JR East luxury sleeper train makes debut

It's a great pity they have taken out the regular night trains like the Akebono which made affordable travel much easier, particularly for those who struggle with night buses.

If people want to spend that amount of money on a train ride, go for it.

Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous brought to you by Kyodo

Very nice looking train and uniforms

Whenever I see train debut or retirement, I picture mobs of train geeks taking pictures and pushing each other over. Ain't nothing wrong with that though.

If had a lot of money to spare, I would definitely get on this train.

I would love to take a trip on that someday.

I know outrageous extravagance, I am aiming to treat my English nieces on there first trip to Japan.

https://www.jreast.co.jp/shiki-shima/en/

I adore them, and this once in a lifetime experience is worth the extra pennies.

"the price tag is within the range that many middle class families would spend on an overseas vacation or a cruise for a special occasion"

Let's get this straight. A four day domestic trip for 2 starting at just over 13,000$ and you think that's an option for the middle class?

As others have said, it is a lovely train. As long as JR continues to offer a good product to us proles, I'm OK with them putting forth a high-end product. As long as it doesn't end up being like the airlines, with the aristocrats in ever expanding chaise lounges, being fed grapes, while the rabble is shoehorned into tuna-fish cans and beaten if they say boo.

I'm sorry but JR should be using this money to reduce the cost of their way too expensive Shinkansen tickets.

I am anything other than hoity toity rich, my nieces family are farmers, so little recourse to haughty airs and graces. Just well behaved politeness. I hope they both can take away a unique experience from a country whose culture is a total mystery to them. I think the 4days justifies open purse surgery.

That train looks dope!

Seen the new luxury night buses?

if this design was mass-produced, the cost would drastically reduce and we could all afford it.

More for the rich, less for the poor - that's the way of things these days.

"the price tag is within the range that many middle class families would spend on an overseas vacation or a cruise for a special occasion"

Let's get this straight. A four day domestic trip for 2 starting at just over 13,000$ and you think that's an option for the middle class?

Well, they can spend that much on a cruise or they can spend that much on a luxury train trip. Who am I (or you) to dictate what someone finds pleasure in and spends their money on? Maybe they like trains and want to see that part of Japan. My point was merely that the price tag was within the ballpark of other "luxury" vacations that middle class people looking to celebrate some major life milestone would go for (I also note that the article was updated since I wrote the previous comment, it originally said prices started from 320,000 Yen, but still).

A middle class family going on an overseas vacation doesn’t go for TWO DAYS. They go for seven to ten days. With some package tours, the price is a lot less than ¥750,000 PER PERSON. I saw a package tour to Europe (Paris, Vienna, Rome) for ¥ 200,000 per person and eight days.

If a rich person wants to travel north for two days (and join the proles at Nikko Shrine) for nearly a million yen, then they are welcome. Nice looking windows.

The article says it is a 4 day trip, not a 2 day trip. And again, why should you dictate what all middle class people do with their money? Maybe some people prefer to take a luxury train trip in Japan to flying to Europe (and those package deals always have teaser rates which are misleadingly low). Many Japanese people are pressed for time and can only take short vacations. Many Japanese people like taking train trips, as the popularity of this one demonstrates. Many Japanese people find enjoyment in seeing a part of their country which they have not seen before. Just because you would not spend your money that way doesn't mean that everyone thinks the same way. The price tag is high, but its not out of the range that many middle class people spend on a major vacation (not an annual thing, but more a major life event type vacation).

This reminds of the train in the Korean movie "Snowpiercer" with the rich in the front cars and the proles in the rear cars fighting to oust their oppressors.

Ridiculous.

Look if it gets people spending money, and the money staying in Japan, then I am all for it. How many people will travel abroad this Golden week, spending vast amounts of money in the US, or France when that money doesn't do anything to help the domestic economy.

Publishing this kind of "Rich and Famous" is absolutely ridiculous. How many Working People could aford something like this? Not very many!

Its not necessarily a rich and the famous thing. Of course its extremely expensive compared to travel on a regular train, but the price tag is within the range that many middle class families would spend on an overseas vacation or a cruise for a special occasion (25th wedding anniversary or something like that).

Its not something I can afford anytime soon, but maybe when the kids have graduated from college and the house is paid for I might take the wife on a trip on this. Assuming it is still around in the late 2030s-early 2040s and the pension system hasn't collapsed by then!

the price tag is within the range that many middle class families would spend on an overseas vacation

A middle class family going on an overseas vacation doesn’t go for TWO DAYS. They go for seven to ten days. With some package tours, the price is a lot less than ¥750,000 PER PERSON. I saw a package tour to Europe (Paris, Vienna, Rome) for ¥ 200,000 per person and eight days.

If a rich person wants to travel north for two days (and join the proles at Nikko Shrine) for nearly a million yen, then they are welcome. Nice looking windows.

Would love to be able to afford this Train or the new Tokyo-Osaka Night bus(14.000/trip) but alas.

Still fun to see reports on telly

Yep, except only the rich on it.

No Matter the price I'll have a trip in it just for the novelty of it Love the Hostess I wonder about meals will they include western type and Chinese meals as i love all three .

Publishing this kind of "Rich and Famous" is absolutely ridiculous. How many Working People could aford something like this? Not very many!