A rare business trip to Utsunomiya, and an unexpected encounter on the way home. Along with a good deal of regret.
Heading Home After Work
When we book the Shinkansen home from a business trip, we almost always choose whatever leaves soonest after the work finishes. Meetings can overrun, or wrap up early, so the priority is simply “the first train we can catch.”
This trip was no different. We gave no thought at all to which train it would be.
Our usual line is the Tokaido Shinkansen; we rarely have reason to use the Tohoku Shinkansen. It had been a long time since we’d even been to Utsunomiya.
A Streak of Crimson on the Platform
Glancing idly at a phone on the platform, we had the sense that the light coming into the station had turned red, and looked up.
Sliding quietly in was an E8 Series Shinkansen “Tsubasa” in vivid crimson — the livery known as “Kabuki Color.” It has the presence of something that has stepped straight off a traditional theatre stage.
The sharp nose of the lead car against that glossy crimson is a genuinely striking combination. Other passengers on the platform were reaching for their cameras too. We shot away, thoroughly taken with it.
We were determined to film it while it was moving, and remember concentrating hard on doing exactly that.
The E8 Series entered service in 2024 on the Yamagata Shinkansen. Its deep crimson is drawn from the safflower, the official flower of Yamagata Prefecture. Between Tokyo and Fukushima it runs coupled to a Tohoku Shinkansen “Yamabiko,” separating at Fukushima to continue toward Yamagata. Utsunomiya lies within the coupled section.
And Our Train Was the Next One
Here is the part that still stings.
The Kabuki Color arrived as the service immediately before the one we had booked.
That crimson ran past us. We got the shots we wanted. What we didn’t get was a ride. Had we booked one train earlier, we would have been on it.
Watching it pull away from the platform, the regret set in slowly.
We Should Have Researched a Line We Never Use
Thinking about it calmly, the cause is obvious.
We had forgotten the E8 “Kabuki Color” existed at all.
Because we so rarely take the Tohoku Shinkansen, we had never looked into what runs on it. We booked purely on “the first train after work finishes,” and the question of rolling stock never entered our heads.
Which is faintly absurd. On the Tokaido Shinkansen we’re particular enough to specify seat E in order to see Mount Fuji. On a line we know, we care about the seat number. On a line we don’t, we checked nothing whatsoever.
If you’re planning to take the Tohoku or Yamagata Shinkansen When you book, take a moment to check which type of train operates that particular service. JR East’s site and the Ekinet booking service both show the rolling stock for individual trains. Shifting your booking by one service can change what you get to ride. The less familiar the line, the more this small step is worth.
Looking It Up Afterwards: You Can Still Board a Full Train
Smarting from the whole thing, we went and read up on the Tsubasa when we got home. Which is how we learned something we hadn’t known.
The Tsubasa is entirely reserved-seating, year round. There are no unreserved cars. However, when the reserved seats sell out, a “standing limited express ticket” (立席特急券 / tachiseki tokkyūken) is released.
- It costs ¥330–¥930 less than an ordinary reserved seat
- You are, in principle, expected to stand — the ticket itself states that it does not entitle you to a seat
- In practice, if a seat happens to be free, sitting in it is not a problem
The catch is how you buy it. These tickets are not sold through Ekinet. You have to buy one at a reserved-seat ticket machine in a station, on the day of travel or the day before. If you’re searching online from overseas you simply won’t find it, so plan on doing this at a station.
Standing all the way home after a day’s work isn’t much of a plan. But knowing there’s an option other than giving up when everything is sold out felt like something worth having. For a leisure trip, we’d take it.
Please note: this is information we looked up after the fact rather than something we’ve used ourselves. Check JR East’s official guidance for the current terms.
For everyday travel, “whatever gets me home fastest” is a perfectly reasonable rule. But on a line you’ll only ride once in a long while, it’s worth spending a few minutes before you book — a lesson this trip delivered rather firmly.
In Summary: We Saw It, and We Missed It
Those few minutes on the platform at Utsunomiya were genuinely memorable. Precisely because we weren’t expecting it, the shock of that crimson appearing in front of us landed hard.
Honestly, though, the frustration of not riding it has stayed with us more strongly.
Next time we head north, we’ll check the timetable and the rolling stock before booking. Booking the Tsubasa on purpose — that’s the homework now.
The trip home from a business trip pulls you toward “whichever train leaves first.” There’s nothing wrong with that. But apply it on a line you’ll rarely see again and this is the sort of thing you’re left with. Next time, we’ll be a little greedier.
How particular the same writer gets on a line they do know well is covered here.
→ Riding the Tokaido Shinkansen N700S for Work | How to See Mount Fuji from Your Seat