Does the 381 series (Yakumo) make you motion sick?
Every country with tilting trains has a nausea story; Japan's is the 381 series. Its 1973 natural-pendulum tilt swung late and springy through the Hakubi line's curves, and the Yakumo limited express became so associated with queasiness that its replacement train was engineered specifically to fix the problem. The 381 left the Yakumo in 2024, which makes this a history page, and a useful one: it shows exactly which kind of tilt goes wrong.
Okayama to Izumo, Japan (historic) · First-generation pendulum, retired 2024
Status, September 2026
Historic entry: the 381 series was retired from Yakumo services in 2024 and replaced by the 273 series. This page stays up as the reference point for Japan's tilt-nausea story.
Key facts
- Early 381-series natural pendulum tilt led to passengers suffering tilt nausea, with later modifications reducing the problem.
- JR West ordered the 273 series specifically to replace the 381 series on the Yakumo.
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Why the 381 series (Yakumo) feels the way it does
Tilt: Passive natural pendulum, first generation
A 1973-vintage natural pendulum tilt whose late, springy swing became Japan's most famous train nausea story. Retired from the Yakumo in 2024.
A first-generation natural pendulum hangs the car body and lets physics swing it, but without damping and control the swing lags the curve and overshoots, then springs back. That is the worst timing profile the tilting-train literature describes: roll that arrives late and keeps moving after the curve is done. Railway press coverage of the replacement order says it plainly: early 381 tilt led to passengers suffering from the ride, and later modifications only reduced the problem. The 273 series that replaced it exists because of this train's reputation.
Where it runs
- JR West (historic)Yakumo limited express, Okayama to Izumo over the winding Hakubi line, until 2024
Riding the 381 series (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
- This train no longer runs the Yakumo; if you are planning the route today, see the 273 series page for the current train.
- On any winding line, keep the far landscape in view and give screens a rest through the curviest sections.
- Have relief ready when you travel. If nausea starts, sound therapy through any headphones is one drug-free option, 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
Why was the 381 series famous for making people sick?
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Its first-generation natural pendulum tilt swung into curves late and kept swinging after them, a timing mismatch your inner ear reads as wrong. The association grew strong enough that the railway press framed its replacement around fixing ride-induced nausea.
Can I still ride a 381 series?
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Not on the Yakumo, which it left in 2024 when the 273 series took over. The type's regular passenger career is over, so the queasy reputation is now a matter of record rather than a planning concern.
What replaced it, and is the new train better?
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The 273 series, whose tilt is driven by stored route data so the lean starts on time with each curve. It was developed jointly by JR West, the Railway Technical Research Institute and Kawasaki, and addressing the 381's nausea reputation was an explicit design goal.
Other trains and lines
Sources & further reading
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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.