Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer

Spend the night inside a bullet train from just 5,000 yen.

Finding affordable accommodation in Japan can be tough at any time of year, but when one or even two of Japan’s biggest summer festivals is being held, securing a place to stay can become even more challenging.

Now, East Japan Railways (JR East) has come up with a creative solution to the problem by opening up one of its bullet trains as a place to stay overnight.

The unique experience will take place from 3-5 August, on an E6 Series Komachi bullet train that will be parked at Akita Station, where passengers can stay onboard from around 9:30 p.m. until 7 a.m. the following morning. The event coincides with the region’s biggest festival season, as the local Akita Kanto Festival and the slightly further afield Aomori Nebuta Festival are being held during the same week.

Rather than simply being somewhere to sleep, the overnight stay is designed to provide a unique railway experience, as it allows guests to enjoy the atmosphere of a bullet train after it’s finished its regular service for the day. The E6 Series Komachi Shinkansen is still an active working train used for regular passenger services so it will be putting in some extra hours by hosting overnight guests during its downtime.

During their stay, guests will be able to enjoy trainspotting through the windows of the Shinkansen, as conventional trains and freight services pass through Akita Station during the night, and bullet trains head towards the depot at the end of their evening services.

Guests can choose from several ticket options, starting with the standard-class two-seat plan, where one person gets two seats to themselves for 5,000 yen (US$33.90).

Those travelling together can reserve a four-seater “Standard Car Box Seat” for 10,000 yen, which accommodates up to two adults, with one child, primary school-aged child or younger, admitted free per adult.

Though it’s not possible to reserve specific seats like you might on a travelling Shinkansen, standard-class guests can choose between regular, women-only, and family-only cars to enjoy greater peace of mind during their overnight stay.

Bedding isn’t provided, but every guest will receive complimentary mineral water, a 500-yen voucher to spend at NewDays convenience stores, railway merchandise from JR East’s Akita branch, and an exclusive clear file after completing a post-event questionnaire.

NewDays convenience stores are run by the JR East group and conveniently located inside the station so you can easily use the voucher to grab some food before or after your stay. Passengers will be able to eat and drink on board, but they will need to remain in their allocated seat for the entire night, and passengers won’t be allowed to leave the train between 12:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.

Whether you’re visiting Akita for the northern region’s famous summer festivals, or simply looking for a very unique place to stay, a night on the Komachi is a rare opportunity to savour the charms of Japan’s super-fast bullet trains at an extra-slow pace. Tickets for the overnight experience went on sale on 23 July and can be purchased at the JRE Mall site here.