Choshi Electric Railway: The Little Line Saved by Rice Crackers

Picture a railway kept alive not by its fares but by a soy-glazed snack. That's the Choshi Electric Railway, a small private line at Choshi on Chiba's eastern tip. When the money ran out, it sold wet rice crackers, joked about its own finances, and asked the public for help. Our latest JRPass guide covers the story and the ride out towards the coast at Inubosaki.

Quick Answer — What Is the Choshi Electric Railway?

The Choshi Electric Railway is a short private railway at Choshi on Chiba's eastern tip, running 6.4 km from JR Choshi Station to Tokawa. It's famous for surviving the financial crisis by selling 'nure-senbei' wet rice crackers and other self-mocking merchandise. The Japan Rail Pass doesn't cover it, so you'll need the railway's own ticket or day pass.

The Rice Cracker Rescue

Rice crackers saved the Choshi Electric Railway because the company ended up earning more from a snack than from its trains. When a cash crisis threatened closure in 2006, a public appeal to buy those crackers raised the money for urgent repairs.

Choshi has long been a soy sauce town, and in the 1990s the railway began selling nure-senbei on the side. These 'wet' crackers are dunked in soy sauce straight after baking, so they're soft and savoury. With ridership sliding for decades, the crackers soon became the profitable part of the business.

The 2006 numbers looked grim:

• Embezzlement: A former president had embezzled more than ¥100 million.
• Track repairs: Inspectors ordered track and level-crossing work costing around ¥50 million.
• Train inspections: These needed roughly ¥10 million more.
• Cash in hand: The bank balance, according to the railway's own account of the rescue, stood at about ¥2 million.

The accounting chief posted a plain request on the company website: please buy our nure-senbei, because we need money to repair our trains. Within ten days, more than 10,000 orders had arrived. TV coverage followed, and the repairs were paid for. To this day, nure-senbei sales typically bring in more than the Choshi Electric Railway's fares do.

Self-Deprecating Marketing

The Choshi Electric Railway crisis became a brand because the company chose to joke about its troubles rather than hide them. Its cheeky names won public affection far beyond Chiba.

Its best-known jokes show the humour:

• Mazui-bō: This corn snack swaps the 'umai' (tasty) of the famous Umaibō for 'mazui' (bad), a wink at the company's shaky finances.
• Station nicknames: Choshi Station has carried the nickname 'Zettai ni Akiramenai' (never give up), and Kasagami-Kurohae was long known as 'Kaminoke Kurohae', a pun on regrowing black hair.
• A feature film: The railway produced its own horror comedy, Don't Stop the Train! The Cursed 6.4 km, released in 2020.

Campaigns change over time, so check the operator's current line-up before you go. Newer ventures keep the story moving, such as a Nauru friendship pavilion at Kasagami-Kurohae Station that opened in October 2025.

The Ride

Riding the Choshi Electric Railway (Choshi Dentetsu) takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes from end to end, covering 10 stations between JR Choshi Station and Tokawa. Expect small, retro trains rattling past low houses, cabbage fields, and branches that sometimes brush the windows.

Most of the fleet is second-hand. Several cars started life on Tokyo's Keio Line in the 1960s, moved to Ehime's Iyo Railway, and then made their way to Chiba. This Chiba local railway serves students and shoppers as much as visitors, so off-peak trains are the calmer choice if you're hauling a suitcase.

If you're heading to Inubosaki by train, get off at Inubo Station, the second-to-last stop. Three highlights sit nearby:

• Inubosaki Lighthouse (pictured above): One of Chiba's historic lighthouses, it's about a 10-minute walk away, and its 31 m tower dates from 1874.
• The headland: Cape Inubo on the Boso Peninsula offers wide Pacific views.
• Tokawa: The line ends one stop later at this small fishing port.

Not a JR Line

The JR Pass doesn't cover the Choshi Electric Railway. The JR Sobu Line reaches Choshi, but the railway itself needs its own ticket or day pass.

From Tokyo Station, the JR limited express Shiosai typically reaches Choshi in around two hours, and the JR Pass covers that leg. If Choshi is one stop on a longer trip, it’s worth comparing the pass with point-to-point train tickets for your main routes before you buy. At Choshi, you switch to the private line's tickets:

• Single fares: A one-way ride from Choshi to Tokawa typically costs around ¥350.
• Day pass: The Komawari Tegata one-day ticket usually costs about ¥700 for adults, so it suits a return trip with stops.

Prepaid IC cards like Suica cover most trains around Tokyo, but this line generally runs on cash and paper tickets, so carry some yen.

Small Railways That Refused to Die

The Choshi Electric Railway is one of several small Japanese lines that survived through creativity rather than subsidy alone. Each found a hook, and visitors became part of the rescue:

• Wakayama: The best-known example is Tama the cat stationmaster, whose appointment at Kishi Station in 2007 drew crowds to the struggling Kishigawa Line.
• Aomori: The Tsugaru Railway's winter stove train draws winter visitors with coal-heated carriages and squid toasted on the stove.
• Iwate: The Sanriku Railway rebuilt after the 2011 tsunami, and its cosy kotatsu train now gives visitors a warm reason to ride.

Choshi fits the pattern: a line too small to live on fares, rescued by a story people wanted to join.

Supporting the Line as a Visitor

The simplest way to support the Choshi Electric Railway is to ride it, buy the crackers, and photograph it respectfully. Every sale helps keep the trains running.

• Ride the line: A day pass lets you hop off along the way.
• Buy the snacks: A pack of 10 nure-senbei typically costs under ¥1,000.
• Take photos with care: Stay off the tracks and private fields, and skip the flash.

Japan's train photography fans, or toritetsu, follow an etiquette worth borrowing: stay behind safety lines and take your rubbish home. Small courtesies like these help a tiny line stay welcome in the neighbourhood it serves.

FAQs

These are the questions rail fans and travellers ask most often:

Q: How did rice crackers save the railway?
A: A viral 2006 appeal to buy its nure-senbei raised enough money for urgent track and train repairs.

Q: Is the Choshi Electric Railway covered by the JR Pass?
A: No, the pass covers the JR Sobu Line to Choshi, but this private line needs its own ticket or day pass.

Q: How do you reach Inubosaki?
A: Take the JR Sobu Line to Choshi, then ride the Choshi Electric Railway to Inubo Station, about a 10-minute walk from the lighthouse.

Q: What is the Choshi Electric Railway?
A: The Choshi Electric Railway is a short private line on Chiba's eastern tip, famous for surviving a financial crisis by selling wet rice crackers.

Q: What is nure-senbei?
A: Nure-senbei is a soft, soy-glazed 'wet' rice cracker whose sales helped keep the railway running.

Q: How long is the ride from end to end?
A: The trip from Choshi to Tokawa usually takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes.

Q: Is there a day pass for the line?
A: Yes, the Komawari Tegata one-day ticket typically costs about ¥700 for adults.

Q: Can I use Suica or another IC card?
A: Generally not, so bring cash for single tickets or buy a day pass.

Q: How long does it take to reach Choshi from Tokyo?
A: The JR limited express Shiosai usually takes around two hours from Tokyo Station to Choshi.

Q: How often do the trains run?
A: Usually about once an hour during the daytime, with extra trains at busier times, so check the current timetable.