The Hello Kitty Shinkansen is a special train that operates on some of Japan's Shinkansen lines. This unique train is a collaboration with Sanrio's popular Hello Kitty character, and features adorable Hello Kitty designs on the interior and exterior.
Inside the train, passengers can enjoy traveling in an adorable atmosphere with seats, windows, and designed decorations that incorporate Hello Kitty character images. There is also a store on the train where passengers can purchase limited-edition merchandise, giving Hello Kitty fans a chance to pick up a special souvenir.
The Hello Kitty Shinkansen is popular with a wide range of people, including tourists, families, and Hello Kitty fans, offering a unique and fun train trip. It is known as a special train that allows passengers to enjoy the charm of Japanese culture and the adorable character together.
How are the look and feel?
Exterior
"Designed in a ribbon motif, embodying the wish to join hands and connect with different regions". ( Source: Japan Railway West Official Website )
Kitty-chan in uniform will welcome you at the exits of Car 1 & 8, and also you can see various versions of Kitty-chan on the body of the train!
Interior
"The interior decoration is highlighted by a special design, conveying a playful spirit steeped in imagination and the Hello Kitty outlook on life." ( Source: Japan Railway West Official Website )
Kitty-chan and her friends are around here and there on this train. So you can enjoy to find them in every car from Car1 to Car 8.
Especially you can enjoy Car 1 & 2 since they are specially decorated cars as follows.
Car 1
This car is called "HELLO!PLAZA". You can enjoy looking an exhibition space where a particular region ( within JR WEST area ) is displayed for a limited-term, shopping limited edition and regional goods with a small shop and taking a rest at limited seats with drinks. This "HELLO!PLAZA" is open to all passengers of the train.
Car 2
This room is called "KAWAII!ROOM" decorated with many many Kitty-chan and her friends where you can take a snap with Kitty-chan at the photo spot and have a seat with Unreserved seat tickets.
Please see the "Hello Kitty Shinkansen Official Website" for more details.
How to take "Hello Kitty Shinkansen"
Hello Kitty Shinkansen for Shin-Osaka departs from Hakata station at 6:42 am almost every morning ( there are non-operating days ) as KODAMA No.730. And it returns for Hakata from Shin-Osaka station at 11:29 am as KODAMA No.741.
Stop Stations
It will stop every station between Hakata station and Shin-Osaka station as follows.
Hakata/Kokura/Shin-Shimonoseki/Asa/Shin-Yamaguchi/Tokuyama/Shin-Iwakuni/Hiroshima/Higashihiroshima/Mihara/Shin-Onomichi/Fukuyama/Shin-Kurashiki/Okayama/Aioi/Himeji/Nishi-Akashi/Shin-Kobe/Shin-Osaka
You can see the latest train departure/arrival timings from the official website.
Before taking the train, please check the operation dates of the train at the Official Web Site as well.
Seat Reservation
You can reserve your seats of this Shinkansen in advance with your Rail Pass after you arrive in Japan or you can purchase single Shinkansen tickets in advance before you arrive in Japan from our shopping web site.
We recommend you to reserve your seat as soon as possible you can since Hello Kitty Shinkansen is very popular among Kitty-chan fans around the world!
Car Information:
- Unreserved Cars: Car 2,3,7 and 8
- Reserved Cars: Car 4,5 and 6
Please visit Our Shopping Site for booking your single Shinkansen tickets from any stations Hello Kitty Shinkansen stops.
If you are interested in Japan Rail Pass for your trip, please visit Our Sister Shopping Site for purchasing your pass.
Note: We cannot reserve your seat if you use Japan Rail Pass for this route since you need to activate your pass before seat reservation AFTER you arrive in Japan.
Tips for enjoying Hello Kitty Shinkansen
Tip 1: As soon as the train departs Car 1 and 2 get very crowded so you should ride on from Car 8 and move to Car 2, enjoying finding Kitty-chan and her friends through every car.
Tip 2: Hello Kitty Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka station to Hakata is more crowded. So if you have time and want to enjoy entire the train, you should take Hello Kitty Shinkansen from Hakata direction to Shin-Osaka direction.
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