Nippon Signal Railway Festival

As October 14th annually is Railway Day, there are a lot of railway events on this week around Japan. In my own prefecture of Saitama, there are at least two railway events on this weekend. One of them is run by a railway signal company, Nippon Signal, and this year they will have the 12th annual Nippon Signal Railway Festival on this Saturday, October 18th 2025, from 10 am to 4 pm.

The event is held in the Kuki branch of Nippon Signal, which is located next to Kuki Shobu Park. This year the theme of the festival is '200 years of railways around the world and 50 years since the end of steam locomotives in Japan'. It looks like a particularly good event for children, who are fans of all things railway. They have a mini shinkansen (bullet train) and road trains as well as a playroom of plarail and some diorama too. In addition, they have a simulation corner, where you can see what its like to drive a train. They will also have various retail stands, including ones that sell ‘ekiben’.

The company put on a free shuttle bus for the occasion. The bus goes from the west exit of Kuki Station on the JR Utsunomiya and Tobu Isesaki lines. Official press release for the event.