A new luxury sightseeing train departed for its maiden journey Friday around Kyushu with the hope that the service will help revive a tourism industry heavily impacted by recent flooding and the pandemic.
The six-car train with a shiny black body and some carriages with tatami-covered floors, left Kyushu Railway Co.'s Kagoshima-Chuo Station in the city of Kagoshima for the four-day trip around the island.
Dubbed "36+3," the train derives its name from Kyushu being the 36th largest island in the world, with "+3" representing passengers, local residents and the railway company, reflecting the company's desire for the three parties to unite as one, according to JR Kyushu.