.
Timetable
Northbound — Shin-Yamaguchi to Iwakuni
Shin-Yamaguchi dep. 11:14
Hofu arr. 11:29 / dep. 11:31
Tokuyama arr. 11:55 / dep. 11:57
Yanai arr. 12:26 / dep. 12:28
Iwakuni arr. 12:56
Southbound — Iwakuni to Shin-Yamaguchi
Iwakuni dep. 15:09
Yanai arr. 15:35 / dep. 15:37
Tokuyama arr. 16:06 / dep. 16:09
Hofu arr. 16:32 / dep. 16:35
Shin-Yamaguchi arr. 16:50
If you ride the full round trip, that leaves you 2 hours and 13 minutes in Iwakuni. The Kintai Bridge is not right next to the station, so factor in the transfer both ways before assuming you can see it at a leisurely pace. Travellers who want more time often ride Hanaakari one way and return by local train or Shinkansen from nearby Shin-Iwakuni.
On Board: Superior Green, a Salon Car, and a Wi-Fi Cab View
Hanaakari is a converted KiHa 189 series diesel train, previously used on the Hamakaze limited express. Seating comes in three types: Superior Green, Green Car box seats, and standard Green Car reserved seats. Superior Green sits above ordinary Green Car class — a private-compartment grade rarely found on Japanese trains.
JR West has confirmed the following on-board features for the autumn run:
On-board sales: attendants ride the train and sell items in the Car 2 salon.
Craft and art display: the display shelves in each Superior Green compartment in Car 1 showcase local crafts and artworks.
Window-view content: connect your own device to the train’s dedicated Wi-Fi and you can watch forward and rear cab views — effectively the driver’s perspective — from your seat.
The cab-view feature is the standout here: even if your seat faces away from the direction of travel, you can still see what is coming up the line on your phone.
One thing is still unannounced. The pre-order food service and the station and on-board hospitality programme were both still listed as “Coming Soon” on JR West’s official page as of August 27, 2026. On the summer Lake Biwa run these included regional bento boxes and sweets, so something comparable may appear for Yamaguchi — but nothing has been confirmed.
How to Book
Reserved seats go on sale at 10:00 a.m. exactly one month before each operating date, through JR West’s online reservation service “e5489” and at Midori-no-Madoguchi ticket counters nationwide. For the October 10 departure, for example, tickets go on sale on September 10.
WESTER members can also use an advance application service, open from 5:30 a.m. one week before the sale date until 7:59 a.m. on the sale date itself, via e5489. Note that some seats — including Hanaakari’s Superior Green — are excluded from this service, so for those you will need to be ready at 10:00 a.m. on the sale date.
JR West also plans to release travel packages combining some seats with sightseeing or accommodation, going on sale ahead of regular ticket sales; these were slated for late August 2026.
Fares for the autumn route had not been published at the time of writing. For reference, on the summer Lake Biwa run, the Osaka–Otsu leg was priced at 9,770 yen per person for Superior Green (when two people travelled together) and 7,570 yen for a Green Car reserved seat, one way. The autumn route is a different distance, so do not assume the same figures.
Official page: https://www.jr-odekake.net/railroad/hanaakari/
Quick Facts
Route: Shin-Yamaguchi – Iwakuni (via the Sanyo Main Line), one round trip per operating day
Stops: Shin-Yamaguchi, Hofu, Tokuyama, Yanai, Iwakuni
Season: 20 operating days between October 10 and December 20, 2026
Timetable: northbound Shin-Yamaguchi 11:14 → Iwakuni 12:56; southbound Iwakuni 15:09 → Shin-Yamaguchi 16:50
Seating: Superior Green, Green Car box seats, Green Car reserved seats
Booking: from 10:00 a.m. one month before departure via e5489 and station ticket counters
Hanaakari has never run this stretch of the Sanyo Main Line before, and there is no guarantee it will return to it. With only 20 operating days — and several weekends quietly missing from the calendar — it is worth marking the one-month-ahead sale date for the day you want.
(Images: JR West. Route map created by Tetsudo Channel using the National Land Numerical Information, MLIT Japan.)
Tetsudo Channel (Railway Channel) Editorial Team
(tetsudo-ch.com — Japan Travel, Trains & Weekend Outings)