Kamome

The name has a long lineage. First used (written 鷗) from 1 July 1937 between Tokyo and Kobe and revived in 1953 between Kyoto and Hakata, Kamome returned to Kyushu on 1 July 1976 after the Nagasaki Main Line was electrified, worked by 485 series EMUs and starting with seven daily round trips that later grew to a maximum of twenty-six. Until 23 September 2022 Kamome ran the full Nagasaki–Hakata route, when the name passed to the new Shinkansen and the remaining Takeo-Onsen–Hakata expresses became Relay Kamome.

The service took its present form with that 2022 opening of the isolated Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki. Kamome is operated by six-car N700S-8000 series sets at up to 260 km/h. The section is 69.6 km, with an average journey time of about 30 minutes and twenty-two round trips. Most services stop at every station, although some pass through Ureshino-Onsen and a limited number stop only at Isahaya.

• 1937The Kamome name (written 鷗) is first used on limited express services between Tokyo and Kobe, from 1 July 1937 until February 1943.
• 1953The Kamome name is revived on 15 March 1953 for limited express services between Kyoto and Hakata (discontinued March 1975 after the San'yo Shinkansen reached Hakata).
• 1976Following electrification of the Nagasaki Main Line, Kamome services resume on 1 July 1976 using 485 series EMUs, starting with seven daily round trips.
• 2020On 28 October 2020 JR Kyushu announces that the Nishi Kyushu (Nagasaki) Shinkansen service will be named Kamome and operated by a six-car N700S series.
• 2022On 23 September 2022 the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen opens between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki; the Kamome name transfers to the Shinkansen and the remaining Takeo-Onsen–Hakata limited expresses are renamed Relay Kamome, connecting cross-platform at Takeo-Onsen.
• 2025From the 15 March 2025 timetable revision, Kamome No. 1 begins stopping at Ureshino-Onsen.