Budget-minded travelers from overseas wanting to ride Japan's famous but pricey bullet trains can now get a break from Tokaido Shinkansen Line operator Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) and leading travel agency JTB Corp.

In a bid to boost the number of foreign passengers on the super express, which travels at up to 270 kph, the companies are offering discount tours to such popular destinations as Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hakone and Universal Studios Japan in Osaka.

For example, a two-day package to Kyoto from Tokyo on the Hikari super express including one night's accommodations only costs 19,000 yen. Regular round-trip tickets cost 26,440 yen.