JR East and Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization are working together to renew 40 tourist information centers in the northeastern Tohoku region of Japan. Tourist information centers in railway stations across 7 prefectures will have their facilities updated in order to improve services for overseas visitors. The centers will also have their signage standardized with the same logo and slogan as part of the “Exploration to the Deep North” campaign. Signage will be in English, Korean, and Chinese (both simplified and traditional) and the centers’ services will be advertised with pictograms.

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Eizan Electric Railway have released a striking new design for a new tourist train which they will debut next spring.

The Eizan Railway operates two lines from Demachiyanagi Station in the north east part of Kyoto city: the Eizan Main Line which runs to Yase Hieizanguchi Station at the base of Mount Hiei, and the Kurama Line which runs to the scenic villages of Kibune and Kurama. Both lines terminate at mountains with historically important temples and both lines are known for the beautiful natural scenery along their routes. In 1999 Eizan Railway introduced the popular “Kirara” observation car which has large windows so that passengers can fully enjoy the views along the Kurama Line. [Read more…]

Seibu Railway are launching their new 40000 series S-Train on Saturday March 25th. This new reserved seating through train will run on railway lines operated by four companies: Seibu Railway, Tokyo Metro, Tokyu Corporation, and Yokohama Minatomirai Railway. On weekends and holidays the S-train will run 5 services between Motomachi-Chukagai Station in Yokohama and Hanno and Seibu-Chichibu stations in Saitama. On weekdays the S-train will run 7 services between Tokorozawa Station in Saitama and Toyosu Station in Koto Ward, Tokyo.

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A new gourmet restaurant section is to open up at the Ichibangai shopping complex at Tokyo Station’s Yaesu Exit on March 25th. Ichibangai (also called “First Avenue”) is already blessed with many restaurants, cafes and specialist sections such as Tokyo Ramen Street, and the confectionery section Tokyo Okashi Land. The new section is to be called “Nippon Gourmet Kaido” or “Japan Gourmet Street”, and will feature restaurants serving regional specialties from across the Japanese archipelago.

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Almost a year has passed since Kyoto Railway Museum first opened its doors on April 29th 2016. Over that short period the museum has already become one of Kyoto’s top new attractions with its displays of 53 railway vehicles, model railroad dioramas, a train simulator, and steam train rides.

To celebrate its 1st anniversary the museum has organized a series of celebratory events which will last from Saturday March 18th until Sunday May 14th. Among the events are several special displays, miniature railroad rides, workshops, a scavenger hunt, and even a superhero show! We have listed the main events below. [Read more…]

JR West have announced plans for two new hotels on the south side of Kyoto Station which will hold a total of 900 rooms. The two new hotels will occupy a prime location just two minutes’ walk from Kyoto Station’s Hachijoguchi Exit.

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JR West have announced plans to extend use of its ICOCA prepaid card service to all Hokuriku Main Line stations in Fukui Prefecture. The ICOCA card is a convenient rechargeable smart card that you can use in place of a ticket on the JR West railway network as well as on subways, private railways and buses throughout Japan. However, until now it has not been supported at stations in Fukui Prefecture. From the summer of 2018 all 19 stations in Fukui Prefecture between Shin-Hikida Station and Ushinoya Station will begin to support the card. The exact commencement date for this service and other details are to be posted by JR West at a later date.

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JR Hokkaido have announced a series of measures to improve services for overseas visitors which include the expansion of free Wi-Fi services and providing more travel information in Chinese, English, and Korean.

Free Wi-Fi

JR Hokkaido are increasing the number of stations that offer free Wi-Fi access. Currently 13 stations in Hokkaido offer this service, but 20 more stations will be added to this system this year.

To use the Wi-Fi service simply select the “0000FLETS-PORTAL” network and register your email address and password. This gives you 60 minutes of free Wi-Fi access, but you can login again as many times as you want. What is more, once registered you can get free Wi-Fi access not only at Hokkaido railway stations but at around 4,100 locations around Hokkaido where NTT East have the following sign displayed:

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Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company is introducing new multilingual ticket machines at all 20 stations on the Tsukuba Express railway line. The Tsukuba Express (also called TX) is a high speed railway linking Tokyo’s famous “electric town” of Akihabara with the science and research city of Tsukuba in Ibaraki. The TX, which first opened in 2005, cut down travel time between Akihabara and Tsukuba to just 45 minutes from a previous 90 minute journey along the JR Joban Line.

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This year sees the 6th anniversary of the Kyushu Shinkansen line’s completion, and to celebrate JR Kysuhu are offering two special discount tickets. Both a “one coin ticket” and a one day “free pass” will be available for use on the anniversary date of March 12th.

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