Inside Japan’s new luxury sleeper train, which boasts only 17 suites
A ticket to ride this luxury train is US$10,000 one way
A Japanese railway company has launched a new luxury sleeper train with sky views, bathtubs and dark wood interiors, joining the race for well-heeled tourists.
The train, which left with 33 passengers on its maiden voyage from Tokyo on Monday, features traditional tatami rice straw mats and bathtubs made from hiroki cypress wood in its executive suites.
Glass ceilings and walls are built into two observatory coaches at the front and rear of the train for the passengers to watch the scenery pass by.
The journey includes stops in the northeast Tohoku region, which was hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
“We also want to empower the disaster-hit northern Japan for their recovery effort through the operation of Shiki-shima,” East Japan Railway Chief Executive Tetsuro Tomita said at the launch.
The train is fully booked until March 2018.