One thing that has done extremely well in Japan are the trains. There's an almost endless list.
A list which is constantly increasing. Each corner of the country has trained specific to its region.
Often showcasing local foods, drinks, and goods, they offer a glimpse into the life,
culture, and history, of the area. From the very old to the very new. From the fastest to
those which are no rush at all. One can spend anywhere from a few hundred yen up to well....
maybe don't ask. There is almost surely a train for everyone.
Today is a special day as we'll be jumping on board the Saphir Odoriko.
One of the best... IF not the best train in the Tokyo area. This remarkable train had the unfortunate
starting date of March 2020 and had its fair share of suspension and modified operations.
Happily, today the service has been fully restored on the train's route which runs
from Tokyo through Kanagawa and down along the picturesque east coast of the Izu peninsula
and we'll be enjoying this train in style in Japan Rail East premium green car. So join me
on this memorable trip as we ride aboard the Saphir Odoriko.
Good morning and welcome back to another video. Today is going to be a great day.
I'm really excited... in about half an hour we're gonna jump on the Saphir Odoriko. This
is one of Japan Rail East newest joyful trains and started operation in March 2020 when other
things were kind of getting underway. Over the past two years the train service has either been
suspended or modified to some extent. Happily though the service has been fully restored so
I'm happy to have the opportunity to show you this train. it's an incredibly popular train
and even getting a ticket requires a little bit of luck. Right now I'm starting with Shinagawa
station, a large station in Tokyo. So let's go inside the gate I'll show around the station
a bit we'll jump on the platform and yeah come along let me go from A to B...this will be great!
Welcome to Shinagawa station. Please change your for the shinkansen, the yamanote line,
the kahin tohoku line, the tokaido line, the ueno tokyo line, the sobu line, the yokosuka line,
and the Keikyu line... okay I've always wanted to say that maybe one day I'll be the English voice
on the train... yeah right! Anyway Shinagawa is a very busy transit hub and one of three
shinkansen stations in Tokyo. For a station of this size it has a reasonable variety
of restaurants and shops inside the gate with a further selection located outside.
For trips farther afield it's a convenient option to pick up an ekiben
or some snacks or drinks for your trip.
Personally I'm a fan of the standing noodle shop and frequent it every so often.
The Saphir Odoriko leaves Tokyo station at 11 am daily and reaches Shinagawa station a few
minutes later. The train arrives on track 12 and there's always usually a small group of training
enthusiasts welcoming the train. It will only stop for a few moments before continuing on its way.
EE: I pass through this station almost daily!
The train will make one stop in Yokohama before continuing to Shizuoka prefecture.
There it'll first stop at the seaside town of Atami - our stop
for today - before working its way down the coast eventually arriving at Izuku-Shimoda.
EE: This was filmed a few months after. I had to time it right to catch this shot!
The premium green car - there's only one on the train - car number one is located in front on
outbound trips. Consisting of dark tones, sapphire blue carpet, tinted windows, soft lighting,
the car provides a relaxing spacious luxurious atmosphere for the 20 lucky passengers.
For a further sense of openness, skylights run the length of the car and no overhead
luggage racks were installed. As a trip to the Izu peninsula is an overnight trip for many
larger articles can be stowed in the luggage hole in the rear of the car.
There are two seats in each of the 10 rows. Majority of the fabulous views
and those of the ocean which many passengers seek is on the left side of the train
thus they decided to place the aisle on the right in contrast to the traditional centre aisle.
A large unobstructed view of the front is also a special feature to this car.
The seats... wow! Where to begin? They're leather, plush, wide, spacious
and stand alone from one another in their own shell. The rear of the shells provide nothing more
than a coat hook and your own reflection. On your right you'll have a cup holder and a small space
perfect size for a phone and a standard Japan / North American type outlet. A solid, very
sturdy table folds out from the right armrest and a reading light is found over your right shoulder.
A shade is provided for the time the sun is right in that annoying piercing eye level.
And on the left are the controls for the seat which extends comfortably to this position.
The seats also have the ability to rotate. Depress the lever from behind the seat
and you can angle it towards the window and I found this feature really
provided that sense of upper class privacy where you can enjoy the seat in your own personal space.
The premium car has an attendant so passengers can place orders for drinks and snacks from their seat
so really one can perfectly enjoy the views, the service,... this train simply by relaxing and not
leaving their seat. But for me I had... to had to pay a visit to the other seven cars behind me.
EE: This is the train that left shinjuku ... not Tokyo. It uses the yokosuka line to Yokohama.
Cars number two and three contain the private rooms.
They require reservations of between four and six individuals and they're a hot commodity.
All were in use right from the start so I couldn't go in and take a peek.
But like the premium green it's staffed so drinks and snacks are brought to the room.
Cars numbers 5 through 8 on the train are classified as Japan Rail East
green cars. They have a brighter beige design compared to the premium green
in a 2-1 seating configuration with the luggage racks and blue tinted skylights overhead.
The fabric lined seats come with an adjustable headrest, and a reading light over the shoulder.
Ample leg space is provided, and seat back has a table, coat hook, cup holder and a pocket.
The left side of the seat yields a cocktail tray and the seat controls while the right
arm rest contains another smaller table. No lack of table space for the seat.
I quite enjoy the brighter designed cabin and fantastic atmosphere to enjoy the trip.
Leave a comment below and let us know do you favour the brighter green car cabin
or the darker premium green in car number one. Last but definitely not least is the café car
located in the middle of the train, and wow I've never seen a kitchen like this on a train.
Absolutely amazing! and if you're interested in a hot meal be sure to pre-order online.
There's a couple tables some bar counter seating which is not a bad way to enjoy
the passing scenery …especially if your seats in the green car on the right side.
Alright so this train is absolutely amazing! It's nice and bright on the inside it's wide
and spacious. Just the quality the work they put in this train is absolutely amazing. And there's
three types of seats so there's the normal reserved (green car) seats, there's the... you can buy the rooms
if you have between four and six people you can uh book a room
or they have the premium green seats at the front. and they also have a fully functional kitchen
I did not know that when I when I researched this train I did not know there was a whole kitchen
in the café car that's pretty impressive. And you can order dishes I think you have
to order them you have to pre-order them or something like that but wow very nice...
just a great train! Wow it's such a treat to be on a train like this.
Japan Rail East provides free wi-fi so you can show all your friends the
enjoyable time you're having and as always I invite you to subscribe for continued travel,
trains, planes and whatever else I find myself on related content.
Back in my seat it was time to opt for a little something something to compliment this experience
I settled on the local craft beer from the peninsula time to sit back and enjoy... cheers!
At 12:19 our trip comes to a close. It costs 8470 yen from Tokyo to Atami in premium green.
For those wishing to do the trip from end to end premium green will set you back 12130 yen.
Atami has some nice beaches and walking streets... think small town charm. Worth a stop if you're
heading down the peninsula. This certainly had been a memorable trip with many pleasant surprises
and even as our trip ends there's still one more surprise in store. It just so happened
that the Shiki Shima was pulling in at the same time. Perhaps the most luxurious train in Japan,
offering one, two, three, night packages tickets for a room ...no seats on that train..
starts at 370 000 yen or around four thousand dollars... if you can get one.
So we made it to Atami and wow! what a great comfortable relaxing train and the train is
going to continue its way down to Shimoda on the southern tip of the Izu peninsula... a fabulous
part of the country to see. And it's actually the same route I took a couple years back the
Izu Craile...I think that's the name of it I can't remember exactly fabulous gorgeous train
and uh great scenery over the over the water as the train makes its way down the coast
anyways I hope you like looking inside the Saphir Odoriko what a great treat... really love this train.
thanks for watching and I'll see you around next time.
Thanks for watching! From the clues throughout the video, one can deduce what did this was ;)