Kyushu: Full Steam Ahead for Luxury Train Serving Gourmet Meals, Operating between Hakata, Yufuin

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:29 JST, August 23, 2025

YUFU, Oita — A resplendent gold-colored luxury train that serves gourmet meals to passengers as it chugs through Kyushu has marked 10 years since it hit the tracks.

Called the Aru Ressha, a Kyushu railway company originally ordered the construction of the train in about 1900. However, the company’s nationalization soon after that led to it never being put into service. Japan’s railways were privatized in the 1980s, and Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) later designed a modified version based on a model of the original. The new train began running on Aug. 8, 2015.

Featuring a distinctive arabesque pattern, the train has a galley, and initially was launched as a unique sightseeing train in which passengers could eat originally created desserts. In a bid to enlarge the customer base, full-course meals made with ingredients from Kyushu and Okinawa Prefecture began being served in 2021. The Aru Ressha has showcased the area’s delectable tastes ever since.

The Aru Ressha’s route also has been changed and the train currently runs one roundtrip per day between Hakata and Yufuin mostly on weekends.

One day in early June, after the train departed from Hakata, servers brought to the passengers’ tables various dishes including chicken from Saga Prefecture and a cold soup made with potatoes grown in Nagasaki Prefecture and sea urchin from Kagoshima Prefecture. This was followed by a dessert featuring mango from Miyazaki Prefecture and pineapple from Okinawa Prefecture. About three hours after leaving Hakata, the train pulled into Yufuin Station.

Regular fare prices for adults range from ¥36,000 to ¥48,000, including tax. About 3,000 people traveled on the Aru Ressha in fiscal 2024, including a significant number of tourists from Hong Kong and Taiwan who were eager to experience the exquisite cuisine.