Riding on Japan’s Limited Express Thunderbird Review｜Osaka to Tsuruga

Arrived at “Osaka Station” in Osaka Pref.
I’m heading to Tsuruga on the 7:00 Limited Express Thunderbird.
Since I arrived early at 6 a.m., I’m fully prepared and energized.

On the 1st floor of Osaka Station is a shop called “Ekiben Tabi Bento”.
I chose the “Summer Flavor Bento” (1,080 JPY).
With my bento in hand, I headed to platform 11.

About 5 minutes before departure, the Thunderbird pulled into Osaka Station.
I had reserved the last car, 12, so the platform was a bit far.
I hurried over a little.

The train features a logo inspired by the thunderbird.
The rock ptarmigan, native to the Northern Alps, symbolizes the Hokuriku region.
This is why the train is named “Thunderbird”.

Looking closely at the name plate next to the destination display, it was blinking faintly.
The blinking light reminded me of lightning, perfectly evoking the image of the Thunderbird.

The seat is in the cheapest ordinary car.
All cars on this train, including the Green Car in car 1, have reserved seating.

Departed Osaka Station on time.
Immediately after departure, the in-train chime played.
The Thunderbird’s chime was composed by Shinji Tanimura, titled “Hokuriku Roman”.
Personally, it gave me a grand feeling, like something descending from the sky.

Around the time we passed Kyoto Station, I ate the bento I bought at Osaka Station.
Unfortunately, I forgot to buy tea.
Since there’s no vending machine on board, I chewed some mint gum to calm myself until arriving in Tsuruga.

The Thunderbird is the fastest limited express in Japan.
I had reserved a seat at the very last car of the 12-car train.
Being in the last car made the ride a bit rough, and I ended up motion sick.

Arrived at Tsuruga Station at 08:23.
Although I felt slightly motion sick, the travel time was short—about 1 hour 30 minutes—so it wasn’t too burdensome.

At Tsuruga Station, I noticed Thunderbird trains with different shapes.
The front car comes in two types: a box-shaped “through type” and a sharper “non-through type”.
It was a new discovery to see the front shape vary depending on the train.
This concludes the record of this trip.
Thank you for reading until the end!