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Sunrise Seto

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Sunrise Seto
285 series EMU on a Sunrise Seto service, 2019
Overview
Service typeLimited express
StatusOperational
LocaleJapan
PredecessorSeto
First service10 July 1998
Current operators
Route
TerminiTokyo
Takamatsu (extended to Kotohira seasonally)
Distance travelled804.7 km (500 mi)
Average journey time9 hours, 30 minutes
Service frequency1 round-trip daily
Train numbersWestbound: 5031M
Eastbound: 5032M
Lines usedTōkaidō Main Line, Tōkaidō Freight Line, San'yō Main Line, Uno Line, Honshi-Bisan Line, Yosan Line, Dosan Line
On-board services
Seating arrangementsNone
Sleeping arrangementsPrivate compartments/open berths
Catering facilitiesVending machines
Technical
Rolling stock285 series
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationOverhead line, 1,500 V DC
Operating speed130 km/h (81 mph)

The Sunrise Seto (Japanese: サンライズ瀬戸, Hepburn: Sanraizu Seto) is an overnight sleeping car train service in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), West Japan Railway Company (JR West), and Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) since July 1998.[1][2]

Operations

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The Sunrise Seto runs daily between Tokyo and Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, taking 9 hours and 42 minutes eastbound and 10 hours 1 minute westbound across the 804.7 km (500.0 mi) journey.[2] Between Tokyo and Okayama, the service operates in conjunction with the Sunrise Izumo service to Izumoshi. The combined 14-car train departs from Tokyo, and stops at Yokohama, Atami, Numazu, Fuji, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu (final midnight stop), Himeji (first morning stop), and arrives at Okayama, where the train splits, with the Sunrise Izumo half of the train heading to Izumoshi.[3] Between Okayama and Takamatsu, the 7-car Sunrise Seto train stops at Kojima and Sakaide, before arriving in Takamatsu. The return train departs from Takamatsu, and is coupled with the Sunrise Izumo from Izumoshi at Okayama Station, departing together from there, and arriving at Tokyo Station in the next morning.

There are seasonal extended services which Sunrise Seto trains from Tokyo run beyond Takamatsu, to Kotohira on the Dosan Line. These extended service trains run during particular seasons (Differs each year), and during the holidays.

Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto pass through stations in Nagoya and Kyoto without stopping due to the fact that they arrive at these stations around midnight and are unable to play the announcements.

Station list

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Sunrise Seto trains also make brief stops at other stations for operational reasons, including crew changes at JR regional boundaries and meets with other trains. Passengers cannot board or alight from the train during these stops.

Regularly, eastbound services will operate between Atami and Yokohama via the Tōkaidō Freight Line, where trains enter the line at Odawara and exit at Chigasaki back to the Tōkaidō Main Line.

Line Station Distance
in km		 Departure time[4][5] Location
Westbound
(to Izumoshi)		 Eastbound
(to Tokyo)
Tōkaidō Tokyo 0.0 21:26 07:08 arrival Chiyoda Tokyo
Yokohama 28.8 21:52 06:44 Yokohama Kanagawa
Atami 104.6 22:57 05:43 Atami Shizuoka
Numazu 126.2 23:16 05:25 Numazu
Fuji 146.2 23:32 05:09 Fuji
Shizuoka 180.2 23:59 04:38 Shizuoka
Hamamatsu 257.1 00:54 ↑ Hamamatsu
Ōsaka 556.4 ↓ 00:33 Osaka Osaka
Sannomiya 587.0 ↓ 00:11 Kobe Hyogo
San'yō Himeji 644.3 05:25 23:33 Himeji
Okayama 732.9 06:27 arrival
Decouple from
Sunrise Izumo
06:31 departure		 22:23 arrival
Couple with
Sunrise Izumo
22:34 departure		 Okayama Okayama
Uno /
Honshi–Bisan
Kojima 760.7 06:52 22:01 Kurashiki
Yosan Sakaide 783.4 07:09 21:44 Sakaide Kagawa
Takamatsu 804.7 07:27 arrival 21:26 Takamatsu
Seasonal extended service
Yosan Tadotsu 837.4 08:25 N/a Tadotsu Kagawa
Dosan
Zentsūji 843.4 08:32 Zentsuji
Kotohira 848.7 08:39 arrival Kotohira

Formation

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Trains are formed of dedicated 7-car 285 series Sunrise Express electric multiple units (EMUs) owned by both JR Central and JR West.

When operating in the up (Tokyo-bound) direction, the cars are numbered 8 to 14 (cars 1 to 7 are the Sunrise Izumo), with car 14 at the Tokyo end. When operating in the down (Takamatsu-bound) direction, the cars are numbered 1 to 7, with car 7 at the Tokyo end.[1]

Car No.1/82/93/104/115/126/137/14
Numbering KuHaNe 285SaHaNe 285MoHaNe 285SaRoHaNe 285MoHaNe 285SaHaNe 285KuHaNe 285
Upper-level accommodations B singleB singleB soloA single deluxeB single / Nobi-nobi areaB singleB single
Lower-level accommodations B single / B single twinB single / B single twinB sunrise twinB single / B single twinB single / B single twin
Facilities Lounge, vending machine, showerVending machine
  • Car 2/9 has a wheelchair-accessible compartment.
  • Each car has toilet facilities.[6]
  • Smoking is permitted in cabins in car 6/13, and some compartments in car 4/11.

Accommodation, ticketing and facilities

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The Sunrise Express services consist of six types of accommodation. There are five types of berths: A single deluxe, B sunrise twin (2-person use), B single twin (1- or 2-person use), B single and B solo. There is also a carpeted sleeping space called the Nobi-nobi sleeping area.

The train has a maximum capacity of 158 people across 146 cabins (assuming all berths are booked), as follows:

Accommodation Capacity of the Sunrise Seto[7]
Accommodation Cabins Max. Occupancy Total Passengers
B sunrise twin 4 2 people 8
B single twin 8 2 people 16
A single deluxe 6 1 person 6
B single 80 1 person 80
B solo 20 1 person 20
Nobi-nobi sleeping area 28 1 person 28

Several fares are required to travel on the train. All passengers must pay a basic fare (運賃, unchin) and a limited express surcharge (特急料金, tokkyū ryōkin) which is based on the distance traveled and varies seasonally.[8]

Passengers using a private room must also pay a berth fee (寝台料金, shindai ryōkin), while those using the Nobi-nobi sleeping area must pay a seat reservation charge (座席指定料金, zaseki shitei ryōkin) to reserve an individual sleeping space.

Berth and seat reservation charges are fixed regardless of the distance traveled. "B sunrise twin" cabins are sold as a unit and require payment of the full berth fee and two limited express surcharges, even when occupied by only a single passenger.

Tickets can be purchased up to one month before departure at a Midori no Madoguchi. Holders of the Japan Rail Pass can reserve a Nobi-nobi space without an additional charge.

Accommodation Price Table[9][10]
Accommodation Price
B sunrise twin ¥15,400 for two people
B single twin
  • ¥15,100 for two people
  • ¥9,600 for one person
A single deluxe ¥13,980 for one person
B single ¥7,700 for one person
B solo ¥6,600 for one person
Nobi-nobi sleeping area ¥530 for one person

A shower is located in car 3/10. Passengers using the single deluxe compartments receive a free shower card, while other passengers can purchase a six-minute shower card. The cards are not assigned to specific time slots, but only a limited quantity are available. Mini-lounge areas in car 3/10 has a bench and table with four seats on each side of the train. Drink vending machines are available in cars 3/10 and 5/12.

History

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Locomotive-hauled Seto service, October 1995

The Sunrise Seto services were introduced together with the Sunrise Izumo on 10 July 1998.[11] Previously, the Seto operated as a separate "Blue train" service connecting Tokyo with Takamatsu.[12] The Sunrise Izumo was intended to attract more passengers to train transportation by introducing newly designed trains and by reducing the journey time.

Ridership on overnight trains in Japan continues to decline, and from March 2009, the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto became the only overnight sleeping car trains to operate west of Tokyo via the Tokaido Line.[13]

From the start of the revised timetable on 12 March 2021, the departure time of the Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto from Tokyo was changed from 10:00 PM to 9:50 PM.[14] It is the first time that the departure time was changed since the services' introduction in 1998. The change cleared the 10:00 PM departure slot for one of the new Shōnan limited express services to Odawara.

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 ＪＲ新幹線＆特急列車ファイル [JR Shinkansen & Limited Express Train File]. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. 2008. p. 124. ISBN 978-4-330-00608-6.
  2. 1 2 Haraguchi, Takayuki (2009). Encyclopedia of JR's Railway Cars: ＪＲ全車輌. Japan: Sekai Bunka. p. 34. ISBN 978-4-418-09905-4.
  3. ↑ JR時刻表 [JR Timetable]. Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. March 2013. p. 144. EAN 4910053110334.
  4. ↑ "Sunrise Express Timetable". sunriseexpresstickets.com. Sunrise Express Tickets. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "〔サンライズ瀬戸〕・〔サンライズ出雲〕 (東 京 JRおでかけネット )" (PDF). jr-odekake.net (in Japanese). West Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  6. ↑ JR電車編成表 2013夏 [JR EMU Formations – Summer 2013]. Japan: JRR. May 2013. p. 122. ISBN 978-4-330-37313-3.
  7. ↑ "サンライズ瀬戸・出雲 | 駅・時刻・列車を調べる ：JRおでかけネット". JRおでかけネット (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "サンライズ瀬戸・サンライズ出雲 設備と料金比較". iamreck.g2.xrea.com. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "寝台券：JR東日本". JR東日本：東日本旅客鉄道株式会社 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "サンライズ瀬戸・サンライズ出雲 設備と料金比較". iamreck.g2.xrea.com. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  11. ↑ こだわりの新幹線＆特急列車ガイド [In-depth Shinkansen & Limited Express Guide]. Japan: Ikaros Publishing. August 2000. pp. 194–195. ISBN 4-87149-284-2.
  12. ↑ 最新特急大カタログ [Modern Limited Express Catalogue]. Japan: JTB. November 1992. p. 110.
  13. ↑ Ogano, Minoru (March 2011). 新幹線・特急大図鑑2011 [Shinkansen & Limited Express Directory 2011]. Japan: JTB Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 978-4-533-08193-4.
  14. ↑ "春の臨時列車運転のお知らせ" (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). 四国旅客鉄道. 22 January 2021. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
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