Train Suite Shiki-Shima, the miniature palace on rails made in Japan

Don't expect to see brass fixtures, mouldings and paneling dating back to the Roaring Twenties onboard the Shiki-Shima! The new train of the East Japan Railway company has played the card of avant-garde modernity. It offers to 34 passengers the unique experience of a UFO that crosses the country of Samourais at high speed, and in low key silence, reaching the island of Hokkaido.

Onboard the Shiki-Shima, the made in Japan palace on rails 

Designed by Ken Okuyama, this mini palace on rails comprises only 8 wagons where highly professional stewards welcome an exacting  clientele. For the decoration, the Japanese tradition subtly imposed itself with paper walls, lacquered wood, rice straw tatamis and bathtubs in cypress wood that perfectly blend in with a futuristic setting.

In this deluxe train, the staff pampers clients and meet the most exacting requests. © DR

Japanese and international specialties are on the programme of chefs to seduce their gourmet passengers. © DR

A voyage for 34 privileged passengers

Right from the check-in at the Tokyo train station, the piano-bar bathed in a soft light, its cocktails, the large restaurant with menus concocted by guide Michelin star chefs, the 2 lounge railway cars with fireplace and 17 suites, including 6 in duplex with bathtub, create a sensation. The voyage lasts 4 days and 3 nights with a starting price of €8500 per person. But that's just a formality…

Absolutely pristine, rooms benefit from strong luminosity and amenities worthy of a high standing hotel. © DR

From a transparent lounge, huge panoramic bay windows enable to observe landscapes north of the archipelago. © DR