The limited express Odoriko and Saphir Odoriko train ride guide. The express trains which run between Tokyo, Yokohama, Izu and Atami

Odoriko is serviced by 185 series.Atami, Ito, Shimoda, Mishima, Shuzenji
Odoriko that go to Shuzenji is usually coupled with Odoriko going to Izukyu Shimoda.
257 series runs for Odoriko (C) Rsa / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Odoriko and Saphir Odoriko are limited express trains to Izukyu-Shimoda or Shuzenji in Izu peninsula from Tokyo and Shinjuku. As probably you know, Izu peninsula is one of most famous hot springs resort area in Japan. These express trains take you to many places, such as Atami, Ito, Kwazu and Izu-Kogen, in Izu hot springs resort from Greater Tokyo area.

Saphir Odoriko was introduced on March 14th, 2020. This train offers high-end train service. This train does not have any ordinary class seat. All seats are Green seat (business class) or Premium Green seat (first class).

In this post, I will show you the interior, timetable, trip times and other trips of Odoriko and Saphir Odoriko.

Route, timetable and trip time

185 series still run as limited express train Odoriko. This fleet is used for rapid Moonlight Nagara too.

Odoriko and Saphir Odoriko connects Tokyo and Atami in 1 hour 30 minutes and connects Tokyo and Izukyu-Shimoda in 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours and conencts Tokyo and Shuzenji in 2 hours 10 minutes.

Please find the timetable in JR East official website (English):

JR East official site – the timetable

Odoriko operation map
Green line is Odoriko operation route. Blue line is Saphir Odoriko operation route.
Click to view large.

Restriction for JR Pass users

These trains are operated on both JR line and the private lines, Izu Kyuko Railway (Ito to Izukyu-Shimoda) and Izu Hakone Railways (Mishima to Shuzenji). If you take these train by JR Pass, JR Pass does not cover these private lines. You may have to pay the extra if you travel farther than Ito or Mishima.

Please see the fare table below to find the extra on top of JR Pass.

Extra fare table for Izu-Kyuko line

 Base fare
from Ito
Odoriko
Non
reserved
seat fee
Odoriko
Reserved
seat fee
Odoriko
Green
seat fee
Saphir
Odoiko
Green
seat fee
Saphir
Odoriko
Premium
Green
seat fee
Izu-Kogen670 yen410 yen520 yen930 yen1,190 yen2,010 yen
Kawazu1,390 yen410 yen520 yen930 yen1,190 yen2,010 yen
Izukyu-Shimoda1,650 yen410 yen520 yen930 yen1,190 yen2,010 yen
Base fare is varied by the distance on Izu-Kyuko line but the seat fee is same.

Extra fare table for Izu-Hakone Railways

 Basic fare from Mishima
Shuzenji520 yen
Only base fare is required. Green seat car is not available on Odoriko to Shuzenji.

If you use JR East Pass or Tokyo Wide Pass, Izu-Kyuko line is covered. You can take an ordinary seat on the limited express Odoriko without any extra charge. But Saphir Odoriko is not covered at all by these passes because this train offers only Green class seat and Premium Green class seat. These passes do not cover Green and Premium Green seats. And these passes do not cover farther than Atami. The segment between Atami and Shuzenji is not covered at all by these passes.

Accommodation

Odoriko is operated by 185 series and 257 series. All 185 series will be replaces by 257 series sooner or later because this fleet is one of the oldest fleets in JR trains.

Saphir Odoriko is operated by 261 series. 261 series is designed for Saphir Odoriko and newly itroduced.

As I mentioned, Saphir Odiriko 261 series does not offer any ordinary class seats. It offers only Green class seat and Premium Green class seat.

*Sonic Rail Garden has copyright for all images of accommodations below.

Train formation

For the limited express Odoriko

12345671112131415
RRRGRNRNRNRNRRRR
R (Ordinary reserved seat), NR (Ordinary non reserved seat), G (Green class seat)
185 series 12 cars formation. Car 11 to 15 usually are assigned for the train to Shuzenji.
123456789101112131415
RRRGGRRRNRNRNRNRRRR
R (Ordinary reserved seat), NR (Ordinary non reserved seat), G (Green class seat)
185 series 15 cars formation. Car 11 to 15 usually are assigned for the train to Shuzenji.
123456789
RRRGRRRNRNR
R (Ordinary reserved seat), NR (Ordinary non reserved seat), G (Green class seat)
257 series 9 cars formation. This set is used for Tokyo to/from Izukyu-Shimoda operation.
1234567891011121314
RRRGRRRNRNRNRNRRRR
R (Ordinary reserved seat), NR (Ordinary non reserved seat), G (Green class seat)
257 series 14 cars formation. Car 10 to 14 usually are assigned for the train to Shuzenji.

For the limited express Saphir Odoriko

12345678
PGGCGCCafeGGGG
PG (Premium Green seat), GC (Green Compartment), G (Green seat)

Images – Odoriko 185 series

Green seat

Ordinary seat

The accommodation is exactly same between reserved ordinary seat and non reserved ordinary seat.

Lavatory

Images – Odoriko 257 series

This series has just been renovated for the limited express Odoriko. The images are not available yet.

You may find the link to JR East official news letter below. It is in Japanese but you cann find some image:

JR East official news

Images – Saphir Odoriko 261 series

JR East official website

This series has just been introduced for the limited express Saphir Odoriko. The images are not available yet.

You may find the link to JR East official website below. It is English website and there are lots of images:

JR East Saphir Odoriko official website

I hope this post helped you to plan your trip to Izu, Atami, Kawazu.

Comments

  1. Grace says:

    Hi Takeshi
    Can I use Kanto pass to cover these trips –
    – Shinjuku to Atami (Super View Oridoriko)
    – Atami to Kawazu
    – Atami to Yugawara

    Many thanks
    Grace

  2. Ayme says:

    Hi Takeshi-san,
    I want to go to Kawazu to see the Kawazuzakura during the festival in late February next year. I want to buy a JR Kanto Area Pass and take the Super View Odoriko train. However, I have heard that it can be booked out during that time. As I cannot purchase a JR Kanto pass until I reach Japan, I was wondering is there another way to reserve a seat before I buy the pass?
    Thank you.
    Ayme

  3. Lily says:

    I arrive in Tokyo and like to go Izu inatori station. I stay for 3 nites in Izu. I do not have JR pass. Is there any special pass for my itinery. How much is the return trip cost? Please give me the link to check train timing.

    Thank you

  4. Charlene says:

    Hi Takeshi!

    Just want to check – does the JR Kanto Pass cover the Super View Odoriko train ride from Ito back to Tokyo (Shinjuku)? I will be staying in Ito for two nights, arriving on the day when my 7 day JR Pass expires.

    I’m trying to decide between:
    1. Buy the Ito-Kanko Free Pass to explore Ito and travel back to Tokyo.
    2. Buy the unlimited Tokai bus pass (800yen/1300yen) to explore Ito and use the JR Kanto Pass to travel back to Tokyo. If I buy the Kanto Pass, then I plan to explore Ibaraki and Kariuzawa as day trips on the two days left for the pass.

    I’m not sure if the Ito-Kanko Free Pass is worth it because I am not using it for a round trip between Tokyo and Ito.

    Thanks!

    • Hi Charlene,

      If you use Kanto area pass to travel for other than Ito-Tokyo, this pass will work. If you use this pass for only Ito-Tokyo, the fare is only around 4500 yen. It’s not enough to use it.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  5. Marita Ho says:

    Hello Takeshi,
    I’m planning to travel to Shimoda from Tokyo in mid-December and stay 1 night. The next day I would like to go to Fujisawa (stay 1 nite) and from there visit Enoshima and Kamakura. What is the best and most economical way to travel? Should I take the Odoriko? Will the train stop at Fujisawa? Thank you.
    Marita

  6. Lily says:

    Dear Takeshi

    I would like to ask what is the best possible way to go to Izu peninsula from Osaka and then Kawaguchiko from Izu peninsula?
    Where is the nearest place to buy the JR ticket in Osaka?
    Do i need to book the ticket?
    We are traveling around first week of December to Izu for 3 nights and then heading to Kawaguchiko for another 3 nights.

    Thank you.

    • Hi Lily,

      First of all, you can purchase JR ticket at almost any JR stations in Osaka. If you arrive in Kansai Airport, you can purchase it at JR Kansai airport station as well. I recommend you to book your ticket. Especially you will take Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Mishima or Atami. Some of Hikari that is the second fastest train of Shinkansen stop at Mishima or Atami, But it’s very limited. Please see the link below to get a timetable.

      http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/timetable/_pdf/eastbound.pdf

      So find which train you will take and book it. If you book it, you can purchase a ticket in advance.

      The easiest way to get Lake Kawaguchi from Izu is bus from Mishima. Unfortunately there is only Japanese site. But you can see the timetable.
      http://bus.fujikyu.co.jp/line/jikokuhyo/01.html

      The first table is for Lake Kawaguchi from Mishima. The first bus is 7:30 departure and 9:00 arrival. If you click 12時~15時, 15時~20時, you will see later timetable. The fare is 2480 yen. Express bus is reservation required. Try to make a call 0555-73-8181. I think they can speak English.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  7. mike says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    I understand that with my JR Pass there will be a supplement to use the Super View Odoriko over the Izu Kyuko Line when traveling from Tokyo but I don’t fully understand how that works. The JR East Online Reservations will only let me reserve as far as Ito. Do I keep my seat and pay someone on the train or do I need to get off at Ito and buy a new ticket?

    Thank you for your help. I love your website.

    • Hi Mike,

      That site takes booking for JR lines only. So I recommend you to book it to Ito at this point. I think you can change it to your final destination when you collect the ticket. It is no problem to book for both JR and Izu Kyuko line at the reservation window. And JR Pass allows you to change the ticket as many as you want.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  8. Jane says:

    Where can I find the specific schedule/time of the Odoriko from Tokyo to Shuzenji? It doesn’t seem to come up on Hyperdia. Specifically, can I take a direct train from a particular station in Tokyo without transfer in Mishima if I take the Odoriko? If so, how can I make reservation and find the schdule? Thank you very much

  9. TY says:

    Hi,

    Would like to ask what is the best possible way to go to Tokyo from Shuzenji at weekday? (I dont have a JR pass)

    1) Is there a direct train or I need to change from Mishima?

    2) Is Mishima train station under JReast? I cant find the station from the JReast booking system.

    3) Do I need to book a ticket ? Will the ticket sold out?

    Thanks.

    • JPRail says:

      Hi TY,

      1) As you see above, only this train, Odoriko is direct service from Tokyo.
      If you can’t get on Odoriko, take Shinkansen to Mishima and transfer to the local train.

      2) No. It’s in JR Central area. Atami is the border station between JR East and JR Central. You can find it at Hyperdia.
      http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

      3) If you travel in peak period, reservation is recommended. Otherwise you will be fine.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  10. Yen says:

    Hi,

    We will like to travel to the following places but not sure if JR Pass covers all. We will purchase a 7 days JR Pass. Thanks.

    4th Nov Mon – Tokyo to Shuzenji
    -> I understand we need to pay supplementary fee of 500 yen from Mishima and Shuzenji? The journey from Tokyo to Mishima is covered under JR Pass?

    5th Nov Tue – Shuzenji to Shimoda
    -> I am confuse with the transport information on this and not sure how much extra do we need to pay?

    6th Nov Wed – Shimoda to Shizuoka
    -> To travel to Shizuoka, we will need to travel back to Toyko from Shimoda and take train from Tokyo?
    ….

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