
JR East to Launch New E8 Series on Tohoku and Yamagata Shinkansen from March 16
On June 15, Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) unveiled to the press the special Tokaido Shinkansen train set “Sparkling Dreams Shinkansen” (N700A, train set number: G47), themed on Tokyo DisneySea’s 25th anniversary event “Sparkling Jubilee.” Created in collaboration with Oriental Land Co., Ltd., the operator of Tokyo Disney Resort, the ceremony held at the Hamamatsu Works in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, was enlivened by an appearance from Mickey Mouse.
This is the second special-specification Shinkansen resulting from collaboration between the two companies, following the “Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen” (N700A, train set number: G25), which operated from February 21 to September 15, 2025. Service will begin on June 19.
Along the sides of the train, the event’s theme color, “Jubilee Blue,” is featured, together with designs of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Duffy, and ShellieMay in their special costumes for the 25th anniversary. With the eight themed ports (areas) of Tokyo DisneySea as the backdrop, the characters are depicted standing in a festive, celebratory scene.
Inside the train, original-design headrest covers and table stickers will be used (Green Cars and Car No. 7, the “S Work” car, are excluded). The Sparkling Jubilee theme song, “Come Join the Jubilee,” will be used as the onboard melody. Photo spots related to the collaboration will also be set up at some stations and other locations.
The first service will be Hikari No. 632 on June 19, departing Nagoya Station at 6:45 a.m. and arriving at Tokyo Station at 8:42 a.m. On the same day, it will then operate as Kodama No. 811, Kodama No. 832, and Hikari No. 655. From the following day onward, it will mainly run as Hikari and Kodama services between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations. The operating schedule will be released sequentially on the website and other channels. The planned operating period is until around mid-March 2027.