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Fukuoka –
There’s something special about rail travel, a sense of nostalgia that harkens back to an era when the world moved at a slower pace. But while Japan’s famed shinkansen whooshes passengers at speeds far too great to afford more than a quick glimpse of trackside sights, the country offers a different approach to those who have the time to slow down and admire the scenery — and wish to do so in style.
Sightseeing trains are a staple of Japanese railways, nowhere more so than on the southwestern island of Kyushu. JR Kyushu alone offers over 10 trains spanning every corner of the island, including the Seven Stars sleeper, the epitome of luxury on rails in Japan.
For those who don’t have the roughly ¥680,000 for the most affordable Seven Stars ticket, though, JR Kyushu also offers the Discover Kyushu Express 36+3, a tourist-focused train that follows four routes comprising a loop (plus a fifth to and from Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture) around the 36th largest island in the world, hence the train’s name (which also alludes to, the company says, the three elements of “surprise, impression and happiness” travelers encounter upon embarking). The 36+3 equation also results in the number 39, each digit read in Japanese as “san kyū” — close enough to “thank you” to communicate a sense of gratitude.
