Morioka Station's famous Hayabusa and Komachi trains are connected and disconnected.

  • Iwate
  • Experience Gifu
The Tohoku Shinkansen between Omiya and Morioka Stations will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2022. At Morioka Station, you can see the "coupling" and "disconnecting" of the Shinkansen, which is rare in Japan. The loud sound of the coupling and the quiet detachment of the Shinkansen are both fascinating. Both have their own charms and are sure to satisfy adults and children alike! Fukushima Station and Morioka Station are the only two stations in Japan where you can see the "coupling" and "disconnecting" of the Shinkansen every day. Why don't you wave to the trains or take pictures with them? Please observe the rules and come and watch.

Opening and closing the leading edge of the Shinkansen

The downbound Shinkansen trains from Tokyo Station, the Hayabusa bound for Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Stations and the Komachi bound for Akita Station, are 17-car trains traveling at a speed of 320 km/h, the fastest in Japan, and will detach at Morioka Station. The Hayabusa departing from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station and Shin-Aomori Station and the Komachi departing from Akita Station will be coupled at Morioka Station to form a single 17-car train bound for Tokyo Station. This image shows the Hayabusa arriving at Morioka Station first, opening the rear end of the train and waiting for the Komachi from Akita Station. You can see it at the up platform (track 11).
The rear end of the train opens after arrival at Morioka Station.
Gallery of the platform awaiting the arrival of the "Komachi

The excitement of the "Komachi" approaching little by little!

The Komachi is approaching the Hayabusa with its leading edge open just before it arrives at the Morioka Station platform to be coupled with the Hayabusa.
The leading edge of the Komachi begins to open just before arrival at Morioka Station.
The multilingual warning signs indicate the popularity of the train among tourists visiting Japan.

The most popular coupling scene attracts a lot of attention!

At Morioka Station, the Hayabusa and the Komachi are waiting impatiently for the coupling and disconnection of the Hayabusa and the Komachi, and of course, many customers who happen to be there are also curious about it. The coupling and uncoupling of the No. 10 and No. 11 trains, which take place once every hour, creates an event-like atmosphere, and people gather around the coupling area of No. 10 and No. 11 trains to take videos and photos with their cameras and smartphones. And at the detachment scene, there are many people who see off the departing Komachi while closing the rear part of the train.
From Morioka Station, the train runs as one train to Tokyo Station.
The coupling and disengaging operations take place in a few minutes at Morioka Station.
(Photo courtesy of JR East Morioka Branch Office)
For train + lodging "Iwate Area" reservations, please see the JR East View Dynamic Rail Package
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