Japan’s public transport is known for its punctuality, efficiency and high-quality service, which means train travel is a great way to see the countryside and experience Japanese culture — even if you’re crammed into the Tokyo’s busy Yamanote line at rush hour or experience the popular Shinkansen high-speed train.
But many savvy visitors cross the country another way, using luxury trains that look like five-star hotels on rails.
Luxury train travel is for “someone who wants slow travel, an experience of excellent service in a confined environment, the best food, the most exquisite accommodations with private bathrooms,” Simon Pielow, co-founder of the Luxury Train Club, said by phone. from the county of Wiltshire, England. “Things that many people have no idea are possible in anything but a royal train.”
A trip chartered by his agency starts and ends at Hakata Station in the city of Fukuoka, crossing the southern Japanese island of Kyushu in Seven Stars, a luxury seven-car sleeper train. Trips for either two days and one night (per person, double occupancy) range from 650,000 to 900,000 yen (about $4,292 to $5,942) or four days and three nights from ¥1.2 million to ¥1.6 million. (Only one supplement will apply.)
“The train is in high demand because of the quality of service on the train and its exclusivity,” Mr Pielow said. “People who come to us are desperate to travel by train.”
With space limited, most would-be travelers must apply several months in advance.
The Seven Stars, or Nanatsuboshi in Japanese, is named partly for the number of its carriages, partly for the seven prefectures of Kyushu: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima, and for seven of the main attractions. of the area, including nature, food and spas. (Other stars have been known to ride these rails: Actress and producer Margot Robbie told Vogue last year that she and her husband had traveled to Japan in part to ride Seven Stars.)
The train consists of a lounge car, bar, tatami tea room and gift shop, as well as eight 108 square foot private rooms and two larger suites, the largest measuring 226 square feet.
Guests do not necessarily have to spend all of their time on board. They can also disembark to participate in activities such as a guided walk along the Wakimoto Coast, a coastal area of Kagoshima Prefecture, that lasts about an hour.
Meals can be eaten on the train or at restaurants along the way, and a night can be spent in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn.
How does this work on a train? Some stops last an hour or more, enough time for guest tours. But often, the train will continue to run and pick up guests at a later station.
But there are other luxury trains in Japan. (Seven Stars and the Shiki-Shima, described below, can be booked from overseas. The others listed here must be booked from Japan.)
The Twilight Express Mizukaze it is one Art Deco inspired bedroom train decorated with traditional crafts such as pottery and cut glass. Entertainment on board includes a tea ceremony, live music and a signature cocktail from the bar. Five itineraries are offered, including a two-day, one-night one-way and a three-day, two-night round-trip. A suite includes a private balcony and bathroom with bathtub at ¥875,000 for a shorter trip and ¥1.4 million for a longer one. A “royal” The twin room with windows on both sides of the car was recently offered at ¥385,000 per person, double occupancy.
The Aru Ressha it is known as the “dessert train” that runs between Hakata and Yufuin in Kyushu. The one-way, three-hour itinerary is just enough time to enjoy appetizer, fish, meat and dessert courses for ¥35,000 per person. The train is decorated with black and gold arabesques on the outside and baroque style on the inside.
The Spacia X offers a more affordable luxury experience. This six-car train equipped with plush sofas and private lounges connects Tokyo with Nikko, a picturesque town in Tochigi Prefecture. Simran Nagra, a 33-year-old Canadian actuary living in Tokyo, used the train for a two-hour, ¥3,840 trip in July to the hot spring resort of Kinugawa Onsen. “I was really excited to ride it because it’s a luxury train, but it’s very affordable,” she said. “The windows are huge and hexagonal, to highlight the view,” he said, and the cafe car featured Nikko specialties, including craft beer on tap, two types of sake and local coffee.
GranClass was the choice out of necessity for Australian journalist Jake Sturmer, 35, and his wife, Rachel, in 2018. “We had just moved to Japan, some friends invited us on a trip and the only seat available to travel was in the GranClass ,” he said, referring to the first-class cabin on the Shinkansen. “What a luxury it was,” he said, referring to the big, soft seats, warm towels to clean hands and faces and bento boxes served during a two-hour drive from Tokyo to Iiyama, Nagano Prefecture.
The Shiki-Shima Train Suite was created to help with recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan.
Riders can choose from four seasonal routes that last from one to three nights and depart from Tokyo. One goes north along the Sea of Japan to Hakodate and the Upopoy Ainu National Museum and Park in Hokkaido Prefecture. Another is a winter route through the snowy Tohoku region, where visitors will step off the train to watch traditional dances and participate in woodworking or sewing workshops with local artisans. Prices range from ¥420,000 to ¥1.3 million per person, based on double occupancy in a sleeper car.
Shinobu Ohashi, 34, a paper-cutting artist who lives and works in Saitama, Japan, used Shiki-Shima in December 2020 and April 2022. “I wanted to experience the Shiki-Shima train design, which I had seen on TV and magazines, and the hospitality provided,” he wrote in an email.
The attention to detail impressed her: “When my partner complimented the women-only toppings on the dishes,” she said, “then they brought him the same. We were both surprised.”
During one trip the cherry blossoms in Hakodate were in full bloom, he said: “We were taken to a cherry blossom viewing spot that was not on the trip schedule.”
The train has a special meaning for her. “I’m from the Tohoku region, from Fukushima Prefecture,” he said. “Although much time has passed since the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I believe Shiki-Shima is a reassuring presence.”
