Excited kindergarten pupils smile aboard the tram running along the Hozukyo Gorge (March 1, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City, near Hozukyo Torokko Station)

Heading into the spring sightseeing season, the Sagano Scenic Railway resumed service on March 1 of the sightseeing tram which runs along the Hozukyo Gorge, connecting Kyoto City and Kameoka City. Starting from the Saga Torokko Station, Ukyo Ward, the tram filled with children click-clacked away after a two-month hiatus.

After the ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at Saga Station, about 75 kindergarten pupils from the Saga area boarded the train. Despite the cloudy sky and chilly breeze from the windows, they cheered every time the tram passed through a tunnel or over a bridge in the valley. A 5-year-old girl of Saga Kindergarten, smiled and said, "This was the first time I rode on a tram. The views were great and the tunnels were fun."

Tram service is suspended from late December to late February every year for maintenance and carriage and track inspections. Service will continue this year until December 29. There is no service on Wednesdays except for national holidays. The train will run daily during the sightseeing season.