Tokyu Corporation and Tokai Railway Company will operate “THE ROYAL EXPRESS – TOKAIDO-FUJI CRUISE TRAIN” from April to May 2026. Applications will be accepted until January 20, and sales will be conducted by lottery.
The four-day, three-night tour departs from Yokohama Station and travels along the Tokaido Line. A new plan that takes passengers to Sekigahara and Lake Biwa has been added and named “A Journey to Lake Biwa in the Blue Sky,” while a plan that tours Gifu, which was offered in November and December, will continue to be offered under the name “Mino/Gifu Journey. Departure dates for the “Lake Biwa Journey” are April 10, 17, 24, and May 29, while those for the “Mino/Gifu Journey” are April 3 and May 8. The price starts from 890,000 yen per person based on double occupancy.
On the first day of the “Lake Biwa Trip,” passengers will board “THE ROYAL EXPRESS” from Yokohama Station to Kikugawa Station. The Hoeido version of Hiroshige Utagawa’s “Tokaido Gojyosantsugi no Nouchi” (The Five Pilgrimage of the Tokaido) will be exhibited in the train.
On the second day, the tour will take a train from Iwata Station to Sekigahara Station, where eel dishes by Unamasa will be served on board. Upon arrival, the tour will head to Lake Biwa, where a special cruise will be prepared on a chartered sightseeing boat.
On the third day, the tour will take a guided tour of the Sekigahara ancient battlefield, then head to Kakegawa for overnight stay; on the fourth day, the tour will return from Fukuroi Station to Yokohama Station, providing a demonstration of Japanese confectionery kneading on the way.
The content of the “Mino/Gifu Trip” is almost the same as that of the November-December event, but the Inuyama area sightseeing course will be eliminated, and the entire second day will be spent in the Mino area, including the “udatsu-lined streets” of the city.
© Source travel watch