TOKYO, Japan Wire - Designer and illustrator Eiji Mitooka, the creative mind behind some of Japan’s most luxurious trains, still has grand designs for the future of the country’s sightseeing railways.
Mitooka, whose design work includes luxury trains, Seven Stars in Kyushu and The Royal Express, began designing rolling stock in the late 1980s.
Seeking to revive its fortunes following the privatization of Japanese National Railways, struggling operator Kyushu Railway Co., Mitooka says, gave him plenty of freedom for his first train project, the now-retired Aqua Express which went into service in 1988.
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More than three decades later, Mitooka, 78, is showing no signs of slowing down. There is much to be done, he says, especially with regional railways in parts of Japan facing closure.
Of the 17 railway lines, or sections of line, in Japan that were discontinued between 2014 and 2024, seven were on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as of April.
It was with a sense of urgency that Mitooka presented his ideas for two new sightseeing trains in Hokkaido in an effort to halt the trend of discontinuing services.
Operator Hokkaido Railway Co. said in August it plans to launch the Mitooka-designed Red Star and Blue Star sightseeing trains in 2027. Services are due to begin with the Red Star train in February, on a route between JR Sapporo and Abashiri stations.
Mitooka sees Japan’s regional railways and unstaffed stations as an essential cultural asset, tracing the country’s original landscapes and revealing its development since the industrial revolution.
While some of the railways may not be profitable, he believes that in the years to come they will be needed for visitors who really want to understand Japan and its culture.
Unstaffed train stations on local lines, he says, are like gateways leading travelers back in time to unique local cultures. “These cultures are Japan's future tourism resource, but if local railways are discontinued and the stations are closed, it will be lost,” Mitooka told Japan Wire in October.
Meanwhile, Mitooka-designed luxury trains are running on track, years after they were launched.
In November, Tokyu Corp.’s luxury sightseeing train The Royal Express set out on new routes, with departures also in December, jointly operated by Central Japan Railway Co., bringing the train to central Japan’s Aichi and Gifu prefectures for the first time.
The Royal Express went into service in 2017. From the floor to the ceiling, carriage interiors are busy with elements of classic Western and Eastern design. While the lighting is warm and low, there is a lot to occupy the eyes.
Mitooka says he prefers wall space over large windows in his trains, which gives him something to decorate. And passengers spend less time looking out of the window than they might think, according to the designer.
“Creating a one-of-a-kind train is always the theme, so we bring together many one-of-a-kind elements to make it number one,” he said.
Along with an exhibition space and library, The Royal Express includes a carriage with a small play area for children. It has a ball pool filled with wooden balls -- a sign of Mitooka’s commitment to using wood in his trains, despite tight regulations on its use.
Somewhere between features like a play area and a library, Mitooka finds a natural audience. Targeting young children and people over 65, the designer says, often results in products that are a hit with young adults. “They feel a sense of nostalgia as well as a sense of something new.”
