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Shinkansen Trials Overnight Service Arriving in Kansai Next Morning

NAGOYA - JR Central said on June 22 that it will operate a special one-day-only Tokaido Shinkansen train that departs at night and arrives the following morning, as the company explores demand for overnight travel at a time of rising hotel costs.

According to JR Central, the special train, named the Tokaido Lumiere Express, will run on Saturday, August 8, departing from the Tokyo metropolitan area and arriving in the Kansai region the next morning. The train will leave Tokyo at night, stop at Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama, then remain at Gifu-Hashima Station for about six hours before reaching Kyoto and Shin-Osaka earlier than the first regular trains.

JR Central said demand for overnight travel is increasing as accommodation costs rise in the Tokyo and Kansai metropolitan areas, and that it hopes to use the service to examine passenger trends.

Seats will go on sale from July 3 through the JR Tokai Tours application site. The company said it will decide whether to offer similar services in the future after reviewing usage levels and feedback from passengers.

翌朝関西着の夜行新幹線を実証運行

JR東海は6月22日、夜に出発して翌朝に到着する東海道新幹線の特別列車を1日限りで運行すると発表した。宿泊費が高騰する中、夜間移動の需要を探る。

新干线试运行夜间服务 次日清晨抵达关西

JR东海6月22日表示,将在东海道新干线上限期一天运行一班夜间出发、次日清晨抵达的特别列车,以在住宿费用上涨的背景下探寻夜间出行需求。

Source: YOMIURI

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Typhoon No. 7 (Mekkhala) was continuing north with very strong intensity as of 6 p.m. on June 22, with forecasters warning that a rainy-season front already stalled near Japan and a newly formed tropical depression to the south could combine to increase the risk of heavy rain in western and eastern Japan while making the typhoon’s track after the weekend highly uncertain. The immediate concern is not only the typhoon itself, but the way its warm, moist air is expected to interact with the rainy-season front near Japan. Even if the main body of the storm remains some distance away, moisture drawn northward around the typhoon could flow into the front and make rain clouds more active, creating conditions for heavy rain or prolonged rainfall.

Japan will begin a new system on June 23 to sell paint and thinner directly from manufacturers to construction firms and other businesses, aiming to ease supply bottlenecks and curb price increases as worsening conditions in the Middle East make such materials harder to obtain.

Three bear cubs were spotted climbing a tree in Hirogawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on the morning of June 22, prompting the town to put up warning signs and call on residents to stay alert, although no injuries or damage have been reported.

Mosquitoes are appearing earlier than usual this year, raising fears of a major summer outbreak as experts warn that warm May weather and repeated light rain have created ideal breeding conditions across residential areas.

Bear attacks and sightings are increasing across Japan, with multiple people injured on June 17 and experts warning that bears are becoming more accustomed to human environments, potentially leading to more dangerous and unpredictable encounters in the years ahead.

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JR Central said on June 22 that it will operate a special one-day-only Tokaido Shinkansen train that departs at night and arrives the following morning, as the company explores demand for overnight travel at a time of rising hotel costs.

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The eruption alert level for Mount Tokachidake in Hokkaido was raised to Level 2 on June 18 for the first time in 12 years, prompting authorities to restrict entry within 1.5 kilometers of the crater and close parts of hiking trails just days before the mountain’s official opening for the summer climbing season.

Bear attacks and sightings are increasing across Japan, with multiple people injured on June 17 and experts warning that bears are becoming more accustomed to human environments, potentially leading to more dangerous and unpredictable encounters in the years ahead.

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