New trains aimed at leisure travelers have appeared in Japan one after another in recent years. Here are a few of the trains that have rolled onto the tracks since 2015.
Echigo Tokimeki Resort Setsugekka (Niigata)
Echigo Tokimeki Resort Setsugekka made its maiden run in 2016. The train's vermilion exterior is a traditional Japanese color. Local accents include Echigo cedar and Tsubamesanjo metalwork in the carriages.
Echigo Tokimeki Resort Setsugekka offers spectacular views of the scenery, including the Sea of Japan, paddy fields and the unique Tsutsuishi Station, built in the middle of a tunnel, to name just a few.
Trains departing from Joetsu-Myoko Station serve French cuisine, with recipes from Ryuta Iizuka, a Michelin starred chef who hails from Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture.
Passengers departing from Itoigawa Station can savor Japanese cuisine from the storied Tsurugiya restaurant, which was destroyed in massive fire and rebuilt last year.
Shikoku Mannaka Sennen Monogatari (Kagawa, Tokushima)
This train meanders close to cultural landmarks such as Zentsuji Temple and Kotohiragu Shrine in Kagawa Prefecture and Tokushima Prefecture's Iya Valley, home to the descendants of defeated Heike (Taira clan) warriors. Travelers can lose themselves in rustic landscapes, an undeveloped woodland and the beauty of the valley.
At Awa-Kawaguchi Station, locals welcome passengers to their hometown dressed as Yokai Tanuki, a mischievous, shape-shifting raccoon dog from Japanese folklore.
Aru Ressha (Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki)
This train is modeled after a luxurious train built by a U.S. manufacturer during the Meiji period (1868-1912). The operator, Kyushu Railway, ordered the train but it never entered service because the company was later nationalized.
Yoshihiro Narisawa, a well-known chef has created a prix fixe course for passengers consisting of a boxed lunch and four kinds of sweets.
In March, the train begins travelling a new route between Hakata Station and Huis Ten Bosch theme park.
The Story of 13000 feet (Toyama)
This line runs in a loop from seaside to mountains and back. The train takes its name from the vertical distance from the bottom of Toyama Bay to the top of the Tateyama mountain range: 4,000 meters or 13,000 shaku -- a traditional Japanese unit of measure. Passengers can watch sushi chefs at work and sample locally brewed sake.
With the latest extension of the state of emergency, foreign travelers looking to enter Japan will have to wait at least another month, as a total ban on new entries will remain in place through March 7.
(Japan Times)
Tokyo's oldest remaining stone bridge from the late 1800s, which was damaged during a deadly earthquake of March 2011 that devastated Japan's northeastern region, has been restored to its double-arched glory and will reopen in April, officials said Tuesday.
(Kyodok)
Built in 1698, Tokyo’s Eitaibashi Bridge is one of a kind and has an interesting past. (ONLY in JAPAN)
It is no secret that Japan prides itself on its transportation industry.
(Japan Today)
East Japan Railway Co. started a trial run Monday of a plan to convert a car on certain shinkansen bullet trains into office space for passengers, as interest in remote work grows in Japan amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)
Kyotango, on the Sea of Japan side of Kyoto Prefecture, has been producing luxurious Tango Chirimen silk for centuries. (NHK WORLD-JAPAN)
The Imperial Hotel Tokyo will convert 99 guest rooms into full-service rental apartments, offering meal and laundry options with dedicated staff as vacancy rates remain high from the pandemic. (Nikkei)
In this 2 part video project, we take a look at some of the best art-centric experiences you can find in Kyoto. (japan-guide.com)
With February’s termination of government employment subsidies, which also partially support furlough allowances, Okinawa Prefecture is expected to face a “March Crisis” — a situation in which tourism industry workers face substantial layoffs. (Japan Times)
A rapidly developing low-pressure system is bringing stormy conditions to a wide area of the Sea of Japan coast, from Hokkaido to Hokuriku.
(NHK)
Guntu is a cross between a traditional ryokan and luxury yacht, offering guests the chance to unwind amid the ever-changing landscape of the Seto Inland Sea, as this video (filmed before the pandemic) shows.
With only 19 cabins and suites, and a maximum capacity of 38 guests, it's a luxurious getaway that's sweet respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. (CNA)
The European Union is set to reimpose an entry ban on travelers from Japan following a surge of coronavirus cases in the country.
(NHK)
The major Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways says it will suspend services on 16 international routes from late March, as demand falls amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
(NHK)
The season's first ice floes have reached the Okhotsk Sea coast of Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
(NHK)
Take a trip back in time and trace the paths of past travelers in the post towns and sacred spaces found in the majestic mountains of the Japanese countryside. (NHK)
Airlines that were hoping to turn the corner this year after a rough 2020 may be in for a rude awakening. Major Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways is planning to slash international flights during the summer by 50 percent.
(NHK)
At least 15,058 people were on waiting lists for a hospital or a designated accommodations after testing positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this month in the 11 prefectures covered by a state of emergency, a Kyodo News survey found, as public health centers have been swamped with a surge in cases cases.
(Japan Times)
The snow this winter on Japan’s ski runs and the powder on the off-piste is probably the best it has been in a decade. (South China Morning Post)
If you plan to fly into Tokyo, Haneda Airport is where you want to land. Sure, rival Narita Airport sometime gets called “Tokyo International Airport,” but it’s actually all the way out in Chiba Prefecture, while Haneda is the one truly located within Tokyo. (Japan Today)
Weather officials are warning of more snow in the areas surrounding Tokyo, mainly in mountainous regions. But they say it is unlikely to accumulate in central Tokyo as the temperatures at high altitude did not dip as much as expected. (NHK)