Tokyo-Osaka Bullet Train Stops Snack Selling Services At The End Of October

Shinkansen illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/MaedaAkihiko)

JAKARTA - One of the most popular and memorable services passengers on the super-fast bullet train in Japan is ordering coffee, ice cream, or packaged lunch from staff pushing a snack cart, enjoying the treats as trains travel through famous places like Mount Fuji.

However, faced with a shortage of manpower and a trend of more passengers buying food before boarding the train, the service of a snack cart on the train between the cities of Tokyo and Osaka will end on October 31.

Central Japan Railway said it would stop the snack cart service on the train, where uniformed sellers distributed drinks and snacks, pushing their carts through train halls that were walking and bending when they got in or out of the carriage.

Snacks and food sales have been a mainstay in Shinkansen, or bullet trains, since starting operations in 1964, the year Japan hosted the Tokyo Olympics, a rail spokesman said, but it's unclear when cart services will begin.

Online responses to this matter are very diverse, with "Super-Dingin Shinkansen Cream Ice" in 5th place on platform X previously known as Twitter and "On-Drain Service" in 6th place within hours of the announcement.

"I remember that I enjoyed ice cream every time I took the train, and when I took the last train without eating, I was saved by a sandwich sold there," said one user, as reported by CNN Sept. 15.

However, passengers in first-class carriages can order food and drinks using the QR code starting November 1, the rail company said.

"Although a reduction in costs is important for the company, the snack train service on the train is also important to enjoy the experience of tourists," wrote another user.