Tokyo Notes - Ian's October 2025 trip report

I arrived in Tokyo on little sleep and a long list of things to do and see. The plan was simple enough: understand Japan's railways a bit better, find hard-to-get KATO spares for customer repairs, further our relationship with the company, and bring home some modelling ideas we could use. First trains were the Narita Express and Oedo line, with a change in the sprawling Shinjuku station.

After a brief walk taking in some touristy sites, the next day took me on some local JR trains which shadowed the Shinkansen north to Saitama, where the Railway Museum waited behind clean glass and careful labels. Freight and EMUs crossed like sentences on the way. Inside, the English audio guide was better than I expected, and Google Translate smoothed the rest. The first of many dioramas I'd see - the word they used for a scenic layout. Ekiben for lunch, eaten on a bench with a view of carriages I’d only known as models. Seeing these trains at full size really helped understand how the Japanese railways timeline fitted together. A good beginning.

Yokohama came next, and with it the Hara Model Railway Museum. Tickets took a moment. There were English instructions near the FamilyMart copy machine, which felt like a small puzzle solved. The museum was built on one man’s collection and confidence. I didn’t agree with every line on the wall, but the models were beautifully made and the main diorama had incredibly impact. In a smaller Yokohama scene I’m fairly sure KATO HO track had been used. A little humour tucked into the corners. Detail that rewarded a second pass.

The Keikyu Museum was nearby, so I went. Their HO diorama was a little rough in places, but the driver-eye camera had a crowd leaning in. On a poster, the Romancecar Museum at Ebina flickered into view and my plans shifted. Sore feet made the decision for me. Forty minutes on the Sotetsu Main Line and the day opened into something unexpected.

After seeing some representation cars downstairs and beginning to understand what these special trains are about, I went upstairs. The 'Diorama Park' took my breath away. A vast HO layout sat under a projected sky. Clouds moved. Day slid into evening. Then it tipped into theatre. Music. Wraparound visuals. Spotlights tracked trains like actors. The story was simple if you wanted it to be - the passage of time - and technical if you asked for more. It felt like a lesson in how to hold attention without shouting. I left thinking about projection, rhythm, and how a layout can invite you to look again. It's not a secret that I'd like to open a permanent exhibition of layouts here in York, but seeing this totally transformed how I'll think about the presentation.

I treated myself to the Romancecar supplement back to Shinjuku, found ramen and a quiet beer, and stepped briefly through a couple of shops: Poppendetta and Imon Models. Mixed feelings that were probably more about tiredness than stock. Tokyo asks for energy; it pays you back if you have it.

The chance to see Live Japanese Steam pulled me out early the next morning. Kumagaya, and the SL Paleo Express with a memorable whistle. Great to see enthusiastic families on board. I rode to Nagatoro for a short taste of countryside and an excellent lunch. I continued my day with a Chichibu EMU and the Laview limited express as a different way back into the city, where I also took at look at the 'original' Tokyo station. Steam one hour, a train that looks like spacecraft the next. It made for a useful contrast.

Next day I explored a different areas of the city. The waterfront gave me something different again. Oedo Line, then the Yurikamome looping over the Rainbow Bridge - not a “real” railway, but a view worth taking. Google Maps had me off at the wrong stop and on a longer walk to the Railway Festival, which felt busy and opaque to a foreigner. Long queues, merch from every operator, and not much time to see what any single stall was offering. The atmosphere was the point. I took that and moved on.

Small Worlds was the most expensive ticket of the week - and one of the busiest locations. A Japanese take on a template set by Miniatur Wonderland. I personally wanted to see more trains running, but the modelling was first-rate even if I didn't 'get' all the cultural references. From there the day blurred into Ginza then Akihabara, a few shops, the Tomix showroom, too many people for this introvert, and a retreat to the hotel’s Western restaurant. The steak was better than expected. I think Tokyo forgives these pivots.

Kyoto had been pencilled in as a dash to get my experience on the Shinkansen. It duly began with a dozy mistake. I went to Shimbashi instead of Shinagawa and ended up nodding at the plinthed C11 in the square before resetting. The ticket machine needed a nudge from a member of staff - a Suica-paid JR hop had to be checked out before it would sell me the base fare south. Once done, seats were easy to reserve and the run was smooth. The Mount Fuji photo took care of itself.

Kyoto Station is the kind of place that surprises even when you’ve looked at the map. Terraces, light, escalators that go higher than you expected - I was somewhat overwhelmed so forgot to take pictures. I took the San’in Line one stop to the Railway Museum. It had the bones of Saitama with more steam and, to my eye, more engineering depth in the educational displays. A large HO show cycled through train types. I'd have benefitted from a translation. I did enjoy it but perhaps by now I'd had my fill of museums. I finished early, explored the station some more, found the KATO store, and came back to a concourse overwhelmed by the public holiday. No reserved seats for hours. I used the time for a temple and a meal, then took a later train north. A long day that made sense in the end.

The days were ticking away, and one of my reasons for coming was simpler: spares. Hobby Centre KATO delivered. I found most of what I needed for customer repairs and earned a raised eyebrow from the cashier when the receipt kept printing. The shop sits away from the busiest commercial centres, which means more space and a calmer browse. I wish I’d had longer.

The factory visit at Tsurugashima put a frame around the week. Two trains and a short walk. Kono-san, the factory manager, met me at the door, and Lea from the sales team handled the interpreting. No photographs - the good kind of secrecy that keeps surprises intact. We began in the tooling room, where designs move from CAD into moulds. Milling machines hummed, wire cutters whirred. Some detail may have blurred in translation, but the principle was clear: choose the production method to fit the life of the mould and the character of the part.

In the moulding hall, automation spoke in numbers. Around 50 machines, each turning out thousands of parts per day. Everything I saw seemed to be about trains. Track lives at another site. A comment about revenue surprised me - trains outweighing Unitrack by something like eight to one if I’d heard correctly. It put the balance of effort into context.

Painting and printing happened in rooms that felt like laboratories. Air showers. Overalls. Humans loading parts and an automated spray making the base coats. Pad printing for text looked manual but guided by jigs that made alignment second nature. Hot stamping for black window frames and raised metallics felt like a craft within a craft. The results justified the care.

Assembly was the most human space. Lots of people organised into groups, quiet focus, hands doing the precise work. Lots going on - including sub-assemblies of a much anticipated model. Then testing - track for each operative, forwards and backwards, curves and points, a mirror to check the rear lights without standing up. Every item gets checked.

The packing line was paused while I passed, but the warehouse showed the scale of the operation. Several floors, racking to the ceiling. Outside, Kono-san pointed out the Sekisui main line, a dual narrow-gauge railway that runs along the edge of the site, and the English-style garden that has settled into itself. Volunteers had a battery-electric loco out. Local schools ride from time to time. It will never be a public attraction and that felt fine. Not everything has to be.

We ended with a conversation about how models are chosen and how demand is measured, and about the differences between UK and Japanese customers that matter if you want to do this well. Nothing loose about unannounced models, but a clear sense that international subjects remain in the plan when they also appeal at home. Afterwards I thought of all the other things I should have asked.

Tokyo gave me plenty to think about: good museums, thoughtful presentation, and a factory that runs on precision. What stayed with me were the contrasts and some of the little cultural quirks. I didn’t see everything, but I saw enough, and the parts I did reach were worth the miles. Back to York now, thoughts still buzzing, and time to get back to work.

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