Key facts:

  • Owner: Nagatec 
    – subsidiary of Nagano Electric Railway | Nagaden
  • Founded in 1920
  • Main line: Nagano-Yudanaka
  • Total length: 33.2 km
  • Maximum speed: 90 km/h
  • Distance covered per shift: 300–400 m 
  • Machine: UNIMA 4 (2016)
  • Last train arriving at Nagano station: 23:25
  • First train departing from Nagano station: 06:15

Maintenance work between tradition and modernity

Japan is a country of contrasts where modernity meets a sense for tradition like nowhere else: in Japanese culture, futuristic cities and high-tech are just as important as ancient religious ceremonies and a closeness to nature. And last but not least, the island state offers extraordinary spectacles of nature. One of them is the Jigokudani Monkey Park. Wild monkeys bathing in hot springs to survive the icy cold winters - a highlight not only for Western tourists. Every year, countless travellers take the train from the regional capital of Nagano, crossing picturesque villages on their way to the “Monkey Paradise”. The Nagano Electric Railway Company operates and maintains the line. As a Nagatec service technician, Youta Koichi is in charge of servicing the machines for these tasks. He presents his favourite machine to us- the company-owned UNIMA 4 - while offering insight into his work and ideas.

“Snow Monkey” line train.
The area’s main attraction: snow monkeys in an Onsen
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