Black Pine Dining Train: mini-trip
trip and trail 12.15.2020
My wife and her older sister visited Kyoto by the Sea to ride the “Kuromatsu” Black Pine Dining Train, run by the Kyoto Tango Railway. It was a simple day trip from Osaka, and they booked the breakfast and lunch courses on the train.
Dining is more fun on a train
The "European breakfast course" departs from Fukuchiyama (southern part of Kyoto by the Sea) and takes its time traveling to Amanohashidate so guests have a chance to eat while taking in the scenery. The breakfast course takes an hour and forty minutes from point to point.
The ride from Osaka to Fukuchiyama took only took my sister and I an hour and a half. The theme of the day is trains anyway! And the countryside scenery is so beautiful as traces of the city become non-existent. It’s feeling like an old-world adventure.
Stepping off the train, there was an immediate temperature difference, and the late-fall breeze woke me up a bit. We transferred from the JR limited express to the Kyoto Tango Railway’s “Black Pine” Dining Train here. The station wasn’t large and the Kyoto Tango Railway’s signs were easy to follow. When we got to the train platform, the Black Pine was already waiting for us. Just seeing the car got us excited for the trip ahead. It’s just a single train car, painted all black with gold and red trim. It looked as though it was going to be a luxurious ride, which could be expected of a train car designed by Eiji Mitooka. The retro feel of the car made me think of the slow journeys people used to take through the countryside, and I couldn’t wait to get on board.
The interior more than matches the elegant look of the exterior design. We were greeted by a train attendant and shown to our seats. As we were traveling during COVID, the attendants were all taking precautions and seating/ticketing was handled in a way to maintain social distancing. I think I embarrassed my sister when I gave a little cheer because of how excited I was for our trip. The train car was fitted with warm natural wood, with a mix of Japanese and Western motifs running throughout the train. There was a such a good attention to details. Even the window shades were delicately crafted from bamboo. As we (eagerly!) awaited our departure, we took the time to look over the menu placed at our table.
Trip 1: The European breakfast course
One of the things that makes the Black Pine so fun is that the menus change twice a year and feature local chefs. This breakfast course started in October (2020) and features local ingredients from Tango, Tamba, and Tajima. I was excited to see what a famous restaurant like Katashima (known for desserts) could do with all of these local products. And of course, I'm looking forward to dessert!
The attendant got on the mic and greeted everyone on board, signaling our departure from Fukuchiyama Station. The view from the windows is incredible. While we were lost in the ever-changing scenery, the first course appeared in front of us: a forest-mushroom potage, which was served in a cute Demitasse cup. It was a great way to start the meal, made even more poignant by the fact that we were passing through the forests of Fukuchiyama. I could practically see where the mushrooms for the soup had been foraged!
The timing of the dishes was perfect. Shortly after finishing the coup, the next dish was brought out.
The train arrived at Oeyamaguchinaiku Station as this dish was brought out. The station is just outside a mountain tunnel and surrounded by forest. In the distance is a small satoyama village. It was so nice to have some time to chat with my sister, just the two of us without any other distractions. The train stopped at this station for thirty minutes, but the time went by quickly.
The food accompanying our conversation was excellent. It was a meat plate that used Tajima beef and featured Asakura Sansho meat pies, with local vegetable salads served with homemade amataki yuzu dressing. This is such a huge contrast from my regular breakfast routine, when I usually just grab something quickly and go to work. It’s a real luxury to have breakfast time actually exist in the first place, but with such amazing cooking and with my sister (who I don’t always get to see), it was heaven.
I ordered wine with the meal because I heard the wine in the area is quite unique. The Black Pine train has a wide selection of local sake, local beer, and local wine (for a fee). Personally, I have been interested in trying Amanohashidate wine for a while now.
I ordered a white wine that had a moderately sour taste, contrary to the sweetness associated with Muscat wines. It was refreshing, and went really well with the dishes. Since the dishes were seasoned lightly, they paired well with the drinks and were perfect for breakfast.
The train started running again, and after a while, three kinds of desserts appeared. They looked like art and took the appearance of autumn leaves: an apple and red demon roasted green tea, Tamba black sesame and dried laver (nori) chocolate, and Tango grown sweet potato pastry . When the attendant served the trio, she said, "The chocolate is very rich, so please eat it last." I decided to start with the sweet potato pastry. The bitter-sweet caramel jelly highlighted the fluffy sweet potato mousse. I was sad to see my plate empty when I finished.
Next, I turned my attention to the creative roasted green tea. The crisp scent of apples, cinnamon, and the aroma of roasted green tea cream mixed to create a wonderful scent before I had even tasted it. And the taste lived up to the smell, and then some.
Even though the chocolate was bite-size, I don’t want to finish it quickly, so I ate it little by little. Rich brown sugar and black sesame together melted on my tongue. I could taste a hint of the nori as well. The desserts where wholly satisfying and went well with the refreshing Kyoto Tango Railway gourmet coffee.
Just when the dessert was over, the train starting running through Miyazu. I was able to see the sea, and recognized the iconic shape of Amanohashidate. At the end of our ride, we received a little gift, "Yuzu Amataki and Akaoni Roasted Green Tea Jelly" and got a stamp for our commemorative boarding pass.
It was a very meaningful and luxurious start to the day, taking my time with a slow breakfast. And then to be arriving at Amanohashidate, one of the three most scenic spots in Japan, it was an incredible experience.
A full-course meal with a spectacular view of Wakasa Bay
The "Sengoku Italian Course" for lunch was scheduled to depart Amanohashidate in about an hour. We thought it would be a good idea to walk around the area (so many sights, including Amanohashidate, are quite close to the station) to build up our appetites again. We visited Chionji Temple, where Monju Bodhisattva, who bestows wisdom, is located, and bought some “wisdom rice cakes” as gifts for friends and family.
With our departure quickly approaching we said goodbye to Amanohashidate. It’s such a beautiful location, but we were getting excited for our two-hour lunch that would take us from Amanohashidate to Nishi-Maizuru.
The interior of the car was a little different from the previous one, and the seats already had appetizers set. The "Sengoku Italian Course" featured local Tango food themed off of the Sengoku period (1467-1568). For this trip, wine and soft drinks were all-you-can-drink, so my sister ordered wine immediately.
The courses were quite creative and featured local specialties like nikujaga (meat and potatoes). But nikujaga in Italian? I couldn’t quite picture it. Maizuru was the birthplace of nikujaga so it made sense that it would be on the menu. This course included fried eggplant and peppers with balsamic vinaigrette. The vinegar was surprisingly perfect with the slow cooked meat and potatoes.
Just when the Maizuru seafood bouillabaisse was brought in, the train stopped at Nagi Beach. This was one of the spectacular points of the trip, with Wakasa Bay spreading out in front of us. From here you could also see the Tango Peninsula, and even Ine. I felt really lucky to be having seafood bouillabaisse while looking out at the sea.
The next dish was a Maizuru inspired confit. The yellowtail, which was cooked at a low temperature was moist, and the fatty fish melted in my mouth. It went well with the lemons and tomatoes that accompanied it, and I could see why this chef’s bistro restaurant in Maizuru is popular.
The train stopped for about an hour at Tango-Yura Station, just before crossing the Yuragawa Bridge, which is one of the highlights of this trip. They planned the route so that diners could slowly enjoy their meal while stopped without missing some of the spectacular view points to come. Before our feast, we talked about our own cooking failures, able to do so happily because today’s food was being prepared by professionals.
The next course was Tango barazushi with roast pork. Tango barazushi, which is a lasagna-like rice dish sprinkled with sweet and savory mackerel crumbles, is an area specialty for special occasions. Homemade roast pork and arugula were added to it (adding to the color array of the dish) to create a hearty rice dish where seafood and mountain bounties come together. We were also served roasted duck stewed in a mixture of Ayabe’s Imashibori soy sauce and Amanohashidate wine. This was made even better by the fact that we were drinking Amanohashidate wine!
It was an endless procession of delicious food.
And we weren’t even at the main dish. The main dish was grilled free-range chicken from Tamba prepared with miso cream, which was inspired by miso soup that Akechi Mitsuhide had (the Sengoku themed Italian cooking). The soup-style miso cream went well with the chicken. It was quite addictive.
I thought that the timing and order of the dishes was really good as well.
We ate slowly, and the train eventually started running again and finally crossed the Yura River Bridge. It is a bridge with a length of about 550m that spans the entire mouth of the Yura River where it spills into the sea. It’s famous in the Kansai region but I had never seen it in person.
We slowly proceeded on a narrow track just above the surface of the water, and it was really exciting because I felt as if we were floating above Wakasa Bay and the Yura River. Added to the blue sky, and the green mountains, it was so much rich color. I went up next to the train conductor to see us crossing head on, and was transported back to childhood. Because I have two daughters, I don’t really get the chance to feel like a kid myself, so today was really special for me.
After crossing that unforgettable bridge, dessert was waiting. The “Gracia pudding,” named after Hosokawa Gracia, melted in my mouth and was soft and creamy. it was also accompanied by a refreshing homemade lemon Madeleine. We really do have a separate stomach for dessert!
The train finally arrived at Nishi-Maizuru, the final stop. The course was Italian inspired, but it was a mix of Japanese-international dishes with a good assortment of local ingredients and local specialties. We got a small gift here as well, which was a small furoshiki made of Tango chirimen textured silk.
I was so happy to be able to experience the local cuisine, history, superb views, specialty products and many other thing just by traveling on this train. I know that the theme and cuisine changes depending on the season and route. Maybe we’ll buy our parents tickets next time…
BONUS: To Toretore Center, the largest seafood market on the Sea of Japan
I went to Nishi-Maizuru Road Station, Tore Tore Center, to look for gifts for my family, who couldn’t be here on the trip with me. Tore Tore Center is a large fish market where you can not only purchase fresh seafood caught in Maizuru Bay, it can be grilled or prepared as sashimi for you to eat there. I was too full to eat any more, but the food was quite enticing. It’s definitely a place I want to come back to with my family.
I took quite a few laps around the center wondering what to buy for my family. I finally bought the tatsuno fish, ume chirimen, and grilled cod roe chirimen. My daughters love rice balls so I thought they would be happy with an assortment of ingredient filled rice. For my husband I chose Maizuru’s finest kamaboko (fish cakes) from Shimada Shoten.
On the way back, we took the express bus from Nishi-Maizuru to Osaka. Although we should have been tired of each other, my sister and I couldn't stop talking about today's trip and the destinations we wanted to visit next.