Japan’s public transportation is known for its punctuality, efficiency, and quality service, which means that train travel is a great way to see the countryside and experience Japanese culture — even if you’re stuck in a crowded Tokyo’s Yamanote line during rush hour or experiencing the famous high-speed Shinkansen bullet train.
But many discerning visitors cross the country in a different way, using luxury trains that resemble five-star hotels on the tracks.
Luxury rail travel appeals to “someone who wants slow travel, the experience of great service in an enclosed environment, the finest dining, the finest accommodation with private bathrooms,” Simon Pielow, co-founder of Luxury Train Club, said by phone from Wiltshire County, England. “Things that most people have no idea are possible on anything but a royal train.”
A trip chartered by his agency starts and ends at Hakata station in the city of Fukuoka, crossing the southern Japanese island of Kyushu in Seven Stars, a seven-car luxury sleeper train. Trips for either two days and one night (per person, double occupancy) range from 650,000 to 900,000 yen (about $4,292 to $5,942), or four days and three nights from ¥1.2 million to ¥1.6 million. (A supplement will apply.)
“The train is highly sought after because of the quality of the train service and its exclusivity,” Mr. Pielow said. “People who come to us are desperate to travel by train.”
With limited space, most would-be travelers need to apply months in advance.
The Seven Stars, or Nanatsuboshi in Japanese, is named in part for the number of its chariots, in part after the seven prefectures of Kyushu: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima, and for the seven main attractions of the region, including its nature, food and hot springs. (Other stars have been known to ride these rails: Actress and producer Margot Robbie told Vogue last year he and his wife traveled to Japan in part to board the Seven Stars.)
The train consists of a lounge car, bar, tatami-mat tearoom and souvenir shop, as well as eight 108-square-foot private rooms and two larger suites, the largest measuring 226 square feet.
Guests do not have to spend all their time on board. They can also get off to participate in activities such as a guided walk along the coast of Wakimoto, a seaside area of Kagoshima Prefecture, which lasts about an hour.
Meals can be eaten on the train or at restaurants along the way, and a night can be spent in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn.
So how does it work on a train? Some stops last an hour or more, enough time for visitor sightseeing. But often, the train will continue to run and pick up guests at another station.
But there are also other luxury trains in Japan. (Seven Stars and Shiki-Shima, detailed below, can be booked from overseas. Others listed here must be booked from within Japan.)
The Twilight Express Mizukaze is a Art Deco-inspired sleeper train decorated from traditional crafts such as pottery and cut glass. Onboard entertainment includes a tea ceremony, live music and signature cocktails from the bar. Five routes are offered, including a two-day, one-night one-way trip and a three-day, two-night round trip. The suite includes a private balcony and bathroom with bathtub at ¥875,000 for shorter trips and ¥1.4 million for longer trips. a “royal” A twin room with windows on both sides of the car was recently listed at ¥385,000 per person, double occupancy.
The Aru Ressha is known as a “dessert train” that runs between Hakata and Yufuin in Kyushu. The one-way, three-hour itinerary is enough time to indulge in appetizer, fish, meat and dessert courses for ¥35,000 per person. The train is decorated with black and gold arabesques on the outside and baroque style on the inside.
The Spacia X offering a more budget-minded luxury experience. This six-carriage train equipped with plush sofas and private lounges connects Tokyo with Nikko, a beautiful city in Tochigi Prefecture. Simran Nagra, a 33-year-old Canadian actuary who lives in Tokyo, took the train for a two-hour, ¥3,840 trip in July to the hot springs resort of Kinugawa Onsen. “I’m really excited to ride it because it’s a luxury train, but with a very affordable price,” he said. “The windows are huge and hexagonal, to highlight the views,” he says, and the cafe car features Nikko specialties including craft beer on tap, two types of sake and locally sourced coffee.
GranClass was chosen out of necessity by Australian journalist Jake Sturmer, 35, and his wife, Rachel, in 2018. “We had just moved to Japan, some friends invited us on a trip, and the only seat available we for the trip is in the GranClass,” he said, referring to the first-class cabin on the Shinkansen. “It was very luxurious,” he said, noting the big, soft chairs, the hot towels for cleaning hands and faces, and the bento boxes served to them during the two-hour drive from Tokyo to Iiyama in Nagano Prefecture.
The Train Suite Shiki-Shima was created to contribute to the recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan.
Riders can choose from four seasonal routes that last from one to three nights and depart from Tokyo. One goes north along the Sea of Japan to Hakodate and the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park in Hokkaido Prefecture. Another is a wintertime itinerary through the snowy Tohoku region, where guests will step off the train to watch traditional dancing and take part in woodworking or sewing workshops with local artisans. Prices range from ¥420,000 to ¥1.3 million per person, based on double occupancy in a sleeper car.
Shinobu Ohashi, 34, a paper-cutting artist who lives and works in Saitama, Japan, used Shiki-Shima in December 2020 and April 2022. “I wanted to experience the design of the Shiki-Shima train, which I saw on TV and in magazines, and providing hospitality,” he wrote in an email.
The attention to detail impressed him: “When my companion complimented the garnishes that were only offered to women on the dishes,” he says, “he was taken in too. We were both surprised.”
On one trip, the cherry blossoms in Hakodate were in full bloom, he said: “We were taken to a place for cherry blossom viewing that was not on the trip schedule.”
The train has a special meaning for him. “I’m from the Tohoku region, from Fukushima Prefecture,” he said. “Even though a lot of time has passed since the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I believe that Shiki-Shima is an encouraging presence.”