Lugging heavy luggage on and off trains, and trying to find space to store them on your journey is a problem many travelers experience in Japan. But now a new service is available that should make life easier for guests staying at certain hotels.

The “InterCity Hotel Baggage Link” is a new same-day delivery service that uses Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains to send luggage between designated hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto or Osaka. Mitsui Fudosan, JR Central, and Sagawa Express have teamed up to provide the service, which is now available to guests staying at Mitsui Garden hotels and The Celestine hotels. [Read more…]

JR East has announced plans to upgrade Suica, its prepaid IC card, over the next 10 years, dramatically expanding its range of use. The railway company has dubbed the plans the “Suica Renaissance”.

Currently, the main use of Suica is instead of paper tickets. After putting money onto your card at a ticket machine, you can simply tap the card on ticket gates as you go through. The card can also be used on buses, and for buying things from vending machines, convenience stores and some restaurants. [Read more…]

JR West’s Limited Express Mahoroba, a train that currently runs between Osaka and Nara only as a seasonal service on Saturdays and holidays, will become a regular service on March 15th 2025.

The train will also receive an upgrade with refurbished carriages scheduled to be introduced in April next year.

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In September, Odakyu Electric Railway announced that it has begun designing a new Romancecar train. “Romancecar” is the name given to Odakyu’s luxury limited express trains, which run a variety of services, but are best known for connecting Tokyo with resort areas such as Hakone, Enoshima and Kamakura.

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Kintetsu introduced a new train series, the 8A, in October, which is now running on Kintetsu’s Nara, Kyoto, Kashihara and Tenri lines. Built to replace aging rolling stock, the 8A series is Kintetsu’s first new commuter train in 24 years.

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Tokyu Railways’ #2020 series 2137 electric train has been transformed into a “Snoopy Train” decorated inside and out with characters from the world-famous Peanuts comic. The train can now be seen running on the Tokyu Denentoshi Line,Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line, and the Tobu Isesaki and Nikko lines.

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This summer a brand new shopping mall opened in the JP Tower Osaka, a 39-story building which is directly connected to the West Gate of JR Osaka Station in Umeda.

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JR West will launch a new luxury sightseeing train this fall called the Hana Akari. The new train will run along a variety of routes in Western Japan for limited periods, with its first route being along the coast between Tsuruga City in Fukui Prefecture and the hot spring report town of Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture.

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Passengers traveling on Hankyu Railway lines over the next few months may encounter some familiar faces on some of the trains. A Tom and Jerry train decorated with characters from the famous slapstick cartoon series is now running on the Kobe, Takarazuka and Kyoto lines!

Each of these lines now has its own Tom and Jerry train, with the characters featured throughout the train’s exterior and interior, and most prominently on an original headmark at the front of the train. [Read more…]

Travelers passing through JR Ueno Station in Tokyo might want to take a moment to check out a new feature on the station’s Platform 13. Though it is still a working platform for train departures and arrivals, it is also now a 100-meter long “video experience space” that can be used to show a variety of digital artworks and movies.

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