The , or , is a transportation company that provides transportation services over a wide range of southeastern and central

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The company used to operate the

Towada Kankō Electric Railway Line The was a railway route operated by Towada Kankō Electric Railway (Totetsu). It ran between Misawa Station and Towadashi Station in eastern Aomori Prefecture, Japan. History On September 5, 1922, the began operating a 762mm gauge line betwe ...

, which connects

Misawa Station is a railway station and major stop along the Aoimori Railway Line in the city of Misawa in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the third sector railway operator Aoimori Railway Company. Lines Misawa Station is one of six principal st ...

in the city of Misawa and Towadashi Station in the city of

Towada is a city in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 60,697, and a population density of 84 persons per km2 in 27,677 households. The total area of the city is . Geography Towada is in the foothills of the Hakkōda M ...

. The line ceased service on April 1, 2012. The company now operates an extensive bus network, and through subsidiary operations, a taxi service, resort hotels and excursion boats on

Lake Towada is the largest crater lake in Honshū island, Japan. Located on the border between Aomori and Akita prefectures, it lies 400 meters (1,800 ft) above sea level and is 327 m (1,073 ft) deep, drained by the Oirase river. With a s ...

. It is headquartered in the city of Towada.

History

The company began as the on June 26, 1914. It received its permit to start commercial transportation operations in 1917, and began operations using automobiles to connect Furumaki (present day Misawa) with Sanbongi (present day Towada). In 1920, it received its regional rail permit and changed its name to on October 30, 1920. The rail line connecting Furumaki with Sanbongi was opened on September 4, 1922.

Transit bus Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...

operations commenced from August 1926. The company expanded through purchase of smaller regional bus companies through September 1941. However, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Land-Transportation Law reorganizes regional transportation businesses, and the government restricted the assets and operations of the Towada Railway to within the borders of Kamikita District, with the remainder given to the now-defunct Nanbu Railway Company. After World War II, restrictions were lifted, and in 1951 the railway was electrified, and its

gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...

widened from 762 to 1067 mm. The company assumed its present name on December 30, 1951. From 1954, the company expanded into the organized tour market, and began operating sightseeing excursion boat services on

from September 1954. The 1968 Tokachi-oki earthquake caused severe damage to the company’s assets, and it came under the aegis of the Kokusai Kōgyō Company from October 1969. On October 28, 1985, the new Towadashi Station station building was opened; the new building containing a

Daiei , based in Kobe, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni Corporation ...

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

as well as the company headquarters. Rail operations past the Misawa terminus to

Hachinohe Station is a railway station operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Lines Hachinohe Station is served by the high-speed Tōhoku Shinkansen line between and , and forms the starting point of the Hachinohe Li ...

began from December 1, 2002.

Rail operations

The

was a (Class 1 Railroad Operator), operating eleven stations over a route connecting Misawa with Towada. The company ceased railway services on April 1, 2012.

Bus operations

The company operates city buses in Hachinohe, Misawa and Towada, as well as an extensive regional bus network, serving the rural communities of Kamikita and Sannohe Districts of eastern Aomori. In addition to local services within Aomori Prefecture, the company operates ''Sirius'' overnight highway bus service from Towada and Hachinohe to

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second largest ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, and ''Bluestar'' overnight service from Towada via

Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...

to Ikebukuro and

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

in Tokyo. Daytime ''Umineko'' service connect Hachinohe and

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...

, and ''Blue City'' service, Aomori and Sendai. Towada Kankō also operates tour bus services from Misawa and Hachinohe to the

Towada-Hachimantai National Park is a national park comprising two separate areas of Aomori, Iwate, and Akita Prefectures, Japan. The Towada-Hakkōda area encompasses Lake Towada, Mount Hakkōda, and most of the Oirase River valley. The Hachimantai area includes Mount Hachim ...

Boat operations

The operates on two routes during non-winter months on Lake Towada, within the Towada-Hachimantai National Park.

Other subsidiaries

A subsidiary company, operates a fleet of taxis within the city of Towada. Another subsidiary operates a hotel and a ski resort operation at MAkado Onsen. The company also formerly had a supermarket subsidiary, a store located at Misawa Station, but withdrew from this venture in 2009.

References

* Harris, Ken and Clarke, Jackie. ''Jane's World Railways 2008-2009''. Jane's Information Group (2008).

External links

official home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towada Kanko Electric Railway Railway companies of Japan Companies based in Aomori Prefecture