The was an overnight sleeper

Sleeping car

The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...

 train service in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 operated by JR West from Kyoto Station

Kyoto Station

is the most important transportation hub in Kyoto, Japan. It has Japan's second-largest train station building and is one of the country's largest buildings, incorporating a shopping mall, hotel, movie theater, Isetan department store, and several local government facilities under one 15-story roof...

 to Nagasaki Station

Nagasaki Station (Nagasaki)

is a railway station in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company . It forms the terminus of the Nagasaki Main Line....

 and return. It ran on the Tōkaido

Tokaido Main Line

The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...

, Sanyō, Kagoshima

Kagoshima Main Line

The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company between Mojikō in Kitakyūshū, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu...

, and Nagasaki main lines.

From October 2005, the train ran coupled with the Naha

Naha (train)

The was a sleeper train service operated by JR Kyūshū, which ran from Kyoto to Kumamoto, passing through Osaka, Okayama, Kokura and Hakata. It once extended to Nishi-Kagoshima...

sleeper between Kyoto Station and Tosu Station

Tosu Station

is a train station in Tosu city, Saga prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is the point where the Kagoshima Main Line and the Nagasaki Main Line intersect...

.

Due to falling passenger numbers, both the Naha and Akatsuki services ceased following the March 15, 2008 timetable revision.

Schedule

Timetable of Akatsuki, as of March 2008 before its discontinuation

km	Station	Train #31 for Nagasaki		Train #32 for Kyoto
0.0	Kyoto Kyoto Station is the most important transportation hub in Kyoto, Japan. It has Japan's second-largest train station building and is one of the country's largest buildings, incorporating a shopping mall, hotel, movie theater, Isetan department store, and several local government facilities under one 15-story roof...	20:02	Dp	7:53	Ar
39.0	Shin-Osaka Shin-Osaka Station is a train station in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the western terminus of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and the eastern terminus of the Sanyō Shinkansen. The lines are physically joined, and many trains offer through service....	20:28	Ar	7:24	Dp
		20:35	Dp	7:24	Ar
42.8	Osaka Osaka Station is a station on the West Japan Railway Company located in the Umeda district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the city's main rail terminal in the north....	20:41	Ar	7:19	Dp
		20:47	Dp	7:17	Ar
73.4	Sannomiya Sannomiya Station is located in the heart of Kobe, Japan. This station is the main railway terminal of Kobe.- Lines :*Hanshin Electric Railway *Hankyu Railway *Kobe Municipal Subway...	21:10	Ar	6:53	Dp
		21:11	Dp	6:52	Ar
130.7	Himeji Himeji Station on the West Japan Railway Company is located in the heart of Himeji, Japan. Himeji is a major stop on the Sanyō Main Line, and the western end of the JR Kobe Line...	21:53	Ar	6:08	Dp
		21:55	Dp	6:06	Ar
219.3	Okayama Okayama Station is a railway station located in the ward of Kita-ku, city of Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The station is operated by West Japan Railway Company ....	23:00	Ar	5:03	Dp
		23:02	Dp	5:01	Ar
235.2	Kurashiki Kurashiki Station is a JR West Sanyō Main Line and Hakubi Line station located in 1-1 1-chōme, Achi, Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. All Sanyō Main Line and Hakubi Line express and limited express trains stop at this station...	23:16	Ar	4:48	Dp
		23:16	Dp	4:47	Ar
277.6	Fukuyama	23:49	Ar	4:16	Dp
		23:50	Dp	4:16	Ar
297.7	Onomichi Onomichi Station is a train station in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...	0:07	Ar	↑
		0:07	Dp
309.2	Mihara	0:20	Ar	↑
		0:21	Dp
535.1	Shin-Yamaguchi Shin-Yamaguchi Station is a station operated by West Japan Railway Company in Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, and is a stopping point for the Sanyō Shinkansen and the Sanyō Main Line, and serves as termini of Yamaguchi Line and Ube Line...	↓		0:49	Dp
				0:48	Ar
560.4	Ube	↓		0:27	Dp
				0:27	Ar
570.2	Asa Asa Station is a railway station operated by West Japan Railway Company in Sanyō-Onoda, Yamaguchi. It is a stop on the Sanyō Shinkansen and the Sanyō Main Line, and serves as the terminus of the Mine Line. It is located in southwestern Yamaguchi.-History:...	↓		0:18	Dp
				0:17	Ar
604.0	Shimonoseki Shimonoseki Station is a railway station on the San'yō Main Line, operated by West Japan Railway Company in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan. Kyushu Railway Company and Japan Freight Railway Company also use this station....	4:22	Ar	23:49	Dp
		4:29	Dp	23:44	Ar
610.3	Moji Moji Station is a railway station on the Kagoshima Main Line and the Sanyō Main Line, operated by Kyushu Railway Company in Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū, Japan....	4:36	Ar	23:37	Dp
		4:42	Dp	23:31	Ar
615.8	Kokura Kokura Station in Kokura Kita ward is the main railway station in Kitakyushu, Japan. It is part of the JR Kyushu network and the Sanyo Shinkansen stops here. It is the second largest station in Kyūshū with 120,000 users daily...	4:49	Ar	23:24	Dp
		4:50	Dp	23:24	Ar
629.7	Kurosaki Kurosaki Station Kurosaki Station is a station in Yahata Nishi-ku, Kitakyushu on the Kagoshima Main Line. It was first opened in 1891. Express trains, including the Sonic, stop here.- Lines :*JR Kyūshū**Kagoshima Main Line**Fukuhoku Yutaka Line...	5:04	Ar	23:12	Dp
		5:04	Dp	23:12	Ar
683.0	Hakata Hakata Station Hakata Station , located in Hakata-ku, is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyūshū, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyūshū for travellers from Honshū. The Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka ends at this station...	5:52	Ar	22:31	Dp
		5:53	Dp	22:30	Ar
711.6	Tosu Tosu Station is a train station in Tosu city, Saga prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is the point where the Kagoshima Main Line and the Nagasaki Main Line intersect...	6:17	Ar	22:07	Dp
		Train #33		Train #34
		6:34	Dp	21:48	Ar
736.6	Saga Saga Station is a train station in Saga City, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Nagasaki Main Line. Trains from this station also continue on to the Sasebo and Karatsu Lines. About 25,000 people pass through Saga Station every day...	6:52	Ar	21:29	Dp
		6:53	Dp	21:29	Ar
751.2	Hizen-Yamaguchi Hizen-Yamaguchi Station is a train station in Kōhoku, Kishima District, Saga Prefecture. It is operated by JR Kyushu. It is an important junction between the Nagasaki Main Line and the Sasebo Line. An average of 2,500 people use this station every day.-Station layout:...	7:05	Ar	21:17	Dp
		7:05	Dp	21:17	Ar
766.2	Hizen-Kashima Hizen-Kashima Station is a train station in Kashima, Saga Prefecture. It is operated by JR Kyushu on the Nagasaki Main Line. Because this station is the closest limited express station to the Yūtoku Inari Shrine, there are many people around during the Japanese New Year....	7:17	Ar	20:05	Dp
		7:18	Dp	20:04	Ar
812.0	Isahaya Isahaya Station is a railway station in Eishō-chō, Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan. It is owned by Kyushu Railway Company , and is served by three lines, the Nagasaki Main Line, Ōmura Line, and the Shimabara Railway Line...	8:12	Ar	20:11	Dp
		8:13	Dp	20:11	Ar
836.9	Nagasaki Nagasaki Station (Nagasaki) is a railway station in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company . It forms the terminus of the Nagasaki Main Line....	8:55	Ar	19:47	Dp

Source: Ekikara Jikokuhyō

History

Akatsuki, as an overnight limited express

Limited express

A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes.- Japan :...

 service, was introduced on October 1, 1965 by Japanese National Railways

Japanese National Railways

, abbreviated or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987.-History:The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization...

. It was operated between Shin-Ōsaka

Shin-Osaka Station

is a train station in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the western terminus of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and the eastern terminus of the Sanyō Shinkansen. The lines are physically joined, and many trains offer through service....

 and two destinations in Kyūshū

Kyushu

is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

, namely Nishi-Kagoshima

Kagoshima-Chuo Station

is the main railway station in Kagoshima, Japan. It is the southern terminus of the Kyūshū Shinkansen and is located on the Kagoshima Main Line, and Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line...

 (present-day Kagoshima-Chūō) and Nagasaki

Nagasaki Station (Nagasaki)

is a railway station in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company . It forms the terminus of the Nagasaki Main Line....

. It was connected at Shin-Ōsaka

Shin-Osaka Station

is a train station in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the western terminus of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and the eastern terminus of the Sanyō Shinkansen. The lines are physically joined, and many trains offer through service....

 with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen.

In the 1960s, the operation of Akatsuki was increased. Its maximum operation was 14 services (7 round-trips) a day in the mid-1970s, and all of them were connected with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen.

At the end of 1970s, the number of Akatsuki services was reduced due to decreasing ridership.

From November 1986, Akatsuki remains as only two services (one round-trips) a day.

Due to falling passenger numbers, the service was discontinued in March 2008.

Rolling stock

Historically, Akatsuki used the following types of coaches:

• 20 series passenger cars
• 14/15 series passenger cars
• 24/25 series passenger cars

When the train was discontinued, the train consisted of 14/15 series cars.