JR East have introduced a new “guardian” system for parents whose children travel to school by train. This new service is called “Mamorail” which combines the Japanese word for “protect” with the English word “rail”. Under the new system when children use prepaid IC cards such as SUICA or PASMO to pass through station ticket gates an automatic message will be sent to a parent’s mobile phone or smartphone. This notification will include information on the time and location as well as the remaining balance on the card. This way parents will know that their children are getting to school on time, when they are nearly home, and also be able to check when their IC travel card needs topping up.

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JR West will open a new station on the JR Kyoto Line called JR Sojiji Station in the spring of 2018. The new station will be located between Settsu-Tonda Station and Ibaraki Station and will also be close to Hankyu Sojiji Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line. Both stations are named after the local Sojiji Temple which is famous for its annual Kitchen Knife Ceremony. Because JR Sojiji Station will be so close to Sojiji Temple the style of the new station building is designed to create the impression that it is a gateway to the temple itself.

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Hankyu Hanshin Holdings are currently fine tuning plans for a major new hotel in Osaka’s Umeda district which will be opened in 2019. The new hotel will be part of a massive building now being built by the electronics retailer Yodobashi Holdings. With approximately 1,000 guest rooms the hotel will be the biggest in Osaka City, and with most room rates set under 20,000 yen per night Hankyu Hanshin anticipate that it will be popular with both business and tourist travelers.

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Tokyo Station now has a prayer room to serve the spiritual needs of the many Muslim passengers who travel through this major transportation hub. The prayer room was opened in June, and is the first such room at a JR East railway station, though there are some available at airports and hotels in the Kanto region.

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In a special collaboration between Echigo Tokimeki Railway and JR West the sightseeing train “Echigo Tokimeki Resort Setsugetsuka” will make a special run on the JR Oito Line on November 12th 2017. This is to mark the 60th anniversary of the complete JR Oito Line’s opening in 1957.

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One of Osaka’s most familiar sights, the orange 103 series train, was retired from the Osaka Loop Line on October 3rd, 2017. For almost half a century this distinctive commuter train has run the circular route of Osaka’s most important urban route. However, as part of JR West’s plans to modernize its Osaka operations, a new model of train was introduced in 2016.

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This year marks the 70th anniversary of an important date in the history of the Kintetsu Railway company. On October 8th 1947 Kintetsu Railway began to operate their first limited express passenger service between Uehommachi in Osaka and Nagoya. This was actually the first pay-to-ride limited express service run by a Japanese private railway company.

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Seibu Railway and Sapporo Beer are running a special “Seibu Yebisu Beer Express” on October 6th and 7th this year. One of Seibu Railway’s Limited Express Red Arrow trains will be specially fitted with a bar counter, barrels of draft beer and taps for this two hour all-you-can-drink event. This is a repeat run for the Yebisu Beer Train which made its first run with all seats occupied in September 2016.

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Japan’s latest luxury sightseeing train, “The Royal Express,” will begin regular runs along the scenic Izu coastline on September 1st. Though the train made its official debut run between JR Yokohama Station and Izukyu Shimoda Station on July 21st, September marks the beginning of commercial operations. The train which is jointly operated by railway companies Tokyu Corporation and Izukyu Corporation, is distinctive for its elegant royal blue exterior with a dynamic gold flash.

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Many of Japan’s larger stations are notoriously difficult to navigate. Especially in the major metropolitan stations travelers must find their way through a complicated network of railway lines operated by different railway companies. Frequent redevelopment has also seen station buildings transformed into enormous commercial centers of maze-like complexity. No doubt there are many people who have the experience of arriving at a station in a timely fashion, only to be at a complete loss how to find their designated meeting spot. On such occasions Google Street View’s new station interior views are likely to prove your salvation! [Read more…]