TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — East Japan Railway Co. launched its new luxury sleeper train on Monday (May 1) that comes with a $10,000 price tag for the top-class suite for a four-day trip from Tokyo to Hokkaido.
The slick gold-colored “Train Suite Shiki-shima” features Japan’s traditional tatami (pronounce tah-tah-mi) rice straw mats and Hinoki (pronounce hee-noh-ki) wooden bath tubs, sky-view glass ceilings and live piano music in the dining car.
Despite the hefty price tags which start from 320,000 yen ($2,860) for the shortest two-day trip, all seats are booked until March 2018. A lottery to reserve the largest suite for the debut trip was over-subscribed by 76 times, the operator said.
The lucky 33 passengers on the train’s first service will stop by several locations including hot spring resorts, cultural and heritage sites in Northern Japan. All accommodation and meals on-board or off-board are included in the fare.
Popularity of the high-quality train service is growing as Japan’s competitive railway companies introduce new services. Kyushu Railway Co. launched their “Seven Star” luxury coach four years ago and JR West is set to launch its Twilight Express Mizukaze in June.
