On July 17, JR Kyushu unveiled its new sweets-themed sightseeing train, Aru Ressha, to the press at the Kokura Rail Yard. The 38-seat, two-car train is modeled after a luxury train car that JR’s predecessor, the Kyushu Railway Company, ordered from a US manufacturer in 1906. Designed by the renowned Eiji Mitooka, the train’s interior features many wooden accents, including Okawa-kumiko, a type of traditional woodcraft from Okawa City (Fukuoka). The selection of sweets will be supervised by Yoshihiro Narisawa, the owner of a high-end restaurant in Minami-Aoyama in Tokyo. The train’s maiden voyage is scheduled for Aug. 8. It will run mainly on Sundays and holidays until October between Oita and Hita along the Kyudai Line. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 7/21
