Enjoy soul food from the area at lunchtime
At night, enjoy Japan's only factory night view train ride

The Gakunan Railway Line, which runs through the industrial area of ​​Fuji City, where the paper industry is thriving, opened in 23 and has since served as a means of transportation for factory workers and as a freight train transporting paper products.
It was an important railway that supported industry. Due to changing times, freight transport was discontinued in 24, but the passenger section was spun off into the "Gakunan Railway" in 25 and is still in operation today. It is loved by local residents as a train that covers a total length of 9.2 km and connects 10 stations.
In recent years, the retro atmosphere of the station building has become a hot topic, and the number of tourists has increased dramatically. The popularity of the night view train that runs one or two days a month is also soaring, and it is a great success that is always fully booked. On this trip, we will visit soul food restaurants along the line during the day, and enjoy the night view of the factories on a special train at night! We will tour Fuji City, the city of paper, as if we are on an excursion.

Soul food of Fuji citizens
Fill up at a soba restaurant in an unmanned station

It's a 0-minute walk from Gakunan-Harada Station. There are tables and chairs in the waiting room of this unmanned station. The delicious aroma of soup stock fills the air. That's because there is a soba restaurant attached to the station building. Mentaro is a soba restaurant that has been in business here for over 50 years. It's a popular restaurant that sees queues at lunchtime, and the familiar flavors make it a frequent visitor spot for Fuji residents.
Although it is called a soba restaurant, the udon is actually more popular, characterized by its round cross-section and smooth texture. There is a wide variety of toppings, with the two most popular being "Chicken fillet tempura" and "Minced meat cutlet". A rare feature is that you can choose from "boiled", "raw" or "boiled" eggs. By the way, while you might think that the "boiled" is the flavored boiled egg familiar from ramen restaurants, it is actually a raw egg that is quickly boiled in soba soup after the order is placed and served. While I was wondering what to order, a regular customer fluently ordered "Regular udon, chicken fillet tempura, boiled egg". Then, the manager, Yoshiko Sugiyama, asked, "Would you like to eat inside?" Amazingly, you can choose where to eat, either inside the restaurant or in the waiting room at the station. Perhaps due to the effect of these waiting table seats, the fact that you can "see the trains while eating udon" has become a hot topic since around 2020, and the number of tourists has increased dramatically. Indeed, the view from the waiting room, both the ticket gate and the platform, is somehow nostalgic and has a peaceful atmosphere. When I hear the sound of a train approaching, I get a sense of excitement. Perhaps this is also part of the attraction.
The soup stock is made from sardines, bonito, mackerel, and kelp, and the seasoning is tamari soy sauce. When you actually try it, it has an exquisite taste that is neither sweet nor spicy, and is different from the tastes of both Kanto and Kansai. Is it a taste unique to Shizuoka, which is halfway between the two? It's easy to see why regular customers say it's an addictive taste. The chicken fillet tempura I had this time was larger than I expected and very filling. I was also surprised by the size of the minced meat cutlet eaten by the photographer next to me. I heard that they cut it in half when serving it to female customers. Furthermore, the boiled egg was half-cooked, which I chose very well!
　There are many soba restaurants in train stations, but it is rare to find one in a retro unmanned station. It is recommended to avoid 11:13am to 230:XNUMXpm as it is the busiest time, but be careful on Saturdays, when more than XNUMX customers visit, as the fried toppings run out by midday.

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Mentaro
[Address] 217-1 Harada, Fuji City
[TEL] None
[Business Hours] 9: 00-17: 30
[Closed] Sundays and public holidays
[Official website] None
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"Udon Kake" 400 yen, topped with "Chicken Fillet Tempura" 150 yen, and "Boiled Egg" 60 yen
"Sobakake" 400 yen, topped with "Menchi" 150 yen, and "Raw egg" 60 yen (payment required in advance)


Owner Yoshiko Sugiyama


Both udon and soba are custom-made at a nearby noodle factory.


Regular customers enter through the shop's noren entrance and exit through the waiting area on their way out.


The unpretentious atmosphere of this station soba restaurant is great.


The table seats in the waiting area in front of the ticket gates are popular with tourists


The handwritten corrections are also tasteful.
(Cold bukkake is a summer-only menu item)

Ganmo is sweet!? It has a petal pattern!?
"Flavored ganmo" - a tradition passed down for over 100 years

It's a 10-minute walk from Gakunan Harada Station. Our destination is the "Sweet Ganmo" from Kanazawa Tofu Shop, which has been in business for over 100 years. Ganmo is generally eaten in oden or stews, but the ganmo around Fuji City is sweet and is eaten as is as a snack. What exactly is it like?
We visited the shop just after 8am, before opening time. They were in the middle of deep frying the ganmo, and Kanazawa Tomomi, who has been in the business for 25 years, had a very serious look on her face. As there was delicate work to be done, such as adjusting the temperature of the oil and frying the ganmo, interviews were not allowed during this time. Instead, we spoke to the owner, Kanazawa Yukihiko.
"Sweetly seasoned ganmo has been eaten in Fuji City, Fujinomiya, and parts of Numazu for over 100 years, but the details are unknown." It has been used in Buddhist ceremonies since ancient times, and is always served on the table at funerals, and is sometimes used as a gift. Its petal-like shape is also a characteristic that has been around for a long time. Around 35, most of the 40 to 50 tofu shops in the city made sweet ganmo, but now there are fewer tofu shops, and only four shops make ganmo. The name "sweet ganmo" was given by the Tofu and Fried Tofu Commerce and Industry Association about 4 years ago in an attempt to unify the product names that differed from shop to shop, and Kanazawa Tofu Shop sells it under the name "flavored ganmo."
　Add sugar, black sesame seeds, chopped carrots, and salt to the tofu dough, form it into a petal shape, and cook it at low temperature for 7 to 8 minutes. Flip it over a few times, and when it floats, transfer it to hot oil and cook it for about 11 seconds on both sides. When the color changes visually, remove it from the oil. All of the steps are based on Tomomi's many years of experience, and she fries 300 to 500 pieces every day until around XNUMX:XNUMX. On this day, there were many calls for advance orders even before the store opened. By the way, this ganmo is actually more delicious when it is slightly burnt, and when you compare the taste, you can definitely taste the flavor of the tofu more when it is burnt! Kanazawa Tofu Shop also sells inari sushi "Ganmonari" and sandwiches "Ganmoichi" using seasoned ganmo, so be sure to try them!

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Kanazawa Tofu Shop
[Address] 4-1-13 Imaizumi, Fuji City
[TEL] 0545-52-1640
[Business hours] 9:00-18:00 (ends when sold out)
[Closed] Sunday
［Official website］ https://kanazawa-tofu.com/
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"Flavored ganmo" costs 1 yen per piece.


Cancer expert, Tomomi Kanazawa


Deep fry at low temperature and then finish at high temperature


Yukihiko Kanazawa, the fourth-generation owner




We only manufacture and sell tofu made from cotton. We use Miyagi Shirome soybeans.


"Ganmonari" 2 pieces for 500 yen. The halved ganmon is filled with vinegared rice, ginger, and white sesame seeds.


"Ganmoichi" 2 pieces for 550 yen. It's like a tofu hamburger steak with a touch of tomato sauce.

Soul food of the future?
Sweet koji made from locally grown Koshihikari rice, gelato, and craft beer

It is a 0-minute walk from the unmanned Gakunan Eo Station, the terminus of the Gakunan Railway. We visited Kokoromichi Kojiten, a specialty store for rice koji sweet sake that opened this summer in a retro station building built in 28. We were greeted by the charmingly smiling owner, Takahashi Yuka. She and her husband, Azusa, are farmers in Fuji City, mainly growing rice, corn in the summer, and vegetables such as broccoli and kale in the winter. There was a request for a direct sales store for rice, and she also wanted to have her own store, when she heard about using the vacant Gakunan Railway station building. In March 2024, she decided to open the store, and things progressed smoothly, opening in July. What an incredible drive.
Their main product is "Drinkable Amakoji", a sweet sake made from their own rice, with flavors from a local tea shop. This was a big hit, and the most popular "plain" flavor was out of stock on the day. Continuing this momentum, they asked the local "Kobe Shoyu Ten" to make sweet sake using their own rice, and teamed up with local gelato shop "PRIMA CLASSE" to create "Eatable Amakoji Gelato". They also collaborated with local brewer "BADASS BEER BASE" to release "ENISHI", a beer that uses their own rice instead of sugar. Yuka says nonchalantly, "When I say I want to do this, people introduce me to other people," but it's probably her charm, her full-powered personality, that connects her to people. Amakoji, made from locally grown rice and the skills and wisdom of local residents, is sure to become the soul food of this town in the future.
With that in mind, I had a glass of the "Koji Drink" that was apparently very popular this summer. It was made by mixing sweet koji with apple vinegar and juice, and I chose tomato juice. The sweetness wasn't cloying, but rather light and easy to drink! I had the plain gelato, which was also not too sweet and had the flavor of sweet koji that I think I'll get addicted to.

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Kokoromichi Koji Shop
[Address] 143-2 Eo, Fuji City
[Inquiries] DM on Instagram
[Business days] Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays
[Business Hours] 11: 00-15: 00
[Official website] https://kokoromichi-koujiten.com/
［Instagram］https://www.instagram.com/kokoromichi_koujiten/
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The station office is located in a station building built in 28.


"Koji drink" (apple vinegar soda, blueberry juice, orange juice, tomato juice) 400 yen


The store's name expresses the hope that the natural sweetness of rice koji will satisfy both body and mind and give you the energy to take a new step.


"Drinkable Amakoji" 300ml from 750 yen. In addition to plain, locally grown green tea and roasted green tea flavors are also available.


"Eatable Amakoji Gelato" Plain from 380 yen. Green tea and roasted green tea are also available.


I feel energized by the powerful owner, Yuka Takahashi


"Enishi" 800 yen

The fantastic lights that float in the darkness are beautiful.
Japan's only factory night view train

Located at the foot of Mt. Fuji, Fuji City is blessed with abundant water resources, and since the Meiji period, paper mills have been concentrated in the city. The city has continued to develop as a paper town. Among other things, the city boasts one of the largest shares in the country for toilet paper and tissue paper, and many of the products familiar from TV commercials are also made here. The Gakunan Railway runs through this industrial area, and after the city was registered as a Japan Night View Heritage in 2014, a night view train began operating.
A little after 18 p.m., a train for night views was already on standby at the platform of Yoshiwara Station. This was the "Fuji no Yoi" train, which runs on a special schedule and requires a reservation. A "night view guide" who conveys the charms of the night view is on board the train, so you can enjoy a mini trip like a train tour instead of a bus tour. At 18:48 p.m., the train starts moving and you are asked to open the window, and the lights inside the car are turned off. At the same time, the lights of the city, the lights of Tagonoura Port, and the night view of the factory jump into your eyes one after another. I was surprised that the distance between the factory and the train was so close that you could see the work being done inside the toilet paper factory through the window. The spot recommended by the night view guide is the night view of Nippon Paper, where the train runs through the huge factory grounds, and the beautiful sight of the lights flowing through the darkness continues. It's easy to get absorbed in taking pictures of the night view, but here I would like to recommend that you immerse yourself in a fantastical world. The night view train tour takes about two hours round trip, with some stops along the way. At Gakunan Fujioka Station, you can see an electric locomotive from the early Showa period that was in operation during the freight business, and you can take commemorative photos with the illuminated locomotive. The train also stops at Hina Station and Motoyoshiwara Station, which has a platform that is a nationally registered tangible cultural property. There is also a snack time on the way, where they hand out mixed fruit jelly from Sugiyama Fruits, a popular shop in the Yoshiwara shopping district.
The tranquil daytime scene of an unmanned station and the fantastic night view of factories. Through a trip on the Gakunan Railway, each with its own unique charm, I was able to experience the culture of Fuji City, the city of paper, and enjoy its soul food. It was a day that felt like an adult field trip.

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Gakunan train
[Address] 1-17-39 Imaizumi, Fuji City
[TEL] 0545-53-5111
[Fuji no Yoi] Adults 3500 yen, Children 2000 yen. Postcards,
One-day free pass, original blend drip pack coffee,
Comes with mixed fruit jelly
*There is also a "night view train" that operates with only one car turned off and coupled to a local train.
[Operation date] Please refer to the official website
[Official website] https://www.gakutetsu.jp/
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A fantastic night view of the Nippon Paper Factory


Once you experience this beauty, it's easy to see why people become obsessed with night photography.


Tickets for "Fuji no Yoi" are on sale at Seven Tickets

A night view guide will show you the highlights


The only light inside the train is a small lantern.


"Expressway Locomotive Square" where electric locomotives from the early Showa period are on display


The final stop on the outbound journey is Gakunan Ebi Station.