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Monday, 2nd November 2015
In Japan Travel News,
A sweet ride offered aboard luxurious Japanese train
The JR Kyushu Sweet Train extended its service on Sunday (November 1st) and will now make round trips between the Sasebo and Nagasaki stations at weekends.
As well as transporting passengers in luxury, the gold and black train hosts a two-Michelin starred chef serving up French-inspired confections.
Yoshihiro Narisawa is celebrated for his restaurant in Tokyo’s Minami-Aoyama district, but is putting his skills to use on board the train.
The JR Kyushu Sweet Train is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company and has been nicknamed Aru Ressha, which roughly translates as A Certain Train.
It was envisaged by the industrial designer Eiji Mitooka, who looked at an earlier train for inspiration when detailing plans for Aru Ressha.
The original train was made in the US by the JG Brill Company, but never made it into commercial service, because the railways in Japan were nationalised by the time it was delivered in 1908.
This means that those visiting Japan who ride on the Aru Ressha are experiencing comfort from a bygone era that was never fully realised at the time.
It started plying a route between Oita and Hita stations in Oita Prefecture in August, but Aru Ressha’s extended service to Nagasaki is expected to continue until March next year.
One-way tickets aboard the spectacular train start at 20,000 yen (£107).
Aru Ressha is not the first luxury option the Kyushu Railway Company has offered in recent years as it targets the high-end tourist market.
Seven Stars, a luxury sleeping car train, which was also designed by Mitooka, was launched in 2013 and takes passengers through the lush landscape of Kyushu Island.
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