I am sitting in a space fit for a Japanese princess — all around are tatami-mat floors, sliding screens, lacquerware latticework and seasonal blooms, plus a handcrafted cypress wood bath and a kimono-style cotton gown in the nearby bathroom. While this may sound like a traditional ryokan inn, beyond the window, low-rise houses, rice fields and mountains flash by, like a slow-motion film. I am on a train.
Japan is undergoing a revolution in its rail culture. Ever since unveiling the world’s first fleet of bullet trains before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the nation has become known for its innovations on the railways. Today, more than half a century later and anticipating its next Olympics, the focal point of its high-tech trains is not speed, but luxury.
Of all the slow-travelling, opulent trains that have launched in Japan in the past year, the queen is undoubtedly the Train Suite Shiki-shima. The ten-carriage train, whose name means “Island of Four Seasons”, transports 34 passengers from Tokyo on trips lasting from one to three nights, mainly heading north across the Kanto, Tohoku and Hokkaido regions. Travelling at just 110km/h (as opposed to the 320km/h speeds of the bullet trains), it offers plenty of time to savour the Japanese craftsmanship and decor, with round-the-clock butlers, chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants and five-star hotel service.
My experience starts in an unusually serene corner of Ueno Station in Tokyo, where I swap rush-hour crowds for a check-in cup of tea in a quiet lounge. Staff in tailored uniforms that match the champagne-gold train exterior lead me along platform 13.5. The exterior of the train, created by Ken Kiyoyuki Okuyama, an industrial designer renowned for working with Porsche and Ferrari, feels futuristic, with its angular cut-out windows.
Inside, metallic “forest branches” line the walls of the lounge above herringbone parquet floors and beside the bar lined with exquisitely cut crystal glasses is a piano and a glass fireplace.
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Swaying along the narrow corridors — off which 17 sleeper suites can be found — I spy echoes of Japan’s artisan heritage, including the tatami-inspired design of the interwoven metallic doors. Inside my compact suite of warm cedarwood and red lacquerware wall panels, with lanterns and curved glass windows, the dark-grey seating transforms into deluxe futons after dark.
Soon after boarding it’s lunchtime, and I take a seat at a moon-shaped table before being served an artfully presented lunch that includes an exquisite piece of Iwate beef. Later I gravitate to one of two observation cars located at either end of the train — a light-flooded space with white seating and textured grass-green carpets designed by the cult architect Kengo Kuma.
As I discover, while Japanese bullet trains are the ideal way to traverse the country quickly, there are few better places than the Shiki-shima from which to watch the countryside slide by — in a comfortable chair, with a leisurely cup of tea.
Trips lasting one to three nights cost from £2,100 to £6,230 per person (jreast.co.jp/shiki-shima)
Laid-back locomotives
The Royal Express
With its intricate woodwork, stained-glass ceilings, piano performances and high-end restaurant, The Royal Express does not scrimp on old-school glamour. It travels between Yokohama and the Izu Peninsula, famed for its citrus groves, white beaches and hot-spring villages. There are no sleeper carriages, but it offers overnight packages in partnership with hotels along the route, as well as day trips.
Three-hour journeys cost from £164 and overnight itineraries from £885 (the-royalexpress.jp)
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Twilight Express Mizukaze
An opulent art-deco affair, the romantically named train has decor that would not be out of place in a five-star hotel (its top suite is so large that it occupies a whole carriage). Food is a highlight — in particular the Japanese menus devised by the highly acclaimed chef Yoshihiro Murata. It carries 34 passengers on five routes across western Japan from its Kyoto base.
One-night tours start at £1,640pp (twilightexpress-mizukaze.jp)