■KEY POINTS OF THE TOUR

• Riding one of the oldest steam locomotive in Japan on both driver's cabin and carriage.
• Learn the history watching 1884 steam locomotive "Shizuka" and dioramas of railroad of its early stage.
• Watching inside of roundhouse No.3 (national important cultural property) and the oldest existing Japan made steam locomotive "Taishogo".

■LIVE TRAVELLERS CREW

The former director of Otaru Museum. Operating mainly in Hokkaido, he now works as a guide for tourists to Japan.
He hopes to show visitors from all over the world the unique, charming aspects of Hokkaido and Japan.

■TOUR INTRODUCTION

The tour starts at the statue of Joseph Crawford who helped to build the first railroad in Hokkaido between Otaru and Sapporo in 1880.
We will enter the museum building and will be welcomed by "Shizuka", one of the first steam locomotives imported from the US. Then we look at dioramas of the railroad here in the early days in late 19th century.
Finally we go out to the museum yard to get on the "Iron Horse", 1909 H.K.Porter 4514. On the way out we will ride in the driver cabin watching how this steam locomotive is driven. Feel the sound and vibration ! On the way back we will enjoy the scenery from the passenger carriage viewing cherry blossoms !
In the end we will watch the historic 1919 turntable turn the locomotive back to its roundhouse. We will also look inside of Japan's oldest existing railroad roundhouse to see another interesting steam locomotive.

■WHAT IS OTARU MUSEUM?