The Limited Express Hamakaze for Himeji, Kinosaki Onsen, and Tottori

The Hamakaze is a limited express train service operated by JR West that connects Osaka and several sightseeing destinations on the northern Hokuriku seacoast. On the way this train makes stops in Kobe, the castle town of Himeji, and the hot spring resort town of Kinosaki Onsen.

This train makes two stops in Kobe at JR Sannomiya Station and at Kobe Station. At Sannomiya Station Hamakaze services bound for the Hokuriku seacoast depart from Platform 4 and at Kobe Station they depart from Platform 5. This train is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

Key Destinations

Three outbound Hamakaze services (trains #1, #3, and #5) depart from Osaka Station each day, and three inbound services (trains #2, #4 and #6) return to Osaka Station. The northern terminus stations for these services are different. Trains #1 and #4 travel to and from Hamasaka Station, trains #3 and #6 travel to and from Kasumi Station, and trains #5 and #2 travel to and from Tottori Station. The following stations are on the regular route of the Hamakaze. The stations in brackets () are not served by all trains.

Osaka > Sannomiya > Kobe > Akashi > (Nishi Akashi) > (Kakogawa) > Himeji > Fukusaki > Teramae > Ikuno > (Takeda) > Wadayama > Yoka > Ebara > Toyooka > Kinosaki Onsen > Takeno > Kasumi > Hamasaka > Iwami > Tottori

• Takeda Station is only served by trains #1 and #4.
• Kakogawa Station and Nishi Akashi Station are only served by train #5.

This train has both reserved and non-reserved seating. Below are the key destinations on this route, with unreserved ticket fares and example journey times given from Sannomiya Station in Kobe. For train times check the timetables below.

Osaka Station

Osaka is Japan’s second largest city and has many shopping, dining, and sightseeing attractions. Popular locations near Osaka Station are the Umeda Sky Building, and HEP Five. Other top attractions in Osaka include Osaka Castle, the bright lights of the Dotonbori entertainment district, Tsutenkaku Tower in the colorful Shinsekai district, and the Universal Studies Japan (USJ) theme park.

Transfers can be made here to the following JR train lines: the Osaka Loop Line, Kansai Airport Line, Yamatoji Line, Hanwa Line, Takarazuka Line, Kobe Line, and Kyoto Line. Transfer can also be made at nearby stations to the Midosuji Subway Line, the Hanshin Main Line, and Hankyu Railway’s Kobe Line, Kyoto Line, and Takarazuka Line.

Sannomiya Station

Sannomiya Station is located in Kobe’s main transportation hub. Several stations are located here and they have immediate access to Kobe’s central commercial and entertainment district. Kobe itself is a friendly and cosmopolitan port city. Its main attractions are Nankinmachi (Kobe’s Chinatown), Mount Rokko, Kobe Harborland, Meriken Park, and the Ijinkan, an area of foreign houses built in the 19th century.

Transfer here to the Seishin-Yamate Subway Line which has services bound for Shin-Kobe Station and to the Port Liner which serves Port Island and Kobe Airport. Transfer at the Hankyu Kobe-Sannomiya Station to the Hankyu Kobe Line and Kobe Kosoku Line. Transfer at the Hanshin Kobe-Sannomiya Station to the Hanshin Main Line.

Kobe Station

Kobe Station is convenient for the shopping and dining facilities of Kobe Harborland.

Train fare: 790 yen
Train time: 3 minutes

Himeji Station

Himeji is most famous for its beautiful white castle. Himeji Castle is one of only 12 original medieval castles to have survived the last World War and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other attractions in Himeji are the Kokoen Garden and the large mountain temple of Shoshazan Engyoji.

Kinosaki Onsen Station

Kinosaki Onsen is a picturesque hot spring spa town on the Japan Sea coast with 1400 years of history. This charming town has beautifully preserved traditional architecture and a river lined with willows and cherry trees that runs through its center. Kinosaki Onsen is also known for its seafood cuisine, particularly crab when in season, and for the local variety of black Wagyu beef, called Tajima beef.

Kasumi Station

This station serves the town of Kami in the Mikata district of Hyogo Prefecture. Kasumi’s scenic attractions include the rice terraces of Ojiro Village, the Yoshitaki Waterfalls, the Tajima Plateau Botanical Gardens and for the Amarube Bridge; a famous steel trestle bridge that the Hamakaze crosses.

Hamasaka Station

This station serves the town of Shin’onsen in the Mikata district of Hyogo Prefecture. This town is best known for the Zen temple of Antaiji, the hot spring resort of Yumura Onsen, and the San’in Kaigan Geopark Center which has rock and fossil exhibits and information on geopark tours.

Tottori Station

Tottori is most famous for the ancient Tottori Sand Dunes which cover a huge area on the coast. There you can enjoy camel rides and visit a sand museum. Other attractions include Tottori Castle ruins, the Jinpukaku – a French style mansion, Tottori Hot Spring, and Hakuto Beach.

Timetables

These timetables are correct at the time of writing. Please use the JR West Timetable and Fare Finder to confirm your journey times.

Outbound Services

Stations	Hamakaze #1	Hamakaze #3	Hamakaze #5
Osaka	Depart: 9.38	Depart: 12.22	Depart: 18.04
Sannomiya	Arrive: 9.57 Depart: 9.57	Arrive: 12.41 Depart: 12.41	Arrive: 18.26 Depart: 18.27
Kobe	Arrive: 10.00 Depart: 10.01	Arrive: 12.44 Depart: 12.45	Arrive:18.30 Depart: 18.31
Akashi	Arrive: 10.13 Depart: 10.14	Arrive: 12.57 Depart: 12.58	Arrive: 18.43 Depart: 18.44
Nishi Akashi	–	–	Arrive: 18.47 Depart: 18.48
Kakogawa	–	–	Arrive: 18.58 Depart: 18.58
Himeji	Arrive: 10.38 Depart: 10.44	Arrive: 13.20 Depart: 13.25	Arrive: 19.08 Depart: 19.21
Fukusaki	Arrive: 11.02 Depart: 11.02	Arrive: 13.42 Depart: 13.42	Arrive: 19.38 Depart: 19.41
Teramae	Arrive: 11.13 Depart: 11.13	Arrive: 13.53 Depart: 13.54	Arrive: 19.53 Depart: 19.55
Ikuno	Arrive: 11.28 Depart: 11.29	Arrive: 14.08 Depart: 14.08	Arrive: 20.11 Depart: 20.14
Takeda	Arrive: 11.43 Depart: 11.43	–	–
Wadayama	Arrive: 11.49 Depart: 11.50	Arrive: 14.28 Depart: 14.29	Arrive: 20.35 Depart: 20.38
Yoka	Arrive: 12.01 Depart: 12.01	Arrive: 14.39 Depart: 14.40	Arrive: 20.48 Depart: 20.49
Ebara	Arrive: 12.08 Depart: 12.08	Arrive: 14.46 Depart: 14.47	Arrive: 20.55 Depart: 20.56
Toyooka	Arrive: 12.16 Depart: 12.18	Arrive: 14.57 Depart: 14.59	Arrive: 21.04 Depart: 21.06
Kinosaki Onsen	Arrive: 12.27 Depart: 12.28	Arrive: 15.08 Depart: 15.09	Arrive: 21.14 Depart: 21.15
Takeno	Arrive: 12.36 Depart: 12.37	Arrive: 15.18 Depart: 15.18	Arrive: 21.24 Depart: 21.24
Kasumi	Arrive: 12.51 Depart: 12.52	Arrive: 15.33 –	Arrive: 21.40 Depart: 21.41
Hamasaka	Arrive: 13.09 –	–	Arrive: 21.59 Depart: 21.59
Iwami	–	–	Arrive: 22.13 Depart: 22.13
Tottori	–	–	Arrive: 22.30

Inbound Services

Stations	Hamakaze #2	Hamakaze #4	Hamakaze #6
Tottori	Depart: 6.00	–	–
Iwami	Arrive: 6.16 Depart: 6.16	–	–
Hamasaka	Arrive: 6.30 Depart: 6.30	Depart: 13.30	–
Kasumi	Arrive: 6.48 Depart: 6.49	Arrive: 13.47 Depart: 13.48	Depart: 16.50
Takeno	Arrive: 7.03 Depart: 7.04	Arrive: 14.02 Depart: 14.02	Arrive: 17.05 Depart: 17.06
Kinosaki Onsen	Arrive: 7.12 Depart: 7.13	Arrive: 14.11 Depart: 14.14	Arrive: 17.15 Depart: 17.17
Toyooka	Arrive: 7.22 Depart: 7.24	Arrive: 14.24 Depart: 14.26	Arrive: 17.26 Depart: 17.28
Ebara	Arrive: 7.32 Depart: 7.33	Arrive: 14.34 Depart: 14.35	Arrive: 17.37 Depart: 17.38
Yoka	Arrive: 7.39 Depart: 7.40	Arrive: 14.47 Depart: 14.47	Arrive: 17.44 Depart: 17.45
Wadayama	Arrive: 7.51 Depart: 7.51	Arrive: 14.58 Depart: 14.59	Arrive: 17.55 Depart: 17.56
Takeda	–	Arrive: 15.04 Depart: 15.05	–
Ikuno	Arrive: 8.11 Depart: 8.12	Arrive: 15.20 Depart: 15.20	Arrive: 18.16 Depart: 18.17
Teramae	Arrive: 8.27 Depart: 8.27	Arrive: 15.35 Depart: 15.36	Arrive: 18.31 Depart: 18.32
Fukusaki	Arrive: 8.37 Depart: 8.38	Arrive: 15.46 Depart: 15.47	Arrive: 18.42 Depart: 18.43
Himeji	Arrive: 8.54 Depart: 9.00	Arrive: 16.03 Depart: 16.07	Arrive: 19.00 Depart: 19.06
Akashi	Arrive: 9.22 Depart: 9.23	Arrive: 16.29 Depart: 16.30	Arrive: 19.29 Depart: 19.30
Kobe	Arrive: 9.36 Depart: 9.36	Arrive: 16.43 Depart: 16.43	Arrive: 19.43 Depart: 19.43
Sannomiya	Arrive: 9.39 Depart: 9.40	Arrive: 16.46 Depart: 16.47	Arrive: 19.46 Depart: 19.47
Osaka	Arrive: 10.01	Arrive: 17.05	Arrive: 20.05

Article by Michael Lambe. Photos by Michael Lambe, shiii/pixta (3), prof255960/pixta (4). All rights reserved.