Hokusai Special Train made its first run this month.

As one of the closest stops to Mt. Fuji, every day trains arrive at Fujinomiya Station in Shizuoka Prefecture carrying not only local residents, but also travelers eager to see Japan’s tallest and most iconic mountain. As of this month, though, one of those trains will be carrying only foreign tourists.

Central Japan Railway Company, a.k.a. JR Central, has teamed up with travel provider JTB to create a special train that’s intended only for visitors from abroad. Running from Mishima Station (about as close as you can get to Mt. Fuji by Shinkansen) to Fujinomiya, the train is called the Hokusai Special Train, after famed Ukiyo-e woodblock painter Katsushika Hokusai, whose Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji artwork series decorates the interior of the three-car train, as seen in the video below.

However, while the train is being billed as JR Central’s first “for-foreign-tourists-only train,” this isn’t a case of a regular commuter train being set aside for visitors from overseas. Instead, the Hokusai Special Train is part of a tour package being offered by JTB, functioning as the middle portion of the journey from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji, with a Shinkansen ride from Tokyo Station to Mishima coming first, and then a bus ride from Fujinomiya to the Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine, and Shiraito and Otodome waterfalls.

As such, the Hokusai Special Train isn’t so different from tour packages in which participants have their own bus, so this isn’t necessarily a direct attempt to prevent overtourism woes by syphoning foreign tourist ridership off of regular trains as it is a way to provide travelers with extra convenience and service. JTB describes the 45-minute ride on the Hokusai Special Train with:

“Be immersed in the worldview of Katsushika Hokusai, who was famous for his ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Enjoy stopping for photos and slow driving at spots depicted in the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Look forward to learning a lot about Katsushika Hokusai through talks about his woodblock print series, the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.”

Since the train is part of a tour package, foreign travelers can’t just stroll up to Mishima Station, buy a regular-fare ticker out of the machine, and hop on, either. Advance reservations are required and the price, 24,000 yen (US$151.53) per person, includes transportation from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji, the day’s activities, lunch, and transportation back to Mishima Station, with the itinerary lasting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oddly enough, despite the use of “for foreigners only” in both JR Central’s press release and Japanese media reports about the train, there doesn’t appear to be any explicit rule barring Japanese travelers from riding the Hokusai Special Train. Instead, it looks like the distinction is more a reflection of how JR Central and JTB expect tour participant demographics to naturally shake out. The tour guide explanations are all in English, and its official webpage is also not only in English, but part of the website for Sunrise Tours, JTB’s foreign traveler-focused division.

The Hokusai Special Train made its first run on March 19, and reservations can be made online through Sunrise Tours here.

Source: TBS News Dig, JR Central, Sunrise Tours (1, 2)
Images: JR Central
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