Suzuki Katana Gets Its Own Train Station In Shizuoka, Japan

The station, like Suzuki headquarters, is located in Hamamatsu.

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Dec 3, 2021 at 4:58pm ET

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The best bikes are never really far from our minds, are they? We might be doing something completely unrelated to motorcycling in any way, and yet suddenly, there they are in our thoughts. If that’s you, and you have particular love for Suzuki Katanas, then a recent move by Suzuki in Japan may just bring a smile to your face.

Tenryu Hamanako Railroad is a Japanese railway line that serves western Shizuoka prefecture, which is located east of Nagoya and west of Tokyo. For those unfamiliar with the area, it’s also where Hamamatsu is located—which is where Suzuki Motor Corporation is based. This railway line is particularly noteworthy for all the natural beauty riders can experience if they set out to visit many of the various attractions that are easily accessible from each of its stops.

Prior to the global pandemic, Suzuki held its annual Katana meeting closest to the Tenryu Futumata Station. For that reason, Suzuki signed a contract with the railway line to adopt “Katana” as part of its official name. Starting on December 7, 2021 and running through March 31, 2024, “Katana” will be Tenryu Futumata’s sub-station name, proudly displayed on signs for all travelers to see.

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The name translates to “Fruit Park Station,” because one of the attractions close by is Hamamatsu Fruit Park Tokinosumika. It’s a theme park with fruit picking, a winery, and food, perfect for a nice day out on a train—and also probably a good lunch stop while you’re out riding your Katana. If you’re not feeling it, though, you could always choose to ride in Suzuki’s Katana-wrapped train when it’s back on track again. According to Young Machine, it’s currently offline for maintenance, but should be up and running again in January, 2022.

While all of this news is cool for Katana fans, we can’t help thinking it would be even cooler if the Katana train had the clever front fairing design of the Hayabusa train (even if that train doesn’t run on this line). The design of the Hayabusa train wrap puts ‘Busa headlights at the front of the train car, and while it still looks like a train, it’s definitely fun to see. If you like Suzuki motorcycles and also trains, you clearly have various types of riding to do if you’re in Japan.