Last Updated on 14th April 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
Everything is pink, enjoyable, and Hello Kitty themed- together with the bogs! Welcome aboard the Hello Kitty Shinkansen, an excellent Kawaii bullet practice service function by Japan Rail West Co. (JR West). Here’s tips on how to trip on the Hello Kitty Shinkansen, in addition to what to know earlier than you go.
I wasn’t positive that we’d really have the ability to take the Hello Kitty practice whereas in Japan as I didn’t assume it would slot in our schedule. I first heard concerning the practice a number of years in the past and noticed that it could be operating throughout our journey.
The Hello Kitty practice doesn’t run daily of the week so you’ll be able to examine the schedule upfront right here if that is one thing you need to match into your itinerary.
On one fortunate day, after we had been operating late to achieve Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter as a day journey from Osaka, we arrived on the platform and there it was.
Exterior of the Hello Kitty Shinkansen
The total practice is decked out with the cutest Hello Kitty particulars; even the entrance of the practice is pink and everything of the carriages exterior’s are embellished with little motifs of the little cat.
Eight particular Hello Kitty designs have been created to rejoice the route and every area that’s served on the route is highlighted.
Though Hello Kitty’s favorite meals are purple apples, in these particular designs, Hello Kitty is holding issues like a inexperienced apple for Tottori prefecture, a strawberry for Fukuoka, and a black shell for Shimane prefecture.
Interior of the Hello Kitty Shinkansen
The entrance of the second carriage is residence to a Hello Kitty kawaii room the place you’ll be able to take pictures with a life sized Hello Kitty, in addition to an cute map which plots out the route which the themed practice takes.
The remainder of the carriage is fairly cute too, and there are Hello Kitty blinds, seat covers, and even a Hello Kitty ground. I really walked via all of the carriages on the practice and, whereas not each carriage goes into the extent of element that carriage 2 goes into, each carriage has some type of themed sticker, and so on.
The first carriage is known as Hello! Plaza and you should purchase hi there kitty Shinkansen merchandise, together with plush toys! I had to purchase one for myself! There are not any seats on this carriage.
There are numerous completely different items on the market, together with sweets and stationery. The scale fashions of the Hello Kitty Shinkansen are literally ekiben (lunch bins). There can be a photograph sales space on the very entrance, the place you’ll be able to take pictures with the Hello Kitty plush toys.
How to take the Hello Kitty Shinkansen
The practice operates between Shin-Osaka and Fukuoka (Hakata), as soon as a day in every path on the Sanyo Shinkansen line. The practice stops at each station on the route, making it the slowest form of practice service, however permitting passengers extra cute time on the Hello Kitty practice!
It’s a Kodama service, that means that it’s one of many practice providers which you should utilize with the Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass customers aren’t allowed to make use of the quickest Shinkansen services- examine Japan Rail costs right here).
Important stops en route embrace Kobe and Hiroshima. You can hop on at any stage of the journey and solely must trip for a single station when you so want. If you don’t have a Japan Rail Pass that is probably the most price efficient factor to do.
However, do be sure you spend sufficient time to go to the Hello Kitty Plaza and Hello Kitty Photo Booth if you wish to see them. there’s typically a queue to buy the souvenirs (I waited round quarter-hour to buy my Hello Kitty plush toy) and an additional 5 minutes to take a photograph within the photograph space.
If you board or get off the practice at Hakata Station in Fukuoka, then it’s price noting that there’s a particular Hello Kitty café and memento store promoting JR West merchandise and edible treats.
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