JR Central on September 1 held an experience event at Tokyo Station for “Supreme Class,” a new premium class to be introduced on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines. At the event, the company unveiled for the first time a mock-up of the semi-private “Supreme Class Seat,” which is scheduled to enter service during fiscal 2027.
Supreme Class is the highest-tier class to be introduced on N700S trains operating on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen from October 1. It will offer two types of accommodation: the private-room “Cabin” and the semi-private “Seat.” One Cabin will be installed in each of Cars 7 and 10, while six Seats will be installed in Car 10. Only the Cabin will be available when the service launches on October 1, with the Seat scheduled to begin service during fiscal 2027.
The newly unveiled Seat will replace 20 Green Car seats in rows 13 through 17, on the Tokyo end of Car 10, with six seats arranged in two rows of three. Each seat has an exclusive space measuring approximately 1 meter wide and 1.55 meters deep. The spacious layout accommodates six seats in an area previously occupied by 20 conventional Green Car seats.
The seats are large reclining seats with leg rests and feature a high-back shell design that shields passengers from surrounding views. A door with an electronic lock separates each seat from the aisle, providing privacy and security despite the semi-private configuration. The electronic lock can be opened using the transportation IC card or QR code used for boarding. The seats can also be rotated so that two seats can face each other.
A dedicated tablet allows passengers to individually adjust the reclining position, lighting, air conditioning and announcements. Other amenities include a large table, dedicated Wi-Fi and seat speakers that can connect to passengers’ devices.
Onboard services will include a complimentary welcome service offering beverages and snacks, as well as a paid mobile ordering service through which beverages and light meals ordered on the dedicated tablet will be delivered to passengers’ seats by a purser.
▲Mock-up of the “Supreme Class Cabin,” which will begin service ahead of the Seat on October 1
Meanwhile, the Cabin, which will begin service ahead of the Seat on October 1, will have one room in each of Cars 7 and 10. The Car 7 Cabin can accommodate up to two passengers, while the Car 10 Cabin is for one passenger. Both will have doors with electronic locks that can be opened using an IC card or QR code.
The rooms will be equipped with reclining seats with leg rests, large tables, dedicated tablets, dedicated Wi-Fi and seat speakers. The two-person Cabin in Car 7 will also have a sofa facing the reclining seats. The seating orientation is fixed: in Car 7, the reclining seats face toward Hakata and the sofa faces toward Tokyo, while the single-person Cabin in Car 10 faces toward Tokyo.
The experience event will be held sequentially at five stations: Tokyo, Shin-Osaka, Hiroshima, Hakata and Nagoya. It will run at Tokyo Station from September 1 to 13, Shin-Osaka Station from September 15 to 20, Hiroshima Station from September 22 to 27, Hakata Station from September 29 to October 4, and Nagoya Station from November 1 to 8. Admission is free. Both the Cabin and Seat will be displayed at Tokyo and Nagoya stations, while the Cabin will be displayed at the other three stations.
Advance reservations are required at Tokyo, Shin-Osaka and Nagoya stations, where visitors can experience the seats for approximately five to 10 minutes while receiving an explanation from staff. Viewing the seats is also possible without a reservation. No advance reservation is required at Hiroshima or Hakata stations, where visitors will be admitted in order of arrival. According to JR Central, all 2,300 available advance-reservation slots were filled in approximately five hours after reservations opened at 3 p.m. on August 18.
▲“Supreme Class Cabin,” which will begin service ahead of the Seat on October 1
The Cabin will enter service on Nozomi No. 1, departing Tokyo at 6 a.m. for Hakata on October 1. Initially, it will be introduced on a total of eight N700S trainsets: six J formations operated by JR Central and two H formations operated by JR West. Around 12 services per day, in both directions combined, will operate with the Cabin.
Sales will begin at 5:30 a.m. on September 15 through Express Reservation and SmartEX. For travel on a Nozomi service during the regular season booked via SmartEX, fares for the two-person Cabin in Car 7 will be 47,060 yen between Tokyo and Nagoya, 60,790 yen between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, and 90,670 yen between Tokyo and Hakata. Fares for the single-person Cabin in Car 10 will be 32,660 yen, 42,390 yen and 64,070 yen, respectively. All fares are one-way prices per adult and include both the basic fare ticket and limited express ticket.
If an accompanying passenger travels in the Car 7 Cabin, that passenger may use the Cabin by separately purchasing a basic fare ticket valid for the same train and a limited express ticket for a non-reserved ordinary-class seat, reserved ordinary-class seat or Green Car seat. The sales price and sales start date for the Seat have yet to be announced.
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
