Utsunomiya Trip Day 1: Yamabiko Shinkansen & Four Points Flex

I'd seen Utsunomiya's gyoza street on TV and wanted to see it for myself, so on October 11, 2026, we left for a 2-day, 1-night trip to Utsunomiya.

We took the Tohoku Shinkansen Yamabiko from Tokyo Station. A reserved seat cost 5,130 yen one way. Once we arrived at Utsunomiya Station, we checked in at the Four Points Flex by Sheraton Utsunomiya.

This is a record of our first day, from buying a bento at Tokyo Station and boarding the train to watching the sunset from the hotel window.

A tuna bento from under Tokyo Station

Before boarding the shinkansen to Utsunomiya, we picked up something to eat in the basement of Tokyo Station. The shop we went to, Tsukiji Kiyomura (つきじ喜代村), had its Fukagawa bento at No. 7 in the "2026 Tokyo Station exclusive bento sales ranking." We bought one tuna sushi bento there.

In Japan, people often buy an ekiben (駅弁), a station bento, to eat on train trips. Many of them are packed with regional specialties. Interestingly, one theory says the very first ekiben in Japan was a rice ball sold at Utsunomiya Station in 1885.

With the bento in hand, we went up to the shinkansen platform. A green train and a white train stood side by side, and the green shinkansen had a long, smooth nose. The sky was clear, and afternoon sunlight was coming down between the tall buildings.

Our train was the Tohoku Shinkansen Yamabiko (やまびこ), which runs from Tokyo Station to Utsunomiya Station without a transfer. This time we used reserved seats, and the one-way fare was 5,130 yen per person.

On the platform floor there was also a marker that read "0km POINT." It shows that Tokyo Station is the starting point of the Tohoku Shinkansen.

We sat down, unfolded the tray table and opened the bento. Six pieces of red tuna sushi were lined up neatly in a wooden box.

The sake we brought along was special too. It was a junmai sake from Chikuma Nishiki (千曲錦) called "Traveling Sake" (旅する日本酒). It came in a 300mL can with a Hokuriku Shinkansen E7 series train on it, a fun design for a train trip.

Utsunomiya Station is bigger than you’d think

We got off at Utsunomiya Station at around 4:30 p.m. The station was much bigger than I'd expected, which surprised me. I figured it's because JR Nikko Line trains to Nikko also leave from here. A wide concourse stretched out under a glass roof, busy with people pulling suitcases and carrying shopping bags. My first impression of Utsunomiya was a lively city, with more people than I'd expected.

Banners for the "2026 Utsunomiya Japan Cup Cycle Road Race," running October 16 to 18, hung in a row from the concourse ceiling. The schedule was team presentations on Friday, a criterium in the city center on Saturday and the road race on Sunday.

We went out the East Exit, where our hotel was. A yellow Lightline (ライトライン) tram was just passing the big UTSUNOMIYA letter sculpture. Its yellow body looked even brighter in the late-afternoon sun.

Four Points Flex Utsunomiya: small but well equipped

This time we stayed at the Four Points Flex by Sheraton Utsunomiya, about a 7-minute walk from the East Exit of JR Utsunomiya Station. I chose it because it's close to the station, part of the Marriott group and inexpensive. We paid 13,000 yen for one weekend night in a room for two.

On the way to the hotel, a small stream ran beside the path, lined with short trees. Following the water, we soon saw the hotel building glowing gold in the evening light.

At the hotel entrance stood a vertical navy sign with FOUR POINTS FLEX written in yellow.

Inside, the hotel wasn't big, but it had everything you need, neatly laid out. On one side of the lobby were paper cups and lids, wooden stirrers and creamer. Small packets stood in clear divided containers, and there was drip coffee in a basket next to them.

There was also a sign in the lobby about the renewed breakfast buffet. The menu changed on September 14, 2026, and the sign showed dishes made with local Tochigi ingredients, including grilled salmon and mackerel.

I'm a Marriott Platinum member, but free breakfast didn't apply at this hotel. The restaurant is run separately, so breakfast costs extra: 1,400 yen for adults (1,500 yen if you sign up on the day). I was also told that late checkout was only available until 1 p.m. that day.

Guest rooms go up to the 11th floor, and the 1st floor has the lobby, the restaurant and a laundry room.

The 1st-floor laundry room has coin-operated washers and dryers, plus a drinks vending machine. It's a small hotel, but it has what you need on a trip.

Sunset from the window of room 929

Our room was 929 on the 9th floor. We opened the navy door with the card key and went in.

The room was small but clean. One bed sat by the window, with an orange cushion on the white bedding. Two framed pictures hung above the headboard, and afternoon light came in through the sheer curtains.

Next to the bed was a small desk with an electric kettle, two cups and a hair dryer bag. A TV and the room phone were mounted on the wall, and there was a small fridge under the desk. Sunlight from the window was turning the white wall yellow.

The bathroom was a unit bath with the toilet, sink and tub in one space. It was cramped, but it had the towels, cups and other basics. There was a large mirror over the sink and a white shower curtain on the tub. The shampoo, conditioner and body wash were from KLUR, each in a 360mL wall-mounted bottle.

After looking around the room, I glanced out the window. The sun was already setting beyond downtown Utsunomiya. The whole sky was orange, and evening was settling over a round plaza and the straight road beside it. Tall buildings lined up on the right.

The sunset had been pretty when we arrived at the hotel, but from the 9th-floor window it looked different again. I hadn't expected to see such a beautiful sunset from a small hotel room.

Travel notes: how to get from Tokyo to Utsunomiya

Besides the shinkansen, you can get from Tokyo to Utsunomiya on JR conventional lines or the Tobu Railway. The shinkansen is fastest, but a conventional line takes about an hour longer and costs less than half as much.

※ Fares and times checked on October 19 for weekday morning departures in October 2026. Shinkansen reserved-seat fares and Tobu limited express fares can vary by date and seat type.

✅ Shinkansen Yamabiko

This is the fastest way from Tokyo Station to JR Utsunomiya Station. The operating distance between the two is 109.5km, and the Yamabiko gets you there in about 50 minutes to an hour. The reserved seat we used was a 2,090 yen basic fare plus a 3,040 yen reserved limited express ticket, 5,130 yen per person. A non-reserved seat is 4,600 yen, 530 yen less per person.

✅ JR conventional lines

If you have time, a JR conventional line works too. You only pay the 2,090 yen basic fare, with no shinkansen limited express ticket. From Tokyo Station, the Ueno-Tokyo Line goes there without a transfer. A train leaving at 10:29 a.m. on a weekday arrives at Utsunomiya Station at 12:29 p.m.

From Shinjuku, take the JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line Rapid. Leave at 10:36 a.m. and you arrive at 12:16 p.m., about 1 hour 40 minutes. A conventional line is 3,040 yen cheaper than a shinkansen reserved seat.

✅ Tobu Railway

From Asakusa Station, you can also take the Tobu Limited Express SPACIA X. Get off at Tochigi Station and change to a train toward Tobu-Utsunomiya; depending on the time, you may change again at Shin-Tochigi Station. For a standard seat on SPACIA X in the regular period, the 1,230 yen fare plus the 1,470 yen limited express fee comes to 2,700 yen per person.

The train arrives at Tobu-Utsunomiya Station in the west of the city, though, not at JR Utsunomiya Station. If your hotel is near the East Exit of JR Utsunomiya Station, like ours, JR is the closer option.

✅ Hotel: Four Points Flex by Sheraton Utsunomiya

• Official name: Four Points Flex by Sheraton Utsunomiya
• Address: 1-9-3 Shukugo, Utsunomiya, Tochigi
• Location: About 7 min walk from the East Exit of JR Utsunomiya Station
• Rate: 13,000 yen per night for 2 people (when we stayed in October 2026)
• Breakfast: Extra charge
• Marriott Platinum members: Late checkout until 1 p.m. offered when we stayed

📍 Hotel map

With the sunset from that small room's window, our first evening in Utsunomiya came to an end. After watching it, we decided to walk to Utsunomiya Castle Ruins Park (宇都宮城址公園).