The Retirement of the Cassiopeia Sleeper Express

Here is a brochure.

It announces the debut of the new Hokutosei.

In other words, it was a notice heralding the debut of the Cassiopeia sleeper express.

Having debuted in 1999, it has now been 26 years since its sensational arrival.

It seems that the Cassiopeia is finally nearing retirement, and lately I have often been seeing news reports about its future.

As you know, the fifth-generation proprietor loves rail travel, and in the heyday of sleeper trains to Hokkaido, he often rode the Cassiopeia, as well as the Hokutosei and Twilight Express.

Looking back through old photographs made me nostalgic, and I found myself wanting to write about it here on the blog.

Please join me for a brief journey aboard the Cassiopeia.

I rode the Cassiopeia about three times, though I may have stayed overnight in Hokkaido on only one of those trips.

I always spent both the outbound and return journeys overnight on the train, and since that was the very purpose of the trip, it was the height of happiness.

Because these were such delightfully eccentric train journeys, I often traveled alone, or with Yuya, when he was still in elementary school, as a father-and-son trip.

When traveling so far from home, a carefree journey is best, after all.

With all private A-class sleeper compartments, this train offered privacy and made it truly possible to relax.

Soon after departing from Platform 13 at Ueno Station, a cabin attendant would bring a welcome drink, and I would sip Cassiopeia's original wine while watching the cityscape grow dark.

For dinner, we enjoyed a French course meal in the dining car.

These days, apart from ultra-luxury sleeper trains such as Shiki-shima and Seven Stars, as well as special event trains, no trains have dining cars anymore. It is no longer easy to enjoy a meal in one, but in those days dining cars felt much more familiar.

One can only imagine how difficult it must be for the chefs to cook in a swaying kitchen, yet the dishes that arrived were wonderful in both flavor and presentation.

You could really appreciate the work of professionals.

After dinner, take a shower in the shower room, freshen up, and climb into bed.

As for the bed, you pull out the seat cushion from the sofa and make it up with crisp white sheets.

Lying down in the bed you have made yourself and looking up through the window, you can see the stars beautifully amid the pitch-black scenery outside.

When I travel, I read my favorite author, Hyakken Uchida, and aided by the regular clickety-clack of the rail joints, I am soon lulled into the world of sleep.

In the morning, after washing up in the room and changing from the provided pajamas into everyday clothes, it is back to the dining car.

Breakfast is served as a set meal, with a choice of Japanese or Western style.

The fifth-generation proprietor chooses the Western breakfast, while Yuya, who prefers Japanese food, has the Japanese breakfast.

On the southbound train to Sapporo, around breakfast time the train is passing through the Shiraoi area. To the right, the vast Pacific Ocean sparkles in the morning sun, while to the left, horses graze in the fields—making you truly feel that you are traveling across the northern land.

After that come Tomakomai and Chitose, gradually drawing closer to the city, and the enjoyable journey comes to an end.

When you step onto the platform in Sapporo, much cooler than Tokyo even in summer, the air is filled with the scent of exhaust from diesel railcars, and you feel: I’ve arrived in Hokkaido! (A bit obsessive, perhaps.)

It is still only in the 9 o’clock hour in the morning, so there is half a day until the northbound train home.

Let us take it easy in Sapporo, perhaps enjoying some of Hokkaido’s delicious food…

This has become rather long, but thank you for joining me on this nostalgic Cassiopeia journey.

If the mood strikes me again, I will also write down my memories of the Hokutosei and Twilight Express.

Cassiopeia… farewell, and thank you for the dreams