The Series E257 appeared in December 2001 to replace the Series 183 and 189, which had been used since the time when JR was known as JNR. Working from the basic design of the Series E653 and E751, new technology such as cold-weather and snow enduring structuring has been employed on the E257.

The 5-color diamond patterns on its white body are also very unique. It is currently operated as express trains Azusa or Kaiji between TokyoÃ??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??Ã??s urban area and the scenic Yamanashi and Nagano regions in the Japanese Alps.