Train fans traveling between Tokyo and Nikko can now do so in style on Tobu Railway’s newest limited express train, the Spacia X, which debuted on July 15th, 2023. The new train has a variety of seating options and its own onboard café.

Spacia X is a six-car train with a bright, white exterior and hexagonal windows reminiscent of traditional lattice designs. Inside are six seating options, which include sofa seats, lounge seats and private rooms as well as standard seating. [Read more…]

A new hotel has opened by Kansai International Airport, which boasts superb facilities and spacious guest rooms with stunning views over Osaka Bay. Directly connected to the Rinku Town Station, the new Odysis Suites Osaka Airport Hotel is sure to be handy for travelers who have late arrivals or early departures at western Japan’s main international airport.

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Seibu Railway are running a new Harry Potter-themed train to celebrate the opening of a major Harry Potter attraction in Tokyo.

The new attraction, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter, is due to open on June 16th at Toshimaen, Nerima ward. The largest indoor Harry Potter attraction in the world, Studio Tour Tokyo will feature sets from the Harry Potter movies such as the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and the Forbidden Forest.

To get fans excited for the new attraction a new Studio Tour Tokyo Express train is now running on the Seibu Toshima Line between Ikebukuro Station and Toshimaen Station – the nearest station to Studio Tour Tokyo.

This eight-car train is decorated on the outside with the faces of the characters Harry, Hermione and Ron with the Forbidden Forest in the background.

In addition, both Ikebukuro Station and Toshimaen Station have been renovated to resemble scenes from the magical world of Harry Potter.

Platforms 2 and 3 at Ikebukuro Station now resemble platform 9¾ at London’s King’s Cross Station while Toshimaen Station has been remade to look like the fictional Hogsmeade Station, which leads to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Both the new train and the stations have been designed to give fans a real sense of magical adventure as they begin their journey into the world of Harry Potter.

For more details of the new attraction please visit the official site for Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter.

Article by Michael Lambe. Photos courtesy of Seubu Railway, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. – Wizarding World publishing rights © J.K. Rowling. All rights reserved.

A new shinkansen station is to be built in the city of Otaru in Hokkaido and is scheduled to open by the end of 2030. It will be Japan’s northernmost shinkansen station.

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JR West have revealed design details of the new #273 series trains that will run on the limited express Yakumo service from spring 2024. The limited express Yakumo links the Sanyo and San’in regions of western Japan, running from Okayama Station in Okayama Prefecture to Yonago Station in Tottori Prefecture and Matsue Station and Izumoshi Station in Shimane Prefecture. The new #273 trains will replace the #381 series trains that have been operating on this route since 1982.

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Dorchester Collection are to open a new ultra-luxury hotel in Japan’s tallest skyscraper. The Torch Tower building, which is scheduled to open by Tokyo Station in 2027, will be 390 meters tall when complete and is destined to be a new iconic landmark on the Tokyo skyline.

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In September 2022, JR Kyushu debuted a brand new sightseeing train called “Two Stars 4047”. The new train runs between Takeo-Onsen Station and Nagasaki Station following the coastline and offers a more leisurely tour of western Kyushu than the high-speed Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen that connects these destinations by an inland route.

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A new branch of the Japanese discount chain store, Don Quijote, opened near Kyoto Station at the end of October this year. Because of its location, the new Don Quijote Kyoto Karasuma Shichijo Store is expected to attract business travelers and tourists as well as young people.

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Hakata Hotels have rebranded Tokyo’s Hotel Emit Shibuya and reopened it on November 1st, 2022, as the OneFive Tokyo Shibuya Hotel.

OneFive Tokyo Shibuya now offers comfortable and affordable accommodation in a trendy area just ten minutes on foot from Shibuya Station. [Read more…]

JR West has announced the construction of a futuristic eco-friendly railway station close to Osaka Station. The station which has been given the provisional name Umekita (Osaka) Underground Station will be built in the Umekita district. This area, which was formerly a freight yard, is currently under major redevelopment and will eventually include residential, commercial, and office facilities, an urban park, and the new Time Out Market Osaka.

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