Wakayama｜The Tai-Saliyaki Train that Brings Happiness: Abandoned Line Becomes a Tourist Hotspot

The Katai Line from Wakayama to Katai can be traced back to 1912. During the war years, it was an important supply line for transporting cargo and military supplies. However, with the magnetic effect of urban development, the population has moved to big cities. In the past decade, 120 stations in Japan have become history. If you don’t want to be abolished, you have to rely on creative transformation. The lucky sea bream train "めでたいでんしゃ" is officially on the road in 2016. It is a romance exclusive to Wakayama. The cars are divided into pink for mother's car SACHI, red for daughter's car NANA, blue for father's car KAI. During the epidemic, the fourth car appeared, the black car KASHIRA, the brother's car. The black car is very rare, and this time I was lucky enough to catch it at the station. There is also a KANATA that was put into use in July 2024. It is a gradient color train, and the interior is also divided into wooden rings such as nautilus, jellyfish, and turtle. Let’s talk about the dad car KAI that we took this time. It is a handsome ocean blue with two carriages. The hanging rings are made of crabs and small fish. The seats are also full of ocean elements. The advertising area on the ceiling uses seaweed imagery to create a sea atmosphere. This is a unique sightseeing train where the entire journey is a tourist attraction. It must be fun to take your children on a train treasure hunt. 📍Address: 640-8203 6, Higashizo Maecho 3, Wakayama City #AprilGoodDestinations2025