Touring Japan by rail is becoming a popular holiday option thanks to the weak yen and the comfort and speed of the famous Bullet Train. Matthew Hampton reports
Nowhere is the Japanese love of technology better observed than on its rail system.
The Shinkansen, or Bullet Train as it’s better known, is always on time, always immaculate and – as far as a train can be – pretty cool.
It’s also easy to use, affordable and often quicker and more comfortable than flying, with the fastest trains from Tokyo to Kyoto – the ancient capital 322 miles south – taking less than three hours.
With a Japan Rail Pass, a touring holiday is well within reach of most visitors, whether they’re experienced travellers or not, and according to JTB general sales manager Jeff Pullen, UK visitors are starting to see the benefits.
“People are becoming more adventurous,” he said.
Travel 2/4 product executive for the Far East Alex Loizou said escorted tours were the mainstay of their Japanese programme.
Most Travel 2/4 clients stick to the Tokyo-Kyoto corridor, which includes the main site of Mount Fuji and Hakone with Hiroshima, on the far southwestern tip of the main island, a popular add-on.
“The Japan Rail Pass is good value, and you can pick and choose your itinerary, but an escorted tour makes everything easier,” he said.
Because of the weak yen, hotels are good value at the moment, with four-star rooms available from £110 a night.
Competition in the luxury sector also helps keep prices down: recent openings in Tokyo include the Ritz-Carlton and the Peninsula, which joined an already booming five-star market.
Pullen said the Rail Pass product worked well in conjunctionwith a ground handler, such as its in-house operation, Sunrise Tours, which provides sightseeing tours with English-speaking guides all over Japan.
Sunrise Tours can be booked through JTB’s website, but they also accept bookings direct from agents at a commission rate of 5%.
Tokyo-Kyoto Bullet Train
If you had to sum up Japan in one word, it would be ‘precision’. That was what struck me as the 12.54pm Bullet Train to Kyoto glided out of Tokyo Central, at precisely 12.54pm.
Originally built to link up the venues of the 1964 Olympics, the Shinkansen network snakes all over Japan and the trains have become faster and more efficient over the years.
Technology aside, what surprised me about this journey was just how easy it all was. Just as getting around Tokyo on the subway was simple enough, so was getting a train out of the city.
This would be very different were it not for the English signage, a relatively recent development. Even the electronic departure boards reeled off the stops in English.
Lunch on board was a bento box with sushi: good value at under a fiver. And there’s no arguing with the view.
The seemingly endless sprawl of Tokyo eventually gives way to greenery and then the magnificent Mount Fuji.
You can tell it’s coming up when the Nikons and Canons start clicking around you. What could be more Japanese?
Sample Product
Wandrian International Railsells rail passes. A seven-day Japan Rail Pass costs £169; £225 first class.JTB tailor-makes tours all over Japan. A ‘Quick Japan’ independent tour, with two nights in Tokyo, two in Kyoto, sightseeing tours in both cities and a visit to Mount Fuji leads in at £500 this spring, including some meals but not flights. Japan Airlines flights lead in at £650 including tax and surcharges.
Travel 2/4 offers rail passes, accommodation and tours. A 12-day Essence of Japan tour, visiting Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Hakone National Park, Shirakawa and Kyoto leads in at £3,437 this May, including flights, meals and transfers.
Jaltour offers independent and semi-escorted tours; a 13-day Scenic Japan tour, taking in Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Hagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima and Osaka leads in at £2,422, including flights, some meals and transfers.
