300 km/h (190 mph) (San'yō Shinkansen),
260 km/h (160 mph) (Kyūshū Shinkansen)
The Mizuho (みずほ) is a limited-stop shinkansen service operated between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chuo in Japan since 12 March 2011, following the completion of the Kyushu Shinkansen.[1] The name was formerly used for a limited expresssleeping car service operated by JNR from 1961, which ran from Tokyo to Kumamoto, and was discontinued in December 1994. The name "mizuho (瑞穂)" literally means "abundant rice" in Japanese and "harvest" in the figurative sense. It was also an ancient name of Japan.[citation needed]
Foreigners traveling with a Japan Rail Pass are required to purchase a special ticket to use the Mizuho service.[2]
Train formation
Mizuho services are operated by 8-car JR West N700-7000 series and JR Kyushu N700-8000 series trainsets, with car 1 at the Kagoshima-Chuo end. All seats are non-smoking.[3][4]
Car No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Class
Non-reserved
Non-reserved
Non-reserved
Reserved
Reserved
Green
Reserved
Reserved
Facilities
Toilet
Smoking compartment, toilet
Toilet
Smoking compartment, toilet, wheelchair space
In 2021, payphones were removed from cars 3 and 8.
N700-7000 series Green car interior
N700-7000 series standard-class reserved car interior
N700-7000 series standard-class non-reserved car interior
History
Limited express sleeping car service
Mizuho service at Kumamoto, hauled by an ED76 electric locomotive, 1987
The Mizuho was first introduced on 1 October 1961 as a seasonal limited express sleeper train service, which ran from Tokyo to Kumamoto in Kyushu, supplementing the three existing limited express services, Asakaze, Sakura, and Hayabusa, operating between Tokyo and Kyushu.[5] From 1 October the following year, the service was upgraded from a "seasonal" service to become a daily service.[5]
The typical formation at this time was as shown below, with car 1 at the Kumamoto end. Cars 8 to 13 ran only between Hakata and Tokyo.[6]
Car No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Type
HaFu 43
RoNe 10
Ro 54
Shi 17
HaNe 11
HaNe 11
HaFu 45
HaNe 17
HaNe 17
HaNe 17
HaNe 17
HaNe 17
HaFu 43
From 1 June 1963, 20 series coaches were added to the formation, and the train divided and joined at Moji to serve Oita via the Nippo Main Line in addition to Kumamoto.[5]
The typical formation at this time was as shown below, with car 1 at the Kumamoto end. Cars 1 to 7 ran between Tokyo and Kumamoto, while cars 8 to 13 ran between Tokyo and Oita.[6]
Car No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Type
Ni 22
RoNe 22
Shi 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaFu 21
RoNe 21
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaFu 20
From October 1964, the Mizuho service once again became a direct service between Tokyo and Kumamoto following the introduction of the Fuji service running between Tokyo and Oita.[5]
The typical formation at this time was as shown below, with car 1 at the Kumamoto end. Cars 8 to 14 ran between Tokyo and Hakata only.[6]
Car No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Type
Ni 22
RoNe 21
Shi 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaFu 21
RoNe 21
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaNe 20
HaFu 20
From March 1972, new 14 series sleeping cars were introduced on Mizuho services, replacing the 20 series cars.[5]
From June 1991, dining car facilities were discontinued, and the Mizuho service itself was discontinued from 3 December 1994.[5]
Shinkansen
On 20 October 2010, it was formally announced by JR West and JR Kyushu that the Mizuho name would be used once again from 12 March 2011 for the new limited-stop Shinkansen services operating between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chūō using new JR West and JR Kyushu N700-7000 and N700-8000 series 8-car trainsets with a fastest journey time of 3 hours 45 minutes, some 25 minutes faster than the Sakura services.
Most trains stop only at Shin-Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kokura, Hakata, and Kumamoto, operating at a maximum speed of 300 km/h (190 mph) on the Sanyo Shinkansen and 260 km/h (160 mph) on the Kyushu Shinkansen.[4] The services are aimed primarily at the business market, with two return services in the morning and two in the evening.[1] An additional daily return working was added from 17 March 2012, increasing the number of services from four to five.
By 15 March 2014, there were six daily return workings per direction, with two trains stopping at Himeji to boost connectivity in the Kansai region. As of 14 March 2020, there are eight daily return workings per direction, with some trains making additional stops at Sendai, Kurume, Shin-Yamaguchi, Fukuyama or Himeji.
Future plans
In an announcement by JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu made on 17 October 2023, the companies stated that all onboard smoking rooms on the Tokaido, San'yo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains would be discontinued by Q2 2024.[7]
^ ab新幹線「みずほ」鹿児島―大阪３時間４５分 ["Mizuho" Shinkansen: Kagoshima - Osaka 3 hrs 45 mins]. Yomiuri Online (in Japanese). The Yomiuri Shimbun. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
^ abJR電車編成表 2012夏 [JR EMU Formations - Summer 2012]. Japan: JRR. May 2012. pp. 129–207. ISBN978-4-330-28612-9.
^ abcdefgTeramoto, Mitsuteru (July 2001). 国鉄・ＪＲ列車名大辞典 [JNR & JR Train Name Encyclopedia]. Tokyo, Japan: Chuoshoin Publishing Co., Ltd. pp. 535–536. ISBN4-88732-093-0.
^ abcTeramoto, Mitsuteru (October 1973). "国鉄急行列車・愛称変遷史" [JNR Express Train Services - A History of Name Changes]. The Railway Pictorial. Japan: Denkisha Kenkyūkai. 24 (284): 63–66.
^Kinoshita, Kenji (17 October 2023). "東海道・山陽・九州新幹線の車内喫煙ルーム、2024年春にすべて廃止" [All smoking rooms on Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains will be discontinued in spring 2024.]. MyNavi Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
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Kyūshū Shinkansen
San'yō Shinkansen
JR Kyushu
JR West
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