Sunday 19 March 2017

If You Are Thinking Of Seeing Japan By Train,

this is the way to do it, 


 it has been almost 3 years since the announcement that JR East was investing 5 billion yen to create a luxury sleeper train, on Wednesday last week, that train was unveiled at a ceremony in Tokyo, dubbed the Train Suite Shikishima, it was designed by Ken Okuyama, a Japanese industrial designer and the only non-Italian to have designed a Ferrari

 in the magical spirit of the Hogwarts Express, the Train Suite Shikishima will have its own dedicated “platform 13.5” at Ueno Station in Tokyo,

 the sleeper train, which begins operating in May 2017, has a maximum capacity of 34, 

so travel is luxurious to say the least, for instance a 2-floor suite with a private onsen bath and heated kotatsu to keep travellers warm as they speed through the landscape, for a 3-night, 4-day journey through Japan costs 950,000 yen (at today's rate £6,803 or $8,428) per person, the bad news is that this suite is already fully booked for the next 6 months! 

 the sleeper train offers various packages depending on the season and above is a map of two of them, on the left is the Spring – Fall 3-night package that begins in Ueno and makes a large loop up North extending all the way to Hokkaido, on the right is a shorter Spring – Fall 1-night package that begins in Ueno and makes a central loop through Aizu Wakamatsu, what a fabulous way to travel Japan.


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