Japan has broken its tourism record every year since the pandemic, and to cater to the increasing number of tourists, the country’s rail system has rolled out a fancy new product: private rooms on its famous Shinkansen high-speed trains.
Luxury Train Upgrade
Starting this October, some travelers going from Tokyo to cities like Kyoto and Osaka will have the option to purchase a ticket for the ‘Supreme Class,’ which features private cabins with lockable doors that guarantee privacy on board. The largest rooms even have small sofas, and travelers in these cars can adjust the lighting and air conditioning to their own preferences.
A new sleeper car service called ‘Luna Azul’ will offer lie-flat seats along the Tohoku route, which carries people to prefectures like Aomori and Akita in northeast Japan. It’ll debut sometime next year.
However, not all the changes in Japanese tourism will necessarily be welcomed by visitors. The country’s ‘sayonara tax’ will increase from ¥1,000 (about $6) to ¥3,000 ($18.50) on July 1. The fee is added to the cost of airfare, not requested in person.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
