I visited Gyoda City in Saitama Prefecture again. What did I do this time? I stopped by a train restaurant!
Take a look at the top photo... this is “Mustard Seed,” a unique restaurant in Gyoda City built inside a retired Tobu Railway EMU 5700 series train. The 5700 series entered service in 1951 and ran as limited express, express, and special trains for about 40 years. A total of six sets (12 cars) were built by Nippon Sharyo, Kisha Seizo, and Naniwa Koki between 1951 and 1953.
There were two versions of the 5700 series... Early type (2 sets): Two large front windows and Late type (4 sets): Three front windows with a gangway.
The train-turned-restaurant is one of the late-type cars, specifically KuHa 703 and MoHa 5703 (the latter is out of the frame in this photo). I was especially glad to see the rare TT-3 bogie made by Toshiba (see the photo below). Originally, it featured a right-angle Cardan drive mechanism—quite a piece of railway history! If you’re curious about the early type, please check out my previous post as well.
Unfortunately, Mustard Seed was temporarily closed when I visited, which was a pity. Still, I was kindly allowed to photograph this beautiful train and had a wonderful chat with the Chairperson of the KuHa 703 Preservation Society, who was tending the garden. Thanks to him, I learned a lot about the train and the restaurant’s history. Thank you so much, Chairperson! I’ll be back again.
