The futuristic champagne-gold Train Suite Shiki-shima, operated by East Japan Railway, has five-star lounge, dining and observatory cars and features a menu devised by a Michelin-starred chef. The 10-car train accommodates just 34 passengers in 17 suites, and the most expensive room, the Shiki-shima, costs ¥950,000 (£6,600) per person for two sharing. The train embarked on its maiden journey on 1 May and seats have already been booked up until March 2018.
Train enthusiasts snap photos of the sleeper as it makes its debut at Ueno station in Tokyo before a four-day trip to north-eastern Japan
Photograph: Kyodo News/Getty Images
Train Suite Shiki-shima departs
Photograph: AFP/Getty
Trainspotters watch the 10-car vehicle cross a field in Nikko, north-east of Tokyo
Photograph: Yoshitaka Sugawara/AP
A peek inside the futuristic observatory car
Photograph: AFP/Getty
