Hotel Metropolitan Takasaki (Takasaki, Gunma) is launching a new collaboration package with Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park: the "Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park Admission and JNR Class EF63 Simulator Experience Hotel Stay Plan." Online reservations open on July 1, 2026.
Plan Details
Plan Name: Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park Admission and JNR Class EF63 Simulator Experience Hotel Stay Plan
Price: From ¥12,800
Reservation Deadline: One day prior to the stay date
Reservation Period: From July 1, 2026 (Wednesday), 10:00 AM
Plan Contents:
- Hotel Metropolitan Takasaki accommodation (room only)
Breakfast available as an add-on for an additional ¥2,200 - Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park admission
- One JNR Class EF63 simulator session (approximately 10 minutes, with special guidance from park staff)
Special Perk Exclusive to This Plan
Guests who book this plan receive a dedicated briefing on the simulator controls from Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park staff — an exclusive guided experience not available to general visitors.
Optional Breakfast
The hotel's restaurant, Brasserie Laurier, offers a Japanese-Western buffet breakfast featuring locally sourced ingredients from Gunma Prefecture. The spread includes fresh vegetables, an original morning curry, and braised dishes, served in a relaxed lounge-attached dining space.
Hours: 6:30 AM to 10:00 AM (last order 9:30 AM)
About Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park
Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park opened in April 1999. The facility is owned by Annaka City and managed by the Usui Pass Cultural Exchange Memorial Foundation. It preserves and displays locomotives and rolling stock that served the Usui Pass section of the Shin'etsu Main Line, along with rare vehicles from the Japan National Railways era. Visitors can ride a trolley train along the former trackbed and experience operating a JNR Class EF63 electric locomotive in a dedicated simulator.
JNR Class EF63 Train Simulator
The Usui Pass Driving Simulator is housed in the railway exhibition hall at Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park. It uses the actual cab of a preserved JNR Class EF63 electric locomotive (EF6318 — formerly active on the Yokokawa-Karuizawa section of the Shin'etsu Main Line during the JNR era). The simulation recreates the historic Usui Pass route through computer graphics and allows participants to operate the master controller handle, brake valve, and gauges of the original locomotive for a fully authentic driving experience.
The simulator is designed to be genuinely challenging even for adults. When children want to try the experience, it is recommended that an adult takes the controls and challenges the Usui Pass route together.
Reservations for this package are available through the Hotel Metropolitan Takasaki official website.
