By AYATERU HOSOZAWA/ Staff Writer
October 28, 2023 at 07:30 JST
All bullet trains in Japan will be smoke-free from spring next year following a decision by the operators of the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen lines to abolish smoking rooms.
The flagship N700-series trains that currently service the three lines have three smoking rooms in the deck areas on the 16-car version and two on the 8-car version.
Each room is equipped with a ventilation and deodorization system.
The operators, Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai), West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) and Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu), said the decision to go smoke-free reflected growing health-conscious trends and the fact that fewer people smoke these days.
After the smoking rooms are removed, the spaces will be used to store drinking water and other emergency items in case of a disaster.
JR West said it will also abolish smoking rooms on its 500-series bullet trains that service the Sanyo Shinkansen Line and remove smoking areas not separated by walls at Shin-Kurashiki, Mihara and six other stations.
Smoking seats on bullet trains for the Tohoku, Joetsu, Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen lines were abolished in 2007.
The Hokuriku, Hokkaido and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen lines have prohibited smoking since they first opened.
As JR Tokai and JR West were in sharp competition with airlines, the companies allowed smokers to indulge in designated rooms on the Tokaido and Sanyo bullet trains to cater to the needs of both smokers and non-smokers.
JR Kyushu kept in step with the two companies as they connect to the Kyushu Shinkansen Line.
Test run starts on extended line of Hokuriku Shinkansen
September 26, 2023
Ukraine looks to Shinkansen to build rails to Western allies
September 29, 2023
Self-driving test of Shinkansen proves successful for JR Tokai
May 12, 2023
3 Shinkansen lines to create better storage for large luggage
April 14, 2023
Travelers can use two Shinkansen green car seats at a discount
February 25, 2023
Shin-Yokohama new departure point for Tokaido Shinkansen Line
February 13, 2023
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
A smoking room aboard an N700S bullet train on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line (Provided by Central Japan Railway Co.)
