Tokyo-Hakata Shinkansen Train Will Offer Private Rooms Starting In 2026

Tokaido Shinkansen. (Wikimedia Commons/MaedaAkihiko)

JAKARTA - If nothing changes, the Shinkansen bullet train connecting Tokyo-Osaka-Hakata will begin offering private rooms with special seats starting in 2026, along with operator efforts to meet rising demand for luxury and privacy on train trips.

Central Japan Railway Co. plans to install two private rooms per bullet train, equipped with a seat that can be donated by footwear. Passengers can access Wi-Fi and adjust settings such as lighting, air conditioning and audio based on their preferences.

The new seats to be installed on several N700S series trains will be designed to provide customers with a better travel experience, one step ahead of the more expensive and currently available "environmental-friendly carriages" seats.

Operators are considering offering a new service between Tokyo and Hakata, a district in Fukuoka City in a southwest prefecture of the same name. About 10 percent of the approximately 130 shinkansen trains can be equipped with private rooms, each available for one or two passengers.

"We will ensure the necessary hardware is available to meet the needs of our diverse customers," Central JR President Shunsuke Niwa said at a press conference in Tokyo, according to Kyodo News May 1.

The Tokaido shinkansen train used to have private space, but was abolished to increase the number of seats in 2003 when the 100 series carriage was no longer operating.

It is known, the Shinkansen bullet train is one of the popular public transportation in Sakura Country. This country hopes for inbound tourism to help boost economic growth, after the tourism sector was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.