A DAY-TRIP FROM TOKYO PT.2 Slow Train in Springtime Chiba

The 2nd installment of our series on great spring destinations near Tokyo features a local train and flowers in the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture. The Isumi Railway runs from the coastal town of Isumi to the castle town of Otaki. Although the Boso Peninsula is only about 90-minutes by car or bus from downtown Tokyo, the landscape along the 30-kilometer railway route is rural and sleepy, with cherry blossoms and nanohana rape blossoms in spring. The charming yellow train cars that conjure up the post-War years are hugely popular with tourists, including young female railway fans. The railway's 14 stations have a retro feel, as well. Our traveler on this episode of Journeys in Japan is Armenian writer and model Mari Khunoian, who studied Japanese at Moscow State University. The self-described railway enthusiast sometimes contributes articles to a Russian railway journal. She visits a morning market held at the Isumi Shrine since the Edo period (1603-1867) and enjoys the Edo atmosphere at the former castle town. Mari also meets a former electronics salesperson whose passion for the Isumi Railway led to a second career as a train driver, and stays in a traditional home converted into an inn. To top the trip, she enjoys the rape blossoms she sees along the way, which are served in a vegan sushi dish.