Japan Transportation Guide
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.
The Hana Akari sightseeing train
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!
Tom and Jerry trains are now running on Hankyu’s 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.
The video gallery space on Platform 13 at JR Ueno Station
JR West Hotels have opened a new luxury hotel in the Umeda district of Osaka that can be accessed directly from the West Gate of JR Osaka Station. The hotel, which opened on July 31st, is called The Osaka Station Hotel and is part of Marriott International’s “Autograph Collection” of independent, upscale hotels.
The Osaka Station Hotel is located inside JP Tower Osaka
A new wellness hotel has opened at Aomori Station that offers its guests a choice of relaxation, rejuvenation, or a lifestyle transformation.
Hotel ReLabo at the new JR Aomori Station East Exit Building
The hotel, ReLabo Medical Spa and Stay, opened on July 11 in the new JR Aomori Station East Exit Building with medical and wellness facilities operated by the Jikeikai Medical Corporation. [Read more…]
Tango Railway has released details of its gourmet fall and winter menu on the Kuro-matsu restaurant train.
Fine dining can be enjoyed in the luxury sightseeing train Kuro-matsu
This summer, a train running on Fukui’s Echizen Railway will be decorated inside and out with images of the Pokemon character Dragonite. The train is officially called the “Kairyu Train” as Kairyu (which means “cheerful dragon”) is the Japanese name for the Dragonite character.
Echizen Railway’s Dragonite Train
Rail fans will be upset to learn that Japan’s high-speed track-testing bullet trains, commonly known as Doctor Yellow, are set to retire in the coming years.
The Doctor Yellow inspection train
Eight railway companies in Japan’s eastern Kanto region have announced that they will stop using tickets with magnetic strips and replace them with tickets using QR codes.
Many people now use prepaid IC cards or smartphone apps which can be scanned at the ticket gates. However, paper tickets with magnetic strips are still sold at railway stations and these need to be inserted into the ticket gates before popping out on the other side of the gate.
An image from JR East showing the old magnetic and new QR code ticket systems
Three major railway companies in Japan’s western region of Kansai have announced plans to introduce a contactless payment system using debit and credit cards.
An image of Hankyu Railway’s new card reader system
Up till now travelers have had to use either paper tickets or prepaid IC cards to pay their fares. But by the end of 2024, passengers at the stations of Kintetsu Railway, Hankyu Railway, and Hanshin Electric Railway will be able to pay their fares by simply tapping their bank cards at the ticket gates. [Read more…]
