Two-car trains are very crowded. Especially problematic is the season of the 18-kippu ticket. More than 10 years ago, I once left Tokyo early in the morning and took a local train to Niigata via the Takasaki Line, Joetsu Line, and Shinetsu Line. Looking at the data from that time, the train to Takasaki was a 10-car E231, and between Takasaki and Mizukami it was a 3-car 115. The train between Mizukami and Nagaoka was a two-car 115 Series. The two-car trains between Mizukami and Nagaoka became very crowded. Many of them were probably “the same kind. If the number of trains in operation is small, the number of connecting trains is limited, so everyone will take the same itinerary. Therefore, it is a common occurrence for 18-kipper passengers to see the same faces one after another on the connecting trains. However, at this time, the author succeeded in securing a seat with a little time to spare. The reason for this was that I did not choose the train with the best connection at Mizukami, but instead took the train that was one train ahead of it. I checked the itinerary at that time. If you take the 731M departing Takasaki at 10:30 and arriving at Mizukami at 11:35, it will connect at exactly the same time to the 8737M departing Mizukami at 11:41. When the 731M arrived, many passengers gathered on the overpass and rushed to the platform where the 8737M was waiting (see the photo at the beginning of this article). However, I was ahead of the 729M, which departed from Takasaki at 9:21 a.m. and arrived at Mizukami at 10:22 a.m., so I had plenty of time to spare. However, I had to spend about an hour at the station.
It can be unexpectedly crowded. Note that you may want to consider this approach mainly when you are going out, starting from a major metropolitan area. For example, when you take a local train in Hokkaido, it is often empty. Such a situation is why JR Hokkaido’s business is so difficult. Moreover, local lines far from metropolitan areas have few trains in operation, so moving up one train can result in hours of waiting time, or even make the itinerary unfeasible if the train is moved up in the first place. It is safer to connect with a train that has a good connection. However, even this can sometimes lead to a miscalculation. On famous local lines, a group of tourists may board a train and occupy all the empty seats. There have also been cases, such as the so-called “mountain line” (Chōmabe-Otaru) on the Hakodate Main Line and the Rumoi Main Line, where the number of passengers increased as soon as word of the line’s discontinuation was announced. It is highly likely that the Furano – Higashikagoshi – Shintoku section of the Nemuro Main Line will suffer from such a situation in the future. Incidentally, this section is within the “One-day Walking Ticket” area, so it is easy to visit even if you are not in the 18-ticket season, and in fact, it is possible to make a day trip from Sapporo.
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