The Utsunomiya LIGHTLINE, in 1/150 Scale

Step out of the east exit at Utsunomiya Station and the first thing you notice is the yellow.

The trams of the Utsunomiya Light Rail (LIGHTLINE), which opened in 2023, are a bolder colour than Japanese trains usually manage. Not silver, not white-and-blue. You can pick them out from several streets away.

You can take that colour home.

What It Is

Tomytec’s Railway Collection is a long-running series of 1/150 scale models — the same scale as N gauge — covering an unusually wide sweep of Japanese railways, from the big private companies down to rural branch lines and street trams.

Among them is the Utsunomiya Light Rail HU300 series, HU302 LIGHTLINE, product code 340386.

From the manufacturer’s own product information:

• Scale: 1/150
• Released: May 2026
• List price: ¥6,820 including tax
• Included: an island platform. Cutting the parts differently converts it to a side-platform arrangement
• Produced under licence from Utsunomiya Light Rail Co., Ltd.

The streamlined nose and that yellow body come across intact at this size.

Two Honest Warnings

First, this is a display model. Out of the box, it does not run. To run it on track you need the separately sold motor unit TM-LRT04 (for three-section LRT vehicles).

If you only want to look at it, it is finished as it is. If you want it to move, budget for the motor unit as well.

Second, the box and any instructions are in Japanese. Nothing here needs assembling, so this matters little — but fitting the motor unit later will mean running the instructions through a translation app.

Is It a Good Souvenir?

It is light, flat and reasonably well packed. A single articulated tram makes for a small box that slides into the gaps in a suitcase.

And — this is the part that matters — this model only means anything to somebody who went there. It is not the shinkansen keyring sold at Tokyo Station. It is the tram you actually rode.

HU302 is a real unit number. Look back through your photographs from Utsunomiya and see which one you were on. If the number matches, what you are carrying home is less a souvenir than a record.

Where to Buy

In person, try the model floors at Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera, or a dedicated model railway shop. The Railway Collection range is enormous and regional vehicles arrive in small numbers, so buy it when you see it.

How to Have It Delivered to Your Tokyo Hotel

Amazon Japan and Rakuten can both deliver directly to the hotel where you are staying. Ordering a few days before your flight home works well — you collect the package at the front desk. Set the shipping address to the hotel, and add the hotel name and your guest name exactly as it appears on the reservation.

• Please check with your hotel in advance that they accept parcels for guests
• On Amazon.co.jp, the English display toggle is at the top right of the screen. Rakuten is a Japanese-language site, so your browser’s translation feature is the easy way through

Who Is This For?

Anyone who rode the LIGHTLINE. And anyone who cares less about model railways in general than about owning the tram they were actually on that day.

The top of a shoe cupboard by the front door suits it, I think. That yellow shows up even in a dim hallway.

→ The day itself is written up here: a day trip to Utsunomiya.

Note: price, specification and release date are as published by the manufacturer and may change. Please check the product page before ordering.

Affiliate note: This article contains Amazon and Rakuten affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.