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Night Trains Getting Back on Track: Japanese Rail Companies Boosting Overnight Services
Night Trains Getting Back on Track: Japanese Rail Companies Boosting Overnight Services
Guide to Japan<br>Economy
Aug 7, 2026
Japan’s iconic Blue Trains ended their sleeper-car service more than a decade ago, giving way to high-end luxury cruises in the overnight rail travel space. Today, though, casual and affordable night trains like the Luna Azul and Tokaidō Lumière Express may be making a comeback.
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From Blue Trains to Cruise Trains
Back before the Shinkansen high-speed rail network, expressways, and domestic airlines had reached their present level of development in Japan, sleeper trains played a significant role in domestic long-distance transportation. The first limited express sleeper “Blue Train” debuted in 1958. So nicknamed because of their blue carriages, Blue Trains became a popular means of transportation thanks to their convenience, comfort, and fully air-conditioned coaches. At their peak in 1975, there were nearly 40 round-trip Blue Train services operating across Japan every day.
That same year, Shinkansen high-speed service reached Hakata, joining Kyūshū to Honshū in the premier Japan National Railways long-distance network. As time went on, people turned to alternative means of travel as JNR, which operated the Blue Trains at the time, repeatedly raised its basic fares along with its limited-express and sleeper surcharges. Following the breakup of JNR and formation of the Japan Railways Group in 1987, upscale sleeper trains like the Hokutosei (itself a high-end Blue Train), Twilight Express, and Cassiopeia hit the rails, coming to enjoy considerable popularity. Even so, growing competition from long-distance overnight buses and the operational complexities of running trains across the domains of multiple JR companies led to the steady decline of Blue Trains. The last Blue Train, Hokutosei, was retired in 2015.
Today, there are only two remaining regularly scheduled limited express sleeper services in Japan: the Sunrise Seto and Sunrise Izumo. Coupled as a single train when departing Tokyo, they separate into two trains at Okayama, with half of the coaches continuing on to Shikoku and the other half to the San’in region. Both services operate one round trip per day.
Several other overnight trains operate on an irregular basis. These include the West Express Ginga (JR West), which does not require payment of a sleeper surcharge, the Seven Stars (Nanatsuboshi) in Kyūshū (JR Kyūshū), the Train Suite Shiki-Shima (JR East), and the Twilight Express Mizukaze (JR West). The latter three cost passengers between ¥300,000 and ¥1,000,000 per night. Overnight rail in Japan has today largely become synonymous with luxury cruise trains.
The luxurious Twilight Express Mizukaze operates mainly on the San’yō Main Line and San’in Main Line. (Courtesy JR West.)
New Offerings on the Affordable Side
As with the West Express Ginga, the newly announced Luna Azul and Tokaidō Lumière Express services will be priced far below the luxury cruise trains. Considering that their fare includes overnight accommodation, they can be said to offer an affordable experience.
The Luna Azul, which is aiming to debut at the start of fiscal 2027, consists of 10 refurbished limited express cars and features Green Car compartments for one to four passengers each, as well as a lounge. From spring through autumn, it will operate twice weekly between Shinagawa in Tokyo and Aomori, at Honshū’s northern tip, via the Sea of Japan coast using the Jōetsu and Uetsu lines and passing through Akita. The journey will take from 12 and a half to 15 hours. Fares are expected to be slightly higher than a one-way Green Car ticket on the Tōhoku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori, which costs ¥24,180. During winter, the train is scheduled to operate six round trips per week during the daytime, between Shinagawa and Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi in Gunma Prefecture.
Another overnight train project is the Tōkaidō Lumière Express. Unlike the Luna Azul, this will be a one-time service on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, departing Tokyo at 10 pm on August 8 and arriving at Shin-Ōsaka at 7 am the following morning. The fare is ¥15,000 for a reserved ordinary-class seat for the whole journey, about the same as the price of a regular Shinkansen ticket for that route. No changes will be made to the Shinkansen cars themselves. From midnight to 6 am, the train will remain at Gifu-Hashima. Because maintenance and inspection work on the Shinkansen lines is carried out during these late-night hours, keeping the train with passengers on it parked at a station during those hours is an interesting approach.
The Luna Azul (“blue...