Tatami Seat Garden Train/Osaka-Kyoto

Kyo-train GARAKU(雅洛) on Hankyu Railway runs between Osaka and Kyoto on weekends and holidays. ____________________________________ The current Kyo-Train, which has been running since 2011, is well known for its interior design which resembles that of an old-fashioned Kyoto machiya townhouse. The carriage décor employs wood paneling, wood-block printed wallpaper, tatami straw headrests, and washi paper posters to evoke the simple grace and craftsmanship of houses built for Kyoto’s merchant class. The new train develops this appreciation for Kyoto’s traditional style, but with an added emphasis on refined elegance. The name “Garaku” is actually a newly minted word that combines the Japanese character for “refinement” with an old character for the imperial capital. The meaning is simply “elegant capital” but with a nuance suggestive of Kyoto’s ancient heritage. Whereas the first Kyo-Train reproduced the modest grace of a Kyoto home, Kyo-Train Garaku celebrates the full splendor of Kyoto’s 1,200 year history with motifs and elements lifted from seasonal festivals, temples, shrines and palaces.