Beautiful new design pays homage to regions that the bullet train serves, with charming hidden details.

When you’re travelling between cities on the Shinkansen in Japan, the journey is often just as memorable as the destination. That’ll be especially true for passengers on the Sanyo Shinkansen from this winter, as they’ll be able to enjoy the ride on a bullet train featuring a new-look “Yurari” design.

The new look will be gradually introduced on Kodama services between Shin-Osaka and Hakata Station in Fukuoka, as well as the shorter route between Hakata and Hakata-Minami. The special design will feature on eight-car N700 Series 6000 trains, which were converted from 16-car trains and used for Kodama services from September 2025.

▼ The Sanyo Shinkansen stops at popular destinations like Kobe, Himeji, Okayama and Hiroshima on its way to and from Shin-Osaka and Hakata.

The new “Yurari” design concept (“yurari” describes a gentle, swaying movement) draws inspiration from the waves and shimmering surface of the Seto Inland Sea, which can be seen by passengers along parts of the route. The trains, which are currently white with a blue line on their sides, will have a completely new pale blue exterior called “Sanyo Blue”, to evoke the peaceful image of a calm, windless sea, and in the sunlight the gentle hue is said to look almost emerald green.

▼ The Shinkansen will be going from this…

▼ … to this.

Along the body are a series of undulating dots to represent the “gentle passing of scenery and time”, with subtle wave shapes hidden within for passengers to “discover by chance, like an unexpected find during a journey”. When the train is moving at speed, these undulating dots look like lines, but when stopped at a station, the wave patterns between the dots can be seen more clearly.

The design concept, which goes by the full name “Yurari – Savouring the Gentle Flow of the Journey”, incorporates gentle waves and calming colours to reflect not only the surrounding scenery but the relaxed atmosphere of a Kodama journey. Although the train can reach speeds of up to 285 kilometres (177 miles) per hour, it operates at a more relaxed pace as it stops at every station along the route, giving passengers more time to enjoy the views.

The relaxed seaside imagery also appears in the logo, which features three flowing “waves” in graduated shades, further emphasising the movement of the sea and the passage of time. The design also incorporates motifs inspired by the prefectures along the route, giving the train a stronger connection to the regions it travels through.

Every element of the design carries meaning, which is fitting, given it was produced as a joint collaboration between West Japan Railway (JR West), who operates the Sanyo Shinkansen, and researchers from Kyoto Institute of Technology’s Product Design Planning Laboratory. This marks JR West’s first train exterior design created through an industry-academia partnership, and the lab’s design team studied the culture, traditions and natural landscapes along the line, and even visited train depots to refine the final look.

While Shinkansen are famous for their speed, this new design reminds us that it’s not always about getting to the destination in the fastest way possible – when you’re travelling in a world-class bullet train, sometimes the journey itself is worth slowing down for.

Source: JR West
Top image JR West
Insert images: JR West, Pakutaso
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