Does the 273 series (new Yakumo) make you motion sick?
The 273 series may be the first train whose sales pitch is making people less motion sick. It took over the Yakumo limited express in April 2024 from the 381 series, the train that gave Japan its tilt-nausea reputation, and its pendular tilt is controlled from stored route and track data so the lean starts exactly when the curve does. Tilt timing is the variable the research keeps pointing at, and this train was built around getting it right.
Okayama to Izumo, Japan · Route-data pendular tilt, 2024
Key facts
- The 273 series entered revenue service on 6 April 2024 with a pendular tilt system jointly developed by JR West, the Railway Technical Research Institute and Kawasaki.
- The system adjusts tilt using stored route and track configuration data, the first of its kind in Japan.
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Why the 273 series (new Yakumo) feels the way it does
Tilt: Controlled pendular, route-data driven
Pendular tilt driven by stored route and track data so the tilt begins in step with each curve. Developed jointly by JR West, the Railway Technical Research Institute and Kawasaki; the first system of its kind in Japan.
The Hakubi line winds through the mountains between Okayama and Izumo, so the Yakumo needs tilt to keep its schedule. The old 381 tilted reactively and late; the 273 knows the route in advance and times each tilt to the curve's actual geometry, the approach the tilting-train literature associates with fewer symptoms. JR West developed the system with the Railway Technical Research Institute and Kawasaki, and the railway press coverage of the project is explicit that the 381's nausea reputation drove the design. We do not quote a claimed percentage improvement because we have not found one in a primary JR West source.
Where it runs
- JR WestYakumo limited express over the Sanyo, Hakubi and Sanin lines since 6 April 2024
What the research says about tilting trains
Tilting-train motion sickness has a real, peer-reviewed literature: studies report more sickness on tilting than on comparable non-tilting trains, and point at carriage roll, the level of tilt compensation and the timing of each tilt against the curve as the variables that matter.
Riding the 273 series (new Yakumo)? Set it up first
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A winding line is a bad place to go looking for an app. Put it on your phone before you board: Dizzout is a drug-free app that plays precisely calibrated audio through any headphones you already own, wired or Bluetooth, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to try.
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What helps on board
- The 273's lean starts with the curve, but the Hakubi line still winds: keep the river valley in view through the mountain section rather than reading through it.
- If the old 381 got you, give this train a fair test with your eyes up; the timing fix is the whole point of the new system.
- Cool air and a plain meal before boarding stack the odds further in your favour on the winding Okayama to Izumo run.
- Queue up relief before departure: sound therapy through any headphones, drug-free, with relief in about 90 seconds.
Where to sit is its own question, answered properly in where to sit on a train for motion sickness. And for why trains set people off at all, from sway to reading to tilting stock, see the train motion sickness guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is the new Yakumo train really gentler than the old one?
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The design targets the exact mechanism that made the 381 rough: tilt that arrived late. The 273 times its tilt from stored route data so the lean tracks the curve. Published research links better tilt timing with fewer symptoms; we do not cite a specific improvement figure because JR West's primary material does not state one that we can verify.
How does route-data tilt differ from normal active tilt?
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A conventional active system senses each curve as it arrives and reacts, which builds in lag. The 273 carries the route's geometry in memory and starts each tilt on schedule with the track, in step with what your inner ear feels. It is the first Japanese system to work this way.
Where does the 273 series run?
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On the Yakumo limited express between Okayama and Izumoshi, over the Sanyo, Hakubi and Sanin lines, since 6 April 2024. The Hakubi middle section is the winding part the tilt exists for.
Other trains and lines
Sources & further reading
Your next question, probably
Details on this page reflect published operator, heritage and engineering information as of September 2026; services, fleets and tilt settings change, so check with the operator before you travel. Train, route and operator names are trademarks of their respective owners; Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Motion sickness sensitivity varies from person to person; this page is informational and not medical advice.